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10,000 people (mostly students) participated in a walk set up by the Dubai Pulse campaign, coordinated by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) and Dubai Health Authority (DHA). The Dubai Pulse Campaign is trying to change the culture of the country to minimize obesity and the illnesses associated with it. The campaign was launched in October 2009. The goal is to develop healthy lifestyles in the youth of Dubai to minimize cultural influences that enhance obesity. The campaign was inspired by a program in San Paulo called Agita that has been successful in increasing physical activity. Here in the United States, we have fewer schools offering physical education, with the recession probably fewer people are joining gyms, and our culture leans toward auto travel, not walking or biking. Maybe we need to take a page from other countries and develop creative programs for the masses and children to start to make cultural changes that enhance the chances of our citizens becoming overweight or obese.

The headlines in the Health and Behavior section of USA Today (Nov. 16, 2009) read “Rising obesity will cost U.S. health care 344 billion a year. This estimate was based on a study conducted by Kenneth Thorpe, H. Howard, and Peter Joski of Emory University. The premise of the article is that there are so many ailments associated with obesity that medical professionals should focus on prevention. Think of the all of the people that have ailments such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure related to being overweight. It would definitely cut down on health care costs to focus on the prevention instead of letting the pharmaceutical companies make money off of our culture of obesity. Actually, if you think about it as the health care reform debate gets started, the pharmaceutical companies will fight covering prevention because they will lose billions on drugs to treat the multitude of ailments associated with obesity. Make sure you contact your legislator and demand coverage of prevention measures.

According to an article in the LA Times (11-7-09), there are conflicting results about the link between the consumption of fruit juice and childhood obesity. However, because parents believe juice to be healthy, parents don’t monitor the amount of fruit juice which ounce for ounce has more calories than soda. I realized how much sugar was in juice when my son was only 5 in the 1970’s. We would not let our children drink soda, but they could have all the fruit juice that they wanted. The combination of acid and sugar eroded the enamel on his teeth. At a very young age, he spent hours at the dentist. Luckily, he was very active and the rest of his diet was full of vegetables, fresh fruit, chicken, and turkey. He very rarely had any fast food. The answer to a question from a parent to a Mayo Clinic nutritionist about fruit juice and obesity provides specific guidelines on how much juice children should consume. We should all remember that we must make sure our children are getting off the computer, the video games, or their phone and getting some physical exercise to stimulate both their mind and body, as well as, burn calories from some of the sugary foods that are marketed to them that we end up providing to them.

According to a study conducted at Temple University to understand the factors that lead to weight gain in low income children, easy access to convenience stores contribute to the obesity epidemic in children. Because of the validity of this study, there has been a call in Los Angeles to limit the building of new convenience stores. This decision was based on the findings in the Temple Study that found that children shopped at a convenience store at least once a day 5 days a week. Los Angeles has a much higher concentration of corner convenience stores in South LA than in the more affluent areas of LA. This is important because 26% of the South LA residents are considered obese whereas only 18% of the residents of LA County are considered 18%. What does everyone think of limiting the number of convenience stores to try and minimize obesity? This link definitely highlights the role of culture in creating our epidemic of obesity.

Building Healthier America conducted a study that found that men who had the “high five” factors; high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high sugar/glucose, low testosterone, and poor diet may be hindering their ability to lose weight. According to a Reuters’ report on the Building Healthier America study, 92% of the men were weighed by their doctors but only 40% of their doctors discussed weight loss with them. This one factor, along with the rest of the study findings, show that much of the obesity epidemic is cultural, not genetic. All of us need to educate ourselves through sites on health and obesity like the NIH, HHS. We all need to understand that super sized meals, diet pills without exercise, and other aspects of the American culture push us in the direction of being overweight. The pharmaceutical companies benefit from our obesity epidemic. Just think of all the diseases that would not be so prevalent if our society was not so overweight.

There is not only an obesity epidemic in people, but also in pets. According to the Pet Association for the Prevention of Obesity, over 44% of dogs and 57% of cats are overweight or obese. The American Veterinarian Medical Association is developing programs to help curb the rising obesity in pets. It is a very difficult thing for vets to address when they are discussing the issue with owners who are also overweight or obese and possibly uncomfortable with their body image. According to an article on the ABC website, Hills Pet Nutrition and Wellness Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago developed a program called People and Pets Exercising Together to try and help both pet and owner lose weight. In 2006, both the owner and the pet lost a significant amount of weight just exercising together.

Nena Baker of the Huffington Post reported on an interesting study that concludes the the intake of more calories than we use cannot possibly explain the obesity epidemic in our society. She points out that researchers are finding that our bodies mistake certain chemicals in products such as fragrances, plastics, food wrapping, and other things used everyday for hormones that regulate the storage and production of fat cells. Scientists have labeled these “obesogens.” One of the premier studies on this subject was conducted by Felix Grun and Bruce Blumberg. Nena Baker does a good job of providing a list of the chemicals that are known to be linked to weight gain. She also does a great job of making some recommendations on how to minimize one’s exposure to the chemicals. So read the article and the recommended readings. It really makes one understand that obesity is embedded in our culture in many different ways.

An article in the Bay State Banner provides insight into the relationship between obesity and uterine cancer. The article states that women with a BMI of over 25 is at an increased risk of uterine cancer. In its summary of key points highlighted at the Weight of the Nation Conference, the Examiner.com pointed out that it is estimated 3.2 percent of all new cancer cases are related to obesity. Approximately 14-20 percent of cancer deaths can be attributed to obesity. There are certain types of cancer like breast (post-menopausal), endometrial (uterine lining), esophageal, colon, and kidney cancer that are linked to obesity. These two articles along with the rest of the statistics about the major increase in obesity in our country do make a connection between our culture and the “obesity epidemic.”

USA Today reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held a conference about our the increase in overweight and obese people in the U.S. The conclusion from the conference was that there needs to be some cultural changes in our American lifestyles or obesity will increase in upcoming years amongst both adults and children. What types of changes need to be made in slow the “obesity epidemic?” According to the Office of the Surgeon General, there are many simple things that we can do to change the culture that has created such an epidemic in our country. Some of the things that each of us can do is increase active playtime for our children and incorporate physical activity into family time; decrease our portion sizes at home and only eat 1/2 at a restaurant and take the rest home. We can all increase our consumption of fruits and vegetables; decrease sugared drinks for water. No snacking while watching TV. Quit using home exercise equipment as a clothes hanger and use it 30 minutes a day. Limit your child’s time playing video games and TV. These are simple things that we can all do to help change a culture of fast food, sedentary lifestyles, large portions, eating as a social activity, and eating processed foods that are full of sugar. I recommend that everyone keep a journal about your physical activity, TV, computer, and game times, and eating habits. It is difficult to blame the perceived “obese” person when most of us are responsible for creating a culture of obesity.

The CDC provides a good definition of obesity in both adults and children. However, the discussion on the causes is very limited. It discusses environment (nurture) versus genetics (nature) in a way that seems to overlook at all the cultural factors that mold many of us into heavy Americans. The Obesity Society does a great job in their description of factors leading to childhood obesity of identifying cultural practices in our social institutions (family, schools, etc.) that influence the increase in heavier children. I believe that we must focus more and more on changing the cultural practices that are leading to a more obese American society

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