State policy seems to have done very little to curb the increasing incidence of obesity in America. Obesity is growing and practically all the States are finding it difficult to meet the national target of reducing obesity rates to less than 15%.
Obesity in adults is indeed alarming but what deserves more attention of the authorities is that 16% of children have a body mass index of 25.5 or above. This should be enough to raise the alarm as obesity is a major cause behind serious conditions like Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Disease and stroke. And therefore, obesity can ultimately have a direct affect on the average life expectancy of Americans.
Another matter of concern is that the poor and the disabled are more impacted by obesity. Technological changes over the last century have made calories relatively cheaper. On the other hand exercise has become more expensive. As nearly half the medical costs are paid by Medicare and Medicaid, the inability to address the problem impacts every tax payer in the country.
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