Obesity Crisis Slowing?

MSNBC seems to think so anyway. Men and children are still overweight, with over 30% of children being overweight. The percentage of women who are overweight seems to be slowing, which poses the question if we are starting to turn the corner on obseity.

The study did not bring any answers as to why women seem to be better at starting to control their weight. One doctor speculates that women are more aware of their health in general, and take quicker action compared to men, who have a tendency to avoid going to the doctor.

One item not speculated is with today's culture, children are not as active. Sports programs are being cut in schools, and video games are replacing outdoor fun. West Virginia put Dance, Dance Revolution in all of their middle schools to make PE more enjoyable for people who do not like sports.

All the data comes from the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which collects data on a sample of about 5,000 people each year. The researchers clustered years together, presenting calculations for 1999-2000, 2001-2002 and 2003-2004.

The survey is considered the gold standard for obesity data, since the data is collected with in-person examinations that include actual height and weight measurements. This is a good read on obesity.