From today's NY Times:
I'm hesitant to be optimistic about this, but we may be turning a corner in the obesity epidemic. This is not the first sign we've seen that obesity in America may be reaching a plateau (although this is the first data I've seen showing an outright decline in the obesity rate in any age group). Another strong reason for optimism is that as healthcare costs continue to strain the government's finances, there will be increasing pressure to adopt strong anti-obesity public health measures that can actually work (i.e. taxes and subsidies that punish rather than promote unhealthy lifestyles, not feel-good promotional campaigns).
In 15 years' time the new generation of sluts will begin to reverse the horrifying tide of land whales that has polluted the dating pool and enabled so many of our society's ills--hot-girl bitchiness, mass sausagefests, out-of-control female entitlement, crippling healthcare costs.
This is just one piece of information, but if this trend continues, in another generation we may be led out of the wilderness and into a second golden age of younger, hotter, tighter American poon. What do you think, will you be regaling the out-of-wedlock child you had because you raw-dogged one too many skanks with tales of the horrors of the mid 2000s-2010s dating scene, grateful that those dark days are gone?
Quote:Quote:
Obesity Rate for Young Children Plummets 43% in a Decade
By SABRINA TAVERNISEFEB. 25, 2014
Oumou Balde, 4, playing with her teacher, Jacqualine Sanchez, and some pretend food in a pre-kindergarten class at the Sheltering Arms Learning Center in New York. A new federal study says the obesity rate among 2- to 5-year-old children has dropped significantly since 2004.
Federal health authorities on Tuesday reported a stunning 43 percent drop in the obesity rate among 2- to 5-year-old children over the past decade, the first broad decline in an epidemic that often leads to lifelong struggles with weight and higher risks for cancer, heart disease and stroke.
The drop emerged from a major federal health survey that experts say is the gold standard for evidence on what Americans weigh. The trend came as a welcome surprise to researchers. New evidence has shown that obesity takes hold young: Children who are overweight or obese between age 3 and 5 are five times as likely to be overweight or obese as adults.
A smattering of states have reported modest progress in reducing childhood obesity in recent years, and last year federal authorities noted a slight decline in the obesity rate among low-income children. But the figures on Tuesday showed a sharp fall in obesity rates among all 2- to 5-year-olds, offering the first clear evidence that America’s youngest children have turned a corner in the obesity epidemic. About 8 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds were obese in 2012, down from 14 percent in 2004.
“This is the first time we’ve seen any indication of any significant decrease in any group,” said Cynthia Ogden, a researcher for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the author of the report, which will be published in JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, on Wednesday. “It was exciting.”
She cautioned that these very young children make up a tiny fraction of the American population and that the figures for the broader society had remained flat, and that for women over 60, the obesity rate had even increased. Still, the lower obesity rates in the very young bode well for the future, she said.
Experts point to several possible explanations for the fall, but say a full understanding remains elusive. Children now consume fewer calories from sugary beverages than they did in 1999. More women are breast-feeding, which can lead to a healthier range of weight gain for young children. Federal researchers have also chronicled a drop in overall calories for children in the past decade, down by 7 percent for boys and 4 percent for girls, but health experts said those declines were too small to make much difference.
Another explanation is that some combination of state, local and federal policies aimed at reducing obesity is starting to have an effect. Michelle Obama has led a push to change young children’s eating and exercise habits and 10,000 child care centers across the country have signed on. Many scientists doubt that anti-obesity programs actually work, but proponents of the programs say a broad set of policies applied systematically over a period of time can affect behavior.
The news announcement from the C.D.C. included a remark from Mrs. Obama: “I am thrilled at the progress we’ve made over the last few years in obesity rates among our youngest Americans.”
I'm hesitant to be optimistic about this, but we may be turning a corner in the obesity epidemic. This is not the first sign we've seen that obesity in America may be reaching a plateau (although this is the first data I've seen showing an outright decline in the obesity rate in any age group). Another strong reason for optimism is that as healthcare costs continue to strain the government's finances, there will be increasing pressure to adopt strong anti-obesity public health measures that can actually work (i.e. taxes and subsidies that punish rather than promote unhealthy lifestyles, not feel-good promotional campaigns).
In 15 years' time the new generation of sluts will begin to reverse the horrifying tide of land whales that has polluted the dating pool and enabled so many of our society's ills--hot-girl bitchiness, mass sausagefests, out-of-control female entitlement, crippling healthcare costs.
This is just one piece of information, but if this trend continues, in another generation we may be led out of the wilderness and into a second golden age of younger, hotter, tighter American poon. What do you think, will you be regaling the out-of-wedlock child you had because you raw-dogged one too many skanks with tales of the horrors of the mid 2000s-2010s dating scene, grateful that those dark days are gone?
![[Image: praying-gopher1.jpg]](https://lh3.ggpht.com/-r3BPTlNo9n4/UM1mryCesHI/AAAAAAAAM3U/uwSZD-DxzJw/s1600/praying-gopher1.jpg)