Sugar plums, peppermint sticks, hot chocolate and cookies ...
'tis the season, for gaining weight

In today's over-sized society, the words "overweight" and "obesity" have become ubiquitous to the point that many Americans, plump as we are, simply plug our ears.

The media bombards us with news reports tying obesity to a host of health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, premature aging, and coronary artery disease, yet the rate of children and adults who are overweight or obese continues to rise.

Scientists churn out findings detailing the benefits that movement and activity bring to specific health conditions and general overall health. Magazines, reality TV shows, celebrities, workplace wellness programs, state and national fitness programs, all offer tips and tricks to help us live healthier lives. The real trick, however, is follow-through. In theory, losing weight is simple - fewer calories in than out. In reality, understanding overeating is more akin to locating the Bermuda Triangle.

Indiana University researchers across the disciplines--from applied health science to telecommunications-- are delving into obesity's causes and solutions. Take Lloyd Kolbe, for example. A founding director of the Division of Adolescent and School Health at the Centers for Disease Control and author or co-author of numerous national and international reports on obesity, Kolbe has spent nearly three decades working on the issues of obesity and children's health in various government and academic settings. Over those 30 years, he says, huge cultural changes have upended the balance between calories in and calories out, resulting in rampant weight gain. He ticks off a list:

"On the input side, we have more foods. Cheaper food. More widely available food (you can get Slim Jims at any gas station these days). Better-tasting food. More intensely marketed food. More calorie-dense food. More family meals in restaurants. More super-sized food.

"And on the output side," he continues, "we have fewer occupations that require physical labor. Fewer opportunities to walk or ride bikes for transportation. Markedly fewer opportunities for physical activity in our schools. Fewer adults participating in physical activity as a form of recreation or social activity."

Couple these changes with an increase in sedentary behaviors (TV-watching and computer use), and you have a severe impact on human health. The sharp rise in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes is frequently noted as a negative consequence of widespread overweight, but Kolbe identifies multiple diseases directly associated with excess fat tissue including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, sleep apnea, and several cancers.

The repercussions of excess weight for personal and public health are grim indeed, but there is an equally urgent problem: the effects on our economy. At present, according to Kolbe, the United States spends around $2 trillion per year on health care, which is about 16 percent of our national Gross Domestic Product. "When you consider that other nations are spending 6 or 9 percent, we're not going to be able to compete," he says.

"Many people think that if they're not overweight, they're not 'paying the freight,'" he continues. "But they are. They're paying for it in increases in the costs of goods and services, increases in taxes to pay for Medicaid and Medicare, increased health insurance rates, and more. It's an enormous burden that has all the potential to break the economy of the United States. It's that serious."

Read more about Kolbe and other IU researchers studying obesity and health in the Fall 2007 issue of Research & Creative Activity magazine on "Food":

http://www.indiana.edu/~rcapub/v30n1/contents.shtml.