If only Americans could export girth to settle our trade imbalance, but alas, we are just getting bigger, putting increasing burdens on our medical system with increases in diabetes, coronary issues and the whole host of ailments and infirmities associated with being overweight, a particularly disturbing trend as we grapple with the out-of-control costs of medical care in this country. Fact is the American workplace is increasingly sedentary.
“A sweeping review of shifts in the labor force since 1960 suggests that a sizable portion of the national weight gain can be explained by declining physical activity during the workday. Jobs requiring moderate physical activity, which accounted for 50 percent of the labor market in 1960, have plummeted to just 20 percent…. The remaining 80 percent of jobs, the researchers report, are sedentary or require only light activity. The shift translates to an average decline of about 120 to 140 calories a day in physical activity, closely matching the nation’s steady weight gain over the past five decades, according to the report, published [May 25th] in the journal PLoS One.
“Today, an estimated one in three Americans are obese. Researchers caution that workplace physical activity most likely accounts for only one piece of the obesity puzzle, and that diet, lifestyle and genetics all play an important role.” New York Times, May 25th. Add to this horrific fact is our love of all things fat, from fried chicken and apple pie to pizza, hamburgers, ice cream and sugar-laden soft drinks. Throw in a dash of NexFlix and American Idol from the local couch, and you have a pretty ugly picture of America today. Just walking down the street in just about any American city, checking out the average posterior doesn’t bode well for posterity!
According to U.S. government reports (available on USGovinfo.About.com) , “[a]verage adult Americans are about one inch taller, but nearly a whopping 25 pounds heavier than they were in 1960, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The bad news, says CDC is that average BMI (body mass index, a weight-for-height formula used to measure obesity) has increased among adults from approximately 25 in 1960 to 28 in 2002…Meanwhile, the average weight for men aged 20-74 years rose dramatically from 166.3 pounds in 1960 to 191 pounds in 2002, while the average weight for women the same age increased from 140.2 pounds in 1960 to 164.3 pounds in 2002.
“Though the average weight for men aged 20-39 years increased by nearly 20 pounds over the last four decades, the increase was greater among older men:
Men between the ages of 40 and 49 were nearly 27 pounds heavier on average in 2002 compared to 1960.
Men between the ages of 50 and 59 were nearly 28 pounds heavier on average in 2002 compared to 1960.
Men between the ages of 60 and 74 were almost 33 pounds heavier on average in 2002 compared to 1960
For women, the near opposite trend occurred:
Women aged 20-29 were nearly 29 pounds heavier on average in 2002 compared to 1960.
Women aged 40-49 were about 25½ pounds heavier on average in 2002 compared to 1960.
Women aged 60-74 were about 17½ pounds heavier on average in 2002 compared to 1960.”
You don’t want to hear the information about our kids… let’s just say it’s trending with the adults.
I’m Peter Dekom, and there are some heavy concepts that really scare me.
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