From Your Health Journal…..”A great article today from the Huffington Post by Dr. Scott Kahan, with such an interesting title – The United States of Obesity. As we enter a new year, obesity has become a huge concern for many in our country, as so many people are suffering from heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers, joint problems, and other health issues. In some areas of the country, there is no hope in sight. Dr. Kahan does an excellent job expressing his concerns on obesity today and in the future. Please take the time to read the full article (link provided below) from the Huffington Post. Dr. Kahan as some intriguing views.”

From the article…..

There is no doubt that obesity remains a top health issue in the states as we enter 2013. According to the most recent “F as in Fat” report, a state-by-state obesity report card published by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, obesity costs the United States up to $210 billion per year and obesity-related health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, are expected to rise significantly in coming years. With numbers like these, it only makes sense to ask: What are states doing to tackle obesity, and what trends are on the horizon in 2013?

To help answer this question, the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance research team at George Washington University, for which I serve as director, focused our most recent “Weight and the States” bulletin on state-level legislative trends that took shape over the past year, including Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation, obesity prevention efforts, and legislation designed to create healthier environments.

Long story short: Efforts aimed at obesity prevention are well underway, but we are still a nation very uncomfortable with paying for services that could help treat the two-thirds of Americans who carry excess weight, and prevent further downstream health complications and economic costs.

To read the full article…..Click here