F as in, "Fudgesicles! We're going to need a bigger scale."

It's no secret that modern America is one of the most overweight nations in all of recorded history.  The question many still grapple with is how and why?

The website-turned-coffee-table-book This Is Why You're Fat offers one explanation of how the citizens grew their paunch.  The brilliantly simplistic book displays photographs of extraordinary junk foods to the tune of bacon cheeseburgers on glazed-doughnut "buns" and gravy-smothered pizza.  (Recipes are kindly provided.)  The text is minimal, but the social commentary is painfully apparent.  Whether a book of photographs that literally glisten with grease is worth your money is entirely up to you.

A fresh take on the sweet-and-salty combo.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust For America's Health have taken a slightly less stomach-turning approach to tackling the obesity question.  The eighth annual edition of their nation-wide obesity study F as in Fat: How Obesity Threaten's America's Future was released earlier this month, and the results are alarming.  Currently, two-thirds of adults and almost one-third of children and teens in America are overweight or obese. (Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or greater.)

The shape of the nation.  Round is a shape.

(Image by Alexander Gerl)

If you're the type of person who occasionally spends time in public places, this statistic might not surprise or upset you.  The report repeatedly emphasizes that to understand the gravity of America's obesity epidemic, you must consider obesity trends over time.  Just twenty years ago, not one state had an obesity rate above 15 percent.  Today, twelve states have obesity rates over 30 percent, Mississippi topping the list with a hefty 34.4 percent.  Additionally, only one state has a rate below 20 percent: Colorado at 19.8.  What exactly happened to Americans in the past two decades?

Everyone's bigger in Mississippi.

The 121-page report parses and presents state-by-state obesity data in every combination imaginable- by sex, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, location, activity level, religion, etc.  It also raises serious political and ethical questions that need to be addressed.  Is it ethical to deny someone a job because of their weight?  Can insurance companies establish fees to "punish" those who do not take steps to reduce their weight?  What regulations should be placed on food served in public schools?  Who should pay for the increased healthcare costs?

Mystery Veggie: Your tax dollars at work.

(Image by Beau Wade)

What I like most about this report is how it shows that obesity is a national epidemic, rather than a sign of personal failure.  If you don't believe me, watch this CDC animation, which tracks the spread of obesity across the nation since 1985.  It gives you a sense of just how severe and widely-spread the problem is.
This is not the result of hundreds of millions of Americans just deciding that they'd rather be lazy and gluttonous.  It's the result of fundamental changes in the way our society moves, eats, and thinks, and it's going to take more fundamental changes to get us back on the right track.

Eerily similar to the spread of bubonic plague.

What are the right changes?  Well, I wish I knew for sure.  The report offers some basic policy prescriptions (see page 4.)  Michelle Obama has some good ideas for the kids.  Stopping the spread of obesity in America will require personal struggles, family and community support, medical research, national legislation, and who knows what else.  This is one epidemic that won't be cured with a quick vaccination, but it is undoubtedly one worth fighting.

Rest easy, kids!  No shots this time.

Reports also indicate that long periods of time spent in front of your laptop screen increase the likelihood of your backside becoming one with your chair.  I think I'll go outside and play now.

Obesity also strikes in the great outdoors.

(Image by James Marvin Phelps)