Obesity Rates Up And Other Weighty Matters

America has had her national weigh-in, and I think it’s time for an intervention.  Twenty-three states have seen an uptick in their obesity rates, and no state showed any evidence of decline. For the fifth year in a row, Mississippi tilts the scales with 37.2% of its residents obese, but Alabama is hot on their heels. Overall, Colorado, Massachusetts and Connecticut are the “least worst” of all the states. New York, where I live, ranks 37th.

I told my husband, and he said, “They say that every year. How did they figure that out, anyway, and why does it matter?”  

I said that it’s a conservative estimate using CDC data. And that it matters not just as a media curiosity, but as a kind of national snapshot about where we are with our health. Our yearly date with Weight Watchers, as it were. And it’s tragic. Especially because the rate of obesity in children is rising just about as fast. I also said that it matters to Medicare and health insurance companies, because instead of looking at each individual’s health, they often use average factors to calculate healthcare costs. People who are obese – especially as they get older – need more medical care and, consequently, cost more to Medicare and health insurance companies.

This prompted my husband to go on a rant about health-care reform and the Obama administration. Seems like every discussion that includes any aspect of health ends up here.

The thing is, he’s not alone. So many people I’ve talked to are concerned about what’s going to happen, and about what’s currently happening, that I’ve christened this ship “Big Mother.” It’s like Big Brother, except she comes at you with a rectal thermometer and a spreadsheet.

I’m concerned that whoever is doing the accounting on this project will look at data like our obesity rates and use that to calculate everybody’s costs for health insurance. I know that it should be about personal responsibility, and that if you have any control over your weight, it would be best for your health to do something about it. But I have a feeling that the averages will prevail. So it becomes everybody’s responsibility.

I really want to be optimistic about what’s going to happen when this Big Mother bill lands with a hearty thump on President Obama’s desk. I know that something needs to be done, that healthcare costs are out of control, and too many people are walking around without health insurance. One surgery, one accident, and they could be bankrupt. I’m concerned about how much I spend on medication and how that fits into my budget. I’ve read enough about the costs of the healthcare reform to say I believe that over time, the savings will recoup the investment.

(But then I believe that politicians really do have our best interests at heart. At least during their first terms.)

Speaking of responsibility and Big Mother, the FDA (Little Mother – like Big Mother with a smaller budget) wants to take yet another useful drug out of your hands, because they think that you don’t have to use it correctly. Their advisory panel of 37 experts has examined the statistics of people who have died from acetaminophen overdose – that includes Tylenol, and other painkillers like Vicodin and Percocet that combine a narcotic with acetaminophen. The advisory panel’s recommendation is that the maximum daily dose of acetaminophen be lowered (it didn’t specify by how much); that the maximum single dose of acetaminophen in Tylenol and other brands be lowered from the current 1000 mg per day to 650 mg; and that narcotic blend drugs like Vicodin and Percocet (which many, many people use to control their pain without becoming addicted or irresponsible) be banned outright.

According to an FDA report, 200 people die every year from acetaminophen overdose, and it sends 56,000 people to the emergency room each year. It's also the leading cause of liver failure, especially because combining too much acetaminophen with daily alcohol use can be exponentially dangerous.

This is a tragic loss, and I don’t want to downplay it. But the statistics are small compared to the millions of people who use these drugs correctly (200 million prescriptions were written for these acetaminophen/narcotic drugs last year.)

Understandably, manufacturers of these drugs are in an uproar. Doctors are concerned as well. And some, even those on the FDA’s panel, like Dr. Robert Kerns of Yale University, objected to the action. “To make this shift without very clear understanding of the implications on the management of pain would be a huge mistake.”

Once again, I ask the FDA: don’t let a few rotten tomatoes spoil the whole crop. Unless they’re contaminated with salmonella.

What do you think about this? Have you been using less Tylenol because of the warnings? Do you even use it all?

And if you want to know where you are state stacks up in the national rankings, go here.