WASHINGTON -- The epidemic of obesity in the United States is costing the government and private business so much that both are aggressively looking for ways to cut the bill.
"It's a huge problem," said Helen Darling, president of the Washington Business Group on Health, a private organization that represents major employers.
Government officials, from Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson on down, call the rise in obesity a crisis, in part because of the costs it adds to the nation's health care bill. Obesity and overweight account for $93 billion a year in U.S. spending on medical care, a major new study found. Government and private business share the tab.
So far, most of the solutions they have proposed have tilted toward gentle persuasion rather than heavy regulation. Thus, several Blue Cross health care plans and AARP are encouraging their members to take a daily walk, while Thompson has rejected a proposal to require restaurants to list calorie counts and other nutritional information on their menus.
"Secretary Thompson is giving this very serious attention," said Dr. Walter C. Willett, a Harvard University nutritionist and obesity expert. "There is much more that the government can do, including developing high standards for school food programs, setting standards for promotion of foods for kids and providing safe and attractive places for biking and walking."
But Bill Stevenson, a spokesman for Tennessee Blue Cross, sponsor of one of the walk programs, said, "Being heavy-handed on things like this doesn't work. You have to change lifestyle, and you can't do it by edict."
Americans do appear to be open to government intervention to stem the tide of childhood obesity, according to a poll presented at a recent Harvard forum. But when it comes to adults, the poll found the nation is split. Half said obesity is a health problem that society needs to solve; half said it is an issue of personal responsibility.
Dr. Donald A. Young, president of the Health Insurance Association of America, said, "I think the problem cuts across society and is a substantial one. But it's tough to deal with."
`Alarming' Cost Increase
Obesity has gotten a huge amount of attention since former Surgeon General David Satcher released a report in January 2001 that found the prevalence of overweight and obesity had nearly doubled among children and adolescents since 1980.
Today, 30 percent of American adults and 15 percent of children are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and many more are overweight.
The problem has significant costs, an analysis of the subject showed. Written by Eric A. Finkelstein, an economist at the North Carolina research firm RTI International, the study estimated that obesity and overweight account for 9.1 percent of total U.S. medical spending, up from 5.7 percent in 1995. Finkelstein called the increase "alarming" because obesity can lead to coronary heart disease, hypertension, gallbladder disease and several forms of cancer.
The Washington business group estimates that obesity adds $12 billion a year to the costs of its 175 member employers, either through direct medical expenses or lost productivity. A study by Roland Sturm, an economist at the RAND Corp., a California think tank, found that obesity adds an average of $395 per patient per year to health care costs, more than smoking ($230) or heavy drinking ($150).
Aversion to regulation
Despite the costs, there is a limit to what the public will accept, according to the poll presented to the Harvard forum. Only 41 percent supported a special tax on junk food - an idea Sturm said would be difficult to administer - and only 37 percent said they strongly supported requiring restaurants to list calorie content on their menus.
By contrast, the poll found more public support for regulatory actions designed to protect children. Nearly 60 percent said they liked the idea of banning foods such as soda, chips and candy in schools and 58 percent backed limiting television advertising for "unhealthy" foods.
Parents are "crying out for help, information and alternatives to come to terms with the challenges of childhood obesity," said Jennifer Park, who works for a New York City market-research organization that has studied the issue.
The search for solutions is just beginning, most experts say.
Health Secretary Thompson has made obesity a personal crusade, even going on a diet himself and encouraging his staff to do the same. Next year, Thompson will be in charge of distributing $100 million in new grants to states and communities to sponsor activities to curb obesity, diabetes and asthma, on top of $15 million this year.
On the regulatory front, the Food and Drug Administration has announced that food producers will be required to include information on artery-clogging trans fat on product nutrition labels in 2006. At the state level, Texas and Arkansas have limited the sale of candy and soda in schools.
Meanwhile, the restaurant chain Applebee's said it would work with Weight Watchers International to develop health-conscious menu items and McDonald's plans to expand its menu to include fruits, vegetables and yogurt. But the National Restaurant Association said its members should make such decisions freely, not under the threat of government intervention.
The Washington business group also wants to avoid government regulation. The business group has set up the Institute on the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity, which will propose strategies and solutions and serve as a catalyst for change, said Darling, the organization's president.
Aetna, one of the institute's founding members, will lend its expertise by providing data on obesity and its medical consequences, said Dr. Cheryl Pegus, national medical director for women's health. At the same time, Pegus said, Aetna is mailing educational materials about diet and exercise to many of its members.
To encourage walking, Blue Cross plans in Colorado and Nevada to distribute 20,000 pedometers to members who participate in plan-sponsored treks. Destiny Health offers members points they can redeem for trips if they keep their weight down, and some CIGNA plans offer their members discounts at fitness centers.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a large health care philanthropy, has handed out $70 million in grants aimed at finding ways to reduce obesity. But Dr. J. Michael McGinnis, director of the foundation's health group, is under no illusion. Getting people to switch to healthier diets and abandon sedentary habits will not be easy, he said.
"We know it's a tough challenge," McGinnis said. "Behavior is not easy to change. It's especially tough to change when all the signals are going in the opposite direction."
http://www.ctnow.com/news/custom/newsat3/hc-obesity0816.artaug16,0,172669.story?coll=hc-headlines-newsat3
"It's a huge problem," said Helen Darling, president of the Washington Business Group on Health, a private organization that represents major employers.
Government officials, from Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson on down, call the rise in obesity a crisis, in part because of the costs it adds to the nation's health care bill. Obesity and overweight account for $93 billion a year in U.S. spending on medical care, a major new study found. Government and private business share the tab.
So far, most of the solutions they have proposed have tilted toward gentle persuasion rather than heavy regulation. Thus, several Blue Cross health care plans and AARP are encouraging their members to take a daily walk, while Thompson has rejected a proposal to require restaurants to list calorie counts and other nutritional information on their menus.
"Secretary Thompson is giving this very serious attention," said Dr. Walter C. Willett, a Harvard University nutritionist and obesity expert. "There is much more that the government can do, including developing high standards for school food programs, setting standards for promotion of foods for kids and providing safe and attractive places for biking and walking."
But Bill Stevenson, a spokesman for Tennessee Blue Cross, sponsor of one of the walk programs, said, "Being heavy-handed on things like this doesn't work. You have to change lifestyle, and you can't do it by edict."
Americans do appear to be open to government intervention to stem the tide of childhood obesity, according to a poll presented at a recent Harvard forum. But when it comes to adults, the poll found the nation is split. Half said obesity is a health problem that society needs to solve; half said it is an issue of personal responsibility.
Dr. Donald A. Young, president of the Health Insurance Association of America, said, "I think the problem cuts across society and is a substantial one. But it's tough to deal with."
`Alarming' Cost Increase
Obesity has gotten a huge amount of attention since former Surgeon General David Satcher released a report in January 2001 that found the prevalence of overweight and obesity had nearly doubled among children and adolescents since 1980.
Today, 30 percent of American adults and 15 percent of children are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and many more are overweight.
The problem has significant costs, an analysis of the subject showed. Written by Eric A. Finkelstein, an economist at the North Carolina research firm RTI International, the study estimated that obesity and overweight account for 9.1 percent of total U.S. medical spending, up from 5.7 percent in 1995. Finkelstein called the increase "alarming" because obesity can lead to coronary heart disease, hypertension, gallbladder disease and several forms of cancer.
The Washington business group estimates that obesity adds $12 billion a year to the costs of its 175 member employers, either through direct medical expenses or lost productivity. A study by Roland Sturm, an economist at the RAND Corp., a California think tank, found that obesity adds an average of $395 per patient per year to health care costs, more than smoking ($230) or heavy drinking ($150).
Aversion to regulation
Despite the costs, there is a limit to what the public will accept, according to the poll presented to the Harvard forum. Only 41 percent supported a special tax on junk food - an idea Sturm said would be difficult to administer - and only 37 percent said they strongly supported requiring restaurants to list calorie content on their menus.
By contrast, the poll found more public support for regulatory actions designed to protect children. Nearly 60 percent said they liked the idea of banning foods such as soda, chips and candy in schools and 58 percent backed limiting television advertising for "unhealthy" foods.
Parents are "crying out for help, information and alternatives to come to terms with the challenges of childhood obesity," said Jennifer Park, who works for a New York City market-research organization that has studied the issue.
The search for solutions is just beginning, most experts say.
Health Secretary Thompson has made obesity a personal crusade, even going on a diet himself and encouraging his staff to do the same. Next year, Thompson will be in charge of distributing $100 million in new grants to states and communities to sponsor activities to curb obesity, diabetes and asthma, on top of $15 million this year.
On the regulatory front, the Food and Drug Administration has announced that food producers will be required to include information on artery-clogging trans fat on product nutrition labels in 2006. At the state level, Texas and Arkansas have limited the sale of candy and soda in schools.
Meanwhile, the restaurant chain Applebee's said it would work with Weight Watchers International to develop health-conscious menu items and McDonald's plans to expand its menu to include fruits, vegetables and yogurt. But the National Restaurant Association said its members should make such decisions freely, not under the threat of government intervention.
The Washington business group also wants to avoid government regulation. The business group has set up the Institute on the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity, which will propose strategies and solutions and serve as a catalyst for change, said Darling, the organization's president.
Aetna, one of the institute's founding members, will lend its expertise by providing data on obesity and its medical consequences, said Dr. Cheryl Pegus, national medical director for women's health. At the same time, Pegus said, Aetna is mailing educational materials about diet and exercise to many of its members.
To encourage walking, Blue Cross plans in Colorado and Nevada to distribute 20,000 pedometers to members who participate in plan-sponsored treks. Destiny Health offers members points they can redeem for trips if they keep their weight down, and some CIGNA plans offer their members discounts at fitness centers.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a large health care philanthropy, has handed out $70 million in grants aimed at finding ways to reduce obesity. But Dr. J. Michael McGinnis, director of the foundation's health group, is under no illusion. Getting people to switch to healthier diets and abandon sedentary habits will not be easy, he said.
"We know it's a tough challenge," McGinnis said. "Behavior is not easy to change. It's especially tough to change when all the signals are going in the opposite direction."
http://www.ctnow.com/news/custom/newsat3/hc-obesity0816.artaug16,0,172669.story?coll=hc-headlines-newsat3
