How Fat Is Your State?

[Lemur]

Here's an obesity map of the mainland USA:

How do you measure up? If you're from outside the USA, how does your country rate?

[Marshal Murat]

Florida, home of the skeletal and the robust Cuban.

[Adrian II]

How do you measure up? If you're from outside the USA, how does your country rate?

In The Neds is it 11%. Thumbnail:





From the small print of Lemur's source:

Obesity is defined as a BMI of 30.0 or over [..]

[Veho Nex]

They eat good in mississippi

[cmacq]

Just to lighten things up a little...

Here we see the effect but not the ultimate cause. So I fear at this point I really must trivialize the complex and complicate the mundane. One may note that both WV and Old Miss. are indeed the poorest per capita States in the Nation and have the highest per capita rates of welfare dependency. Thus as a wise and able statesmen once said:

The lessons of history, confirmed by evidence immediately before me, show conclusively that continued dependence on relief induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber. To dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit. It is inimical to the dictates of sound policy. It is a violation of the traditions of America.

(President Franklin D. Roosevelt; 1935 State of the Union Message)

My how the apple has fallen far from that tree. In other words, someone apparently thought it was a great idea to pay some poor people to stay home, eat free food, and get 'buried in a piano box like' fat? In truth a brilliant exposé of human nature, yet I suppose if it helps to buy the votes, and the cause it is just, why not pork them plebs up?

[Samurai Waki]

Montana... lower end of the spectrum.

[TevashSzat]

Maryland. Towards the middle of the pack here. I must agree with the views regarding those of lower socioeconomic status as over here, the greatest number of obese people is located in the slums of the cities.

[Marshal Murat]

I don't think that it really has anything to with welfare. It's more to do with the South's climate and culinary institutions. Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, they easily reach 90 degrees F (30 something C), and it's not only hot, but humid.
This doesn't really encourage people to go out and move, because it's not only sweaty, but generally uncomfortable. In Italy, Greece, it's 90 degrees, but it's a dry heat. I went to Delphi, it was almost 100 F, and I didn't think it was too bad, simply because it was a dry heat.

Then the food we eat, it's mashed potatoes, biscuits and butter, fried chicken, green beans, and sweet tea (or Coke). That doesn't sound healthy, now does it? Add to that, it's more food taken every plate, and more plates taken per person. Really the only benefits to the South is that it's warmer year round, so we can play more sports, and get more activity in March and September.

Welfare might play a role in it, but it's alot more to do with diet and climate than relying on welfare.

[Adrian II]

Generally speaking the pinko welfare states of Europe score much lower (ca. 10%) than the U.S. - except for the UK where obesity is about 23%. Obesity is clearly in the Anglo-Saxon genes. You guys are born slobs.

Anyone offended yet? Good, because my Socialist ethic is offended when poor people are blamed for obesity.

I say let's dispatch this thread a.s.a.p. to the Backroom.

[cmacq]

Relax,

here its the home of 'its a dry heat,' very often over 110 F, and besides mad dogs no one goes outside during the day if they don't have to. We have fewer fat, but the number still's too high. The fact is, if food is easy to get, they tend to eat more, with little physical work, people might just get fat, ask the lab rat or better still, go ask Buda.

Excluding history per diem, there is nothing wrong with Socialism per se, when used in moderation. Which of course begs the question?

Adrian, if your not using AS, as an euphuism for the unkempt, belligerent, and unworthy; since I’m only 1:92nd AS, is that why I’m not fat?

[Adrian II]

And since I’m only 1:92nd AS, is that why I’m not fat?

My dear fellow, I have no idea. My ad hoc answer would be that I am not per se knowledgeable in rebus medicinalibus.

[cmacq]

Indeed, from the ex-swineherder, taxman, and alcoholic researcher Mr Rankin's take on Inspector John...
a right nice pictogram of all things therapeutic.

[Adrian II]

Indeed, from the ex-swineherder, taxman, and alcoholic researcher Mr Rankin's take on Inspector John...

Oh shuttupus.

[cmacq]

Right, I move too fast...

By your command.

[TevashSzat]

Generally speaking the pinko welfare states of Europe score much lower (ca. 10%) than the U.S. - except for the UK where obesity is about 23%. Obesity is clearly in the Anglo-Saxon genes. You guys are born slobs.

Anyone offended yet? Good, because my Socialist ethic is offended when poor people are blamed for obesity.

I say let's dispatch this thread a.s.a.p. to the Backroom.

Well, the view is not as much as that poor people are naturally inclined to be obese because since they're poor they're naturally lazy, but that cheap food is naturally less healthy. In America, those on welfare are on the lowest end of the socioeconomic ladder while the welfare states of Europe refer to a socialist government which does not necessarily imply a nation of the poor. Look at the cheap stuff: fast food, canned food, ect...they're all very unhealthy. If you go buy prepared food, salads often cost similarly if not more than the unhealthy stuff even if they aren't as fufilling to one's hunger.

That means that its easier to think about eating healthy if you have the money to back up the wishes, but it is much much harder to do so when you're worried about putting food on the table

[Lemur]

And here I had thought this was a safe topic for the Frontroom ....

[Marshal Murat]

What I want to know is, if Fat B@st@rd from Austin Powers is so fat, does that mean he's on welfare? How can he be on welfare if he works for an evil genius who takes $10 Million?

[Louis VI the Fat]

If you're from outside the USA, how does your country rate?

It's an epidemic! Americanisation is killing French babies!!! Obesity numbers are now up to half that of the lowest American state!!

Worthy of note is that the North is considerably more obese than the South. The famous Mediterranean diet in action. Olive oil, vegetables and fish vs. butter, grains, and meat.

Sorry, French only: for those interested, link to maps and report, with socio-economical variables, of obesity in France.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Good read. Some exerpts to wet your appetite:

One of the least flattering images that America is now associated with in France and in other European countries is a ballooning stomach. Pictures of overweight American children and adults are regularly used in French TV news, shows and in the print media. Every campaign against obesity in the land of gourmandise cites the latest statistics on the overweight population in the United States.
[...]
Ironically, as little as ten years ago, the American way of life was synonymous with slenderness in France. Americans were joggers or fitness freaks and non-smokers to boot.

The same rapid transformation in the image of America has been noted in England as well.
[...]
what French and American diets have never shared is the moralizing tone and relentless association of overeating with personal ethical failure, a trait that is present in the United States. Mocking overweight people, now known as “fatism,” has a long history in the United States. Worse, overweight people in America are routinely caricatured as lazy, incompetent and even suspicious. This is all the more stigmatic because in democratic, Protestant America, success in maintaining one’s appearance has long been presented as a personal and moral responsibility which is accessible to everyone. Improving one’s body is assimilated to doing one’s civic duty

Neither the American claim that socialism and moral defects are to blame, nor the French / European claim that Americanisation is too blame, hold up to closer scrutiny. Capitalism is the culprit:

The claim that America is “exporting” obesity is a serious one, and it is difficult to grapple with. It is necessary to use historical-cultural resources which demonstrate how representations of obesity and overeating are the result of a complex interaction between food culture, medical advice, sociological studies, political discourse and marketing strategies. In my research, I have found that current attitudes towards obesity in both countries are in fact the result of ideas which may easily be traced back over one hundred years. The preoccupation with extra weight is not simply a present-day concern and there is much to be learned from taking a longer view of the question. Using recent diet histories, critical exposés of food industry practices as well as nineteenth-century advice literature, I will attempt to address the question of the breaking down of food cultures in America and France, to debunk certain myths about dieting while identifying a key difference between perceptions of the obese in both countries, and to expose how obesity is exploited in publishing and marketing. I will argue that the demagogical rhetoric on American food and obesity in France masks the much deeper responsibilities of international food conglomerates which manipulate guilt-ridden consumers and governments who fail to protect them.

[Kekvit Irae]

I live in the third fattest state. We do love our bbq.

[Ice]

Generally speaking the pinko welfare states of Europe score much lower (ca. 10%) than the U.S. - except for the UK where obesity is about 23%. Obesity is clearly in the Anglo-Saxon genes. You guys are born slobs.

Anyone offended yet? Good, because my Socialist ethic is offended when poor people are blamed for obesity.

I say let's dispatch this thread a.s.a.p. to the Backroom.

I'm not offended at all. I've been saying for the longest time that America has an obesity problem. This is one of the reasons I reject most government run health care programs.

Michigan-27.7%

ooh rah

[Whacker]

27.1% Gotta love the good ol' South. Though I still really do consider myself a Midwesterner, even though I've lived here for 7 years.

[naut]

Here I believe, (I could be wrong), it's only the rural areas that tends to get a large percentage of the population overweight or obese. In large population centres, (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, hell even Adelaide) I haven't noticed that many obese people. My hypothesis is that in these areas there is greater competition for a partner of the opposite (or same) sex, so people are more aware of their physical condition. Whereas in most rural areas and smaller cities (Newcastle, Canberra), I tend to see a lot more overweight people (both children and adults), now I may be clutching at straws, but since there isn't much competition for partners they don't have to worry nor put effort into their physical condition.

Secondly, the heat might play a role in overweight people here, since the coast gets hot, but being able to swim at the beach or partake in water activities, etc, makes it possible to exercise and bypass this heat. Inland, where the heat is dryer, but a lot harsher in summer and it's cooler in winter, people are thus less inclined to exercise. I even noticed some fat farmers last time I was out west of Newcastle, who you'd think would be exercising heavily, but I guess machinery took away most of their hands-on work.

Also, a lot of people here who have been placed in the obese or overweight category may not actually be either in the traditional sense of having rolls and rolls of fat. But, rather they most likely are older men (Australia has an aging population, with a large amount of 50-70 year olds) who are a bit too fond of their drink and thus have large beer guts.

[Marshal Murat]

My hypothesis is that in these areas there is greater competition for a partner of the opposite (or same) sex, so people are more aware of their physical condition.

I would think the opposite might be the case. If there are fewer females, then I would think you would be more inclined to 'work out' to attract another mate of good standing. In cities, there are thousands of young available women, and would mean that, while you would want to be fit, wouldn't mean that "If you lose this one, your gonna have to settle with less attractive girl B." You would have multiple A candidates in a city.

[CountArach]

Australia May Overtake America

Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has described new statistics about obese Australians as staggering and alarming and has asked for urgent advice on how to combat the problem.

"I think it will be a shock to a lot of people that we are rated as a fatter nation than America," she said.

The Baker Heart Institute's report, Australia's Future 'Fat Bomb', found Australia may soon overtake America as the fattest nation on earth, with one in four adults classed as obese.

Report author Professor Simon Stewart has today told the Federal Parliamentary Inquiry into Obesity the cost of high levels of obesity is going to be profound.

"We can only give you a conservative estimate of $6 billion in costs but it's likely to be more than $15 billion," he said.

"The fat bomb's about to go off, we need to do something about it."

Emphasis mine for hilarity

[Sigurd]

Point one:
BMI is not the best way to measure obesity. I have had a BMI close to 30 without having much fat. Think of all the muscle hunks that falls wrongly into this statistic. I know that the strong men that compete in Viking games or Worlds strongest man have BMIs reaching the upper 40ties and a few that crosses the 50 mark.

Point two:
Fast food should be more expensive. The cheaper option should always be home made.
A whooper meal should cost around $20 and a large pizza at pizza hut should cost around $50.

I think people that really is obese, have a problem. Their addiction is food, and you can't just take it away as they will get sick.

[pevergreen]

I dont know the conversion rate between currencies, but $50 for a large pizza, which is currently easy to find at $4.95 here...considering we are still paying the equivilant of 200% of the US$ price for many items...

[Sigurd]

I dont know the conversion rate between currencies, but $50 for a large pizza, which is currently easy to find at $4.95 here...considering we are still paying the equivilant of 200% of the US$ price for many items...

I guess AUD and USD are nearly the same today.
comparing the currencies shows only a 3 NoK difference.

A whooper meal costs here around 100 NoK which is very close to $20 USD.
$20 AUD is 97 NoK.
Oh and the large pizzas here costs $50 USD (for the good stuff mind you).
Another thing... Let people pay for their drink refills. All though I loved being able to drink as much as I wanted on Hungry Jacks, it will contribute to weight gain.

That said, I really would want a Sizzlers here. Damn good stuff. I predict a wealthy outcome for whomever starts the first Sizzlers restaurant here in Norway. Any wannabe millionaire out there ?

[CountArach]

I guess AUD and USD are nearly the same today.
comparing the currencies shows only a 3 NoK difference.

A whooper meal costs here around 100 NoK which is very close to $20 USD.
$20 AUD is 97 NoK.
Oh and the large pizzas here costs $50 USD (for the good stuff mind you).

You can get good (Eg woodfire, specially-made) large pizzas here for about AU$25-$30. The largest meals at the large Burger places (ie McDonalds) are $12-$15 or so (I don't go there often, but that is what I remember).

@ pever - Only on things that require shipping from the US or Europe.

[Veho Nex]

I'm going to japan :D