WE ARE a super-sized nation. Americans adhere to the McDonald's school of thought: We want whatever's biggest, sweetest, and we'll be especially happy if we get "20 percent more, free!" When it comes to servings of fries, the size that was called "large" 30 years ago is "small" now. As our portions are expanding, so are our waistlines - and health problems, as well as deaths that could have been prevented, are the result.
As strange as it may sound, the nation may have embraced the notion that we should "love ourselves as we are" a little bit too wholeheartedly. People don't seem to be very concerned about extra weight, as long as they are happy with themselves. Americans must be made aware that there is a lot at stake when it comes to weight, and there are some things - like health - that should be placed above a message of self-acceptance on the priority list.
Encouraging people to love their bodies is great, except when it gives rise to complacency about extra weight that is literally killing people. The health problems that arise from being overweight or obese are as bad as those that arise from smoking or alcoholism. However, while the government warns people about the latter practices, they do not warn them about the dangers of being overweight, and that should change.
Americans' collective weight problem is bad and getting worse. The federal government recently published a report on the subject in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Unfortunately, the report appeared in the Journal on Sept. 12, so it got little media attention. The findings, however, warrant discussion. The statistics showed that 56.4 percent of Americans are overweight and 19.8 percent are classified as obese. In 1991, just ten years ago, those numbers were at 45 percent and 12 percent, respectively.
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With extra weight come serious health risks, including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, osteoarthritis, stroke and even cancer. Physical inactivity and being overweight account "for more than 300,000 premature deaths annually in the U.S., second only to tobacco-related deaths" (CNN, "Obesity in America," Oct. 5, 2000). So when Americans tell themselves that it's OK to be overweight - "as long as you're happy with yourself" - they may be doing wonders for their self-esteem, but not for their life span.
Of course, there is a lot to be said for encouraging people to have a positive body image. The problems of eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia illustrate the devastating effects that negative body images can have on people, especially young girls.
However, we may have overcompensated with the "it's OK to be big" message. We are overly wary of suggesting to a loved one that they try to pursue a more healthful lifestyle, even if they are significantly overweight. There is the fear that such a suggestion will push that person to extremes and prompt them to develop an eating disorder.
Media attention to eating disorders is important in raising awareness about a serious problem, but because of the extensive coverage of the disease, people may not realize that it is actually not that prevalent - only 1 percent of adolescent girls are anorexic (www.anred.com). Of course, it's a problem that anyone has this disease, but fears that you can drive someone to develop an eating disorder by suggesting a diet are probably overblown.
There's also the idea that suggesting weight-loss programs is somehow a concession to shallowness and the "media message" that everyone should be thin. However, it's important to remember that being overweight is not just a cosmetic, surface issue, as it is often framed. As seen above, it's crucial to a person's health and longevity. Trying to help a loved one lose weight is the equivalent of trying to help them quit smoking, not to suggesting that they get a nose job. It's about wanting to have them around for a while, not demanding that they look better while they're here.
Again, it's great to encourage self-esteem and self-acceptance. However, there should be an increased emphasis on the message that if you can help being overweight - and, the Centers for Disease Control indicates, that's the case for most people - you should do your best not to be. Restaurants and other food vendors should be encouraged to pare down "super-size" portions to the reasonable scale of times past. Most important, people should be made more aware of the health problems that are caused by being overweight or obese and encouraged to do something about it if they are at risk. That's not to say that we should put a Surgeon General's Warning on every bag of potato chips, but something has to change. As things are right now, when it comes to obesity, our complacency is killing us.
(Laura Sahramaa is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at lsahramaa@cavalierdaily.com.)
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