Sedentary Lifestyles

THE PROBLEM:

In the United States, in 2003-04, 17.1% of children and adolescents 2-19 years of age (over 12 and a half million) were overweight, and 32.2% of adults (over 66 million) were obese. Almost 5% of adults were extremely obese. According to the CDC, obesity is unique in that it is a chronic disease that is increasing at rates previously only seen with infectious diseases.

Obesity is a leading cause of mortality, morbidity, disability, and discrimination in health care, education, and employment. According to a recent RAND study, the health consequences of obesity are as significant or greater than smoking, problem alcohol consumption and poverty. The consequences of obesity include various cancers, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and problem pregnancies and childbirth among others. However, the consequences of obesity are even greater. It is becoming more and more clear that our health care system is going to be under enormous stress to deal with the millions of emerging cases of long term chronic diseases, now starting at younger and younger ages. This flood of new, expensive conditions will surely tax our health insurance system and our disability system.
Statement of the American Obesity Association
before the Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives

A new study by researchers at RTI International and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that U.S. obesity-attributable medical expenditures reached $75 billion in 2003 and that taxpayers finance about half of these costs through Medicare and Medicaid. The findings will be published in this month’s issue of Obesity Research.

“Obesity has become a crucial health problem for our nation, and these findings show that the medical costs alone reflect the significance of the challenge,” said HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. “Of course the ultimate cost to Americans is measured in chronic disease and early death. We must take responsibility both as individuals and working together to reduce the health toll associated with obesity.”

THE CAUSES OF OVERWEIGHT:

Overweight in children and adolescents is generally caused by lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of the two, with genetics and lifestyle both playing important roles in determining a child's weight.
Our society has become very sedentary. Television, computer and video games contribute to children's inactive lifestyles.
43% of adolescents watch more than 2 hours of television each day.
Children, especially girls, become less active as they move through adolescence.

U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services

Obesity and overweight are a result of an imbalance between food consumed and physical activity. National data have shown an increase in the calorie consumption of adults and no change in physical activity patterns. Many underlying factors have been linked to the increase in obesity, such as … fear of crime, which prevents outdoor exercise.
April 5, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The Water Cooler roadways provide a readily accessible, free, safe, comfortable and pleasant all-weather recreational facility. Here one has a facility for aerobic exercise that is different than the monotonous and boring gym. It is suitable for children, adults, senior citizens and a good percentage of physically handicapped.

The Water Cooler roadways branch out throughout a geographical region to provide a 24/7 recreational facility (except during rush hours). They are enclosed to protect users from the weather. They are isolated from roadway traffic. Access to the inside is tightly controlled by a computerized system, security cameras, security personnel and local police law enforcement. They provide a viable alternative to using streets where motor vehicles kill 5,000 each year in the U.S. alone. They can be readily incorporated into school physical education programs and after-school activities (biking, running, roller-blading, etc.)

However, merely providing a nice recreational facility is not enough. Of course, they must be attractive (good lighting, clean, quiet, fresh air, entertainment systems); which they are. But, a critical component is they must also be 'cool'. That is to say, everyone must want to belong to the group of users. In addition to traditional PR promotion, The Water Cooler computerized control system provides several incentives and free, public use vehicles another.

No human condition — not race, religion, gender, ethnicity or disease state — compares to obesity in prevalence and prejudice, mortality and morbidity, sickness and stigma.
American Obesity Association

The incidence of childhood obesity is rapidly rising throughout the world. The obesity epidemic is especially evident in industrialized nations where many people live sedentary lives and eat more convenience foods, which are typically high in calories and low in nutritional value. In just two decades, the prevalence of overweight doubled for U.S. children ages 6 to 11 — and tripled for American teenagers. The annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about one-third of U.S. children are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. In total, about 25 million U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or nearly overweight.
The Mayo Clinic for Medical Research and Education

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. We have come together to fight one of our nation’s leading health threats – childhood obesity.
Along with our co-leader Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and American Heart Association President Dan Jones, the Alliance is working nationally to create awareness and real solutions to the childhood obesity epidemic.
Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Overweight children are at risk for serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol - all once considered exclusively adult diseases. But overweight children may also be prone to low self-esteem that stems from being teased, bullied, or rejected by peers. Overweight children are often the last to be chosen as playmates, even as early as preschool. Children who are unhappy with their weight may be more likely than average-weight children to develop unhealthy dieting habits and eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, and they may be more prone to depression, as well as substance abuse.
Nemours Foundation