"Want medical coverage? That will be $25, fatso."

I grew up then, too. And the American diet was healthier in the 70s and 80s than it is today, which is shocking considering how much more we know now! The diabetes epidemic we are seeing is happening for a reason. I don't have to look at it anecdotally. The numbers tell us that people are eating MUCH worse (processed, high-fat foods; fast food) and exercising inadequately. These are CDC numbers: In 1962, the percentage of obese (not overweight--obese--so there is no disputing these people are very, very fat with a "the BMI is flawed" argument) was 13 percent. By 1980, it had risen to 15 percent. In 2000, it was 31 percent! In 2003, 32 percent. That is shocking--and it doesn't even touch on what we are seeing with childhood obesity, which is heartbreaking. I'm not sure if there are more recent numbers and I don't want to crazy on the google, although I did read earlier this year that obesity levels had leveled off for the first time in forever--with a third of Americans being obese. Not overweight. Obese.

3.8 million Americans carry more than 300 pounds (more than 400,000 400 pounders!). The average adult woman weighs 163 pounds. 2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese based on BMI numbers. Those numbers are all dramatically higher than they were 30 years ago, so you can say your memories of the 70s and 80s are that we didn't live a healthier lifestyle, but given the fact that we are much fatter and are now dealing with epidemics of diseases that can be simply avoided with lifestyle choices, it's fair to conclude that memories are not telling the story.

Supermarket shelves today are drastically different than they were in the 70s and 80s. They are overstocked with hundreds of more easy-to-prepare, massively caloric, processed bleached flour foods that are high in saturated (and trans) fats that weren't being marketed in the 70s and 80s. And even the bad stuff that existed in the 70s and 80s is being consumed at higher quantities now. High-fat, caloric fast food is a much bigger business than it was then -- not that it didn't exist then; it just didn't dominate the diets of as many people to such a horrible extreme.

In terms of smoking, the fact that anyone smokes in this day and age boggles me. I will chalk up almost anything to personal choice and individual liberty -- you want to kill yourself, go ahead. But it enters public policy debate and costs everyone else because of the devastating effect it has on overall health care costs. Gallop has polled to see how many Americans smoke every year since 1944. This relies on people admitting they smoke, and there is a stigma attached, so it may UNDEREPORT the percentages. Last year, it was 21 percent of Americans. That is much less than the 44 percent in 1944 and the numbers in the 30s in the 70s and 80s, but how much more do we know now? What is shocking about it is that the number is that high and it hasn't been decreasing down to zero. In 2006, 23 percent identified themselves as smokers. That was actually an increase from the 22 percent in 2004. Go back 10 years to 1996, and 23 percent of Americans identified themselves as smokers. Nothing is changing.

Add the smoking to how much fatter people are getting (which isn't static, but getting much worse), and take into account what we know about the effects on health those two factors have, and it doesn't take a huge amount of study to conclude that all these expensive pills and medical procedures medical advances have given us are being consumed in quantities we can't afford because of a lack of personal responsibility.

 

I can't quantify this, but I would bet with absolute certainty that obesity is costing us significantly more in health care expenses than anorexia or bulimia, by a multiple that adds up to billions of dollars. Anorexia and bulimia are also diseases, not risk factors. Obesity is a risk factor, not a disease. Going to McDonalds and overfeeding your family on unhealthy food is not a psychological disease, at least the way most people, including the established medical profession, see it.

Not sure if the high horse thing was directed at me, but if it was, I never called obesity a moral failing or suggested it. You just made that suggestion. I'd hate to think anyone would attribute that to me based on your characterization, if it was directed at me. If it wasn't, I missed the person who did say it was a moral failing.

It may have gotten lost in the post that JC found so taxing, but I said I usually take an attitude that gives a lot of deference to personal choice and individual liberty. If you want to kill yourself, it's none of my business. My problem is that people's behavior can have wide-reaching societal effects that hit our wallets, effect public policy and effect children who can't make informed decisions for themselves.