Obese man early 20th century (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
24/7 Wall St.
Posted: May 8, 2012 at 6:31 am
Douglas A. McIntyre
Authors of a new CDC study, … reported that the number of Americans considered obese will rise to 42% of the population by 2030. The medical costs of the shift will be $550 billion between now and then. And those medical costs are only part of it. America is preparing for a world of increased numbers of obese people the way it has for its aging population. Nothing about how business and the medical community treat these citizens, as people in the United States gain weight, will ever be the same.
Services must accommodate obese people with specialist equipment such as much wider chairs. Bakewell J (2007). "Bariatric furniture: Considerations for use.". Int J Ther Rehabil (7) : 329–33 . . (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
As scientists turn their focus to the future of the obese population, they have even started to determine the extent to which the obese can safely exercise. … The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health published a report by Dr. Paul Jarle Mork of the Department of Human Movement Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. It recommends that obese people should get more exercise without too much concern about the effects of risk of knee and hip osteoarthritis. Even exercise equipment may be adjusted to help overweight Americans use gyms.
Obesity rates in Canadian provinces in 2005. Percent of population obese Percent of population obese or overweight Derived from data at this Statistics Canada study by Margot Shields and Michael Tjepkema. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
A number of proposals have been put forward about how to cover the costs of a weight-gaining America. The taxes or medical insurance amounts that obese people pay could be increased. … The airlines could increase ticket prices for people who weigh more than 200 pounds, or 250, to pay for new seats and fuel. Food companies and restaurants might get tax breaks for preparing meals with fewer calories and less fat.
Obesity Campaign Poster (Photo credit: Pressbound) |
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