Preventing Obesity with Good Nutrition and Physical Activity

Unhealthy diet and the lack of physical activity can contribute to or aggravate many chronic diseases and conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and even some cancers.

During the past 20 years or so, obesity rates among adults have risen substantially in the United States. The 2005–2006, data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows us that 34% of over 72 million U.S. adults 20 years of age and older suffer from obesity.

In 2005, few adults met the Healthy People 2010 objectives for fruit and vegetable consumption with only 33% eating fruit two or more times each day and even fewer (27%) eating vegetables three or more times each day.

Despite the proven benefits that physical activity offers, less than half of American adults in 2007 engaged in enough physical activity to provide the needed health benefits.

More than a quarter of children born in 2004 were never breastfed.

The percentage of young people who suffer from obesity has almost tripled since 1980. During the 2003–2006 time frame, 16.3% of children and adolescents between the ages of 2–19 had a body mass index greater than or equal to the 95th percentile for age and sex on the CDC growth charts.

Over one third (34%) of adolescents in grades 9–12 had a non diet soft drink at least one time per day during the previous 7 day period.

A full 65% of young people in grades 9–12 did not get the recommended amount of physical activity in 2007 with 35% of them watching 3 or more hours of television on the average school day.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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1 Comment »

1. 

   Awesome post Jeanne. It’s nice to see this type of information being posted on the internet that gives the facts instead of hokey diet pills and obscure advice.

   Thanks

   Comment by Bob — 03/05/2009 @ 12:14 am

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