Obesity in the Headlines

August 30, 2004 - Racine Journal Times

Debatable - Is Wisconsin doing enough to control obesity?

By Jeff Wilford

When it comes to dealing with obesity, Wisconsin gets an F.

That's the conclusion of a report on state efforts to control obesity, put out by researchers at the University of Baltimore. Wisconsin ranked 13th nationally when it came to percentage of obesity in the population. But the Badger State and 22 others received failing grades for trying to control obesity.

Wisconsin was also among 13 states that received F's for efforts to control childhood obesity.

Is Wisconsin doing enough to control obesity? University of Baltimore researchers said no. But then, they said most states aren't.

No states received an A in the report. Only Arkansas got a B for efforts to control obesity; it and Connecticut got B's for their efforts regarding childhood obesity. A handful of states got C's. But most of the country received D's and F's.

By that standard, Wisconsin is no worse or better than most of the country.

The report also said Wisconsin was one of only three states in the country where no attempts were made in the Assembly to introduce bills that specifically addressed obesity.

The only bill passed or introduced in Wisconsin in the last session addressing obesity would have banned portly Wisconsin residents from suing restaurants and food manufacturers over their obesity. Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed the legislation in March, saying it was unneeded.

There are some efforts afoot to combat the problem in Wisconsin.

A long-term state health plan developed by the Department of Health and Family Services seeks to reduce the proportion of adults children who are overweight and obese by 2010.

Last spring, Doyle launched a six-week fitness challenge last spring to motivate children and adults to be active for at least 30 minutes a day. And more than 1,000 people participated in Lighten Up Wisconsin, a five-month program that encouraged participants to make small changes like drinking water instead of soda and taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

But any question of whether Wisconsin is doing enough to curb obesity gives way to the question, should Wisconsin do more? The answer might depend on how you look at obesity.

If you look at it like the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance does, then the answer is probably no. Obese people aren't necessarily unhappy with their size - in fact, many are happy with it, goes the NAAFA argument - and research that shows health risks with being obese is often flawed. NAAFA urges that further obesity research be devoted to improving the health of obese people, not reducing their waistlines.

If you look at obesity the same way as the American Obesity Association, then yes, Wisconsin should do more. Obesity is not only a disease, goes the AOA position, but is an epidemic. When the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services eliminated Medicare policy that said obesity is not a disease, the AOA cheered.

The DHHS has ranked obesity as one of the leading causes of death in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, obesity costs states billions of dollars in medical expenses every year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.