A report released Wednesday by Trust for America's Health found adult obesity rates increased in 23 states last year and did not decrease at all across the nation. Childhood obesity rates remained at or above 30 percent in 30 states.
These facts tend to spark further concern over other startling facts, such as all children who were born in 2000 will have a lifetime risk of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at some point in their lives.
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The problem also extends to state health care costs, with millions lost to cover it. A 2008 study by Prevention Minnesota predicted obesity could cost the state an additional $3.7 billion annually by 2020, or 61 percent more compared to treating a healthy-weight person.
The hefty complications obesity can cause dramatically affect a person's everyday life. Even if a child isn't overweight in the early stages of their life, extreme weight gain can occur as an adult and later lead to a number of issues, such as heart attacks, Type 2 diabetes and dialysis, said Hanneman.
"You can easily be looking at eight to 10 medications a day, just to control all of those diseases," she said. "We see them in acute care, sitting in the hospital, so you'll often see them on more medications than that."
Parents should role-model good eating habits to combat obesity in their own children by bringing home fruits and vegetables from the grocery store. Moderate snacks and candy is acceptable, but often times you're not seeing a good balance of it, she said. At the dinner table parents should ask themselves if they're offering pop or juice or milk.
"Are they having meals away? That's a big indicator, too," she said. "Right now, people are generally eating about 30 percent of their calories away from home... where you don't have as much control of what you're eating."
When eating at a restaurant, split the portions or bring home half of the meal. But keeping kids active is also important, she said.
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