Childhood Obesity

Concern Grows as Obesity Soars Among Texas Latinos

Veronica Zaragovia, KUT News — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:56:59 +0000

Latinos are Texas’ fastest-growing population group. And they are grappling with soaring obesity rates. According to the Department of State Health Services, almost 40 percent of Hispanics are obese. To combat the health crisis, cities as well as state lawmakers are aiming to get Latinos exercising and eating healthier.

The Texas State Demographer’s office expects that by 2030, nearly six million Latinos will be obese. That number could soar to almost nine and a half million by 2040. All that adds up to a looming health crisis, with potentially high costs for the state.

Austin School Kids Make Average Grade on Obesity Scale; Texas Lawmaker Wants to Shed Program

Andrew Weber — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 01:05:00 +0000

Austin Independent School District teachers may tell their students they’re special, but numbers never lie. And the numbers say that they’re (just a bit) above average.

Thankfully, that’s not a bad thing.

This interactive map from the office of Comptroller Susan Combs displays the body mass index rates of over 2 million students in public schools across Texas. The measurements are based on statistics from the Fitnessgram, a program which measures the fitness levels of Texas public school students from grades three to 12. And it's also the target of a bill in the state legislature that would end the program.

Texas Among Most Obese States in U.S.

Margaret Nicklas — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 19:20:21 +0000

Obesity continues to be a serious and worsening health problem in the U.S. and globally. And Texas is no exception to this trend.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that Texans rank among the 13 states in the nation which have the highest obesity rates. Between 30 and 35 percent of Texans said they were obese as part of a national survey conducted by the CDC.

The data, collected in 2011, represents a new baseline because of the way cell phones users were included in the survey. The survey is known as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

A Dire Sign of the Obesity Epidemic: Teen Diabetes

Rob Stein — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:52:50 +0000

Karlton Hill was only 12 years old when when he found out he had diabetes. Even though he was only in seventh grade, Karlton knew what diabetes was; he had watched the disease destroy his great-grandmother's life.

"I was really upset. I cried," he says. "I didn't want any of this to happen to me.

Pounding Away at America's Obesity Epidemic

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:58:14 +0000

The numbers are staggering: One-third of Americans are obese; another third are overweight. Some 26 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes. An additional 79 million more are pre-diabetic. Thanks to these figures, the children of today have a good chance of becoming the first generation of Americans to die at younger ages than their parents.

A new HBO documentary series, The Weight of the Nation, explores how our country got this way and what can be done to tackle what has become a growing national health crisis.

Even a Small Slowdown in Obesity's Rise Would Save Big Money

Mon, 07 May 2012 16:46:42 +0000

Slowing the rising rates of obesity in this country by just 1 percent a year over the next two decades would slice the costs of health care by $85 billion.

Keep obesity rates where they are now — well below a 33 percent increase that's been expected by some — and the savings would hit nearly $550 billion over the same 20 years.

Those are two attention-grabbing conclusions from an analysis released this morning at the Weight of the Nation conference in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Centers for Disea

Texas Obesity Ranking Ticks Higher

Kristen Cabrera — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 22:23:53 +0000

Texas is the 12th most obese state in the U.S., according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011. The report is from the non-profit research group Trust for America’s Health.

Texas has been slowly creeping up the list for the past two years, ranking 14th in 2009, and 13th in 2010. The obesity rate in Texas for adults is 30 percent. Fifteen years ago that number was 16 percent.

How Do We Make Austin's Overweight Kids Healthy Again?

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:58:16 +0000

Childhood obesity is one of those extremely complicated issues that is affected by many interrelated factors like family income, where you live, and your level of education. An annual study that looks at obesity rates across America says Texas has the 7th highest rate of childhood obesity in the country.

As we've reported in the past, the southeast Austin neighborhood of Dove Springs has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the city.