The following is an attempt to connect interdisciplinary phenomenon strung together by the common thread of human life and its importance. All lives matter. These words are intended for every body; every body put on this earth with a brain whose primary purpose for all intents and purposes is movement.
We live in a scary world. A world where, at any second, life could instantly be forever changed for the worst. Beliefs and emotions run high no matter history’s source, though the topics of discussion may differ. Along with the commonality of high emotion exists the use of graphs. Pictures often provide a more tangible way for many to understand concepts and large numbers; a way of communicating that sometimes helps break down barriers.
The Question & Problem At Hand…Figures and Facts
In light of recent events, I feel there is no better time to further debunk ignorance, especially as it concerns health. How do deaths caused by American obesity compare to other causes of death concerning our nation – how can we make tangible the severity that is the issue of (poor) health?
A challenge from the President, in the aftermath of yet another horrible shooting, resulted in the creation of the following graph. The data illustrated and taken from the Centers for Disease Control is clearly labeled in the graph’s heading.
A graph representing the number of American deaths caused by terrorism versus those caused by gun violence; eye-opening to some, though many already had an inkling this was the case deep down somewhere. Now for the next part.
Let’s say, hypothetically speaking, we compared these values to the number of American deaths caused by heart disease. Such a comparison has already been alluded to to some extent. In an October 2015 article, Wired Magazine compared American gun and terrorist deaths using the following chart. Clearly, the number of deaths caused by heart disease is astonishingly high, as illustrated in the graph’s upper right hand corner.
This is not enough, however. Taking things a step further, how do the number of American deaths caused by obesity compare to human loss caused by these two acts of human violence? Creating such a comparison would be quite challenging.
Obesity itself is never listed as someone’s cause of death. Instead, the complications of obesity, such as heart disease or diabetes, are blamed for a person's death. Research suggests that one’s risk for a number of serious health problems multiplies significantly with obesity status. Eight obesity-related diseases in particular account for 75 percent of healthcare costs in the US:
Type 2 Diabetes
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Cancer (especially breast, endometrial, colon, gallbladder, prostate and kidney
The first four diseases are associated with metabolic syndrome, a common factor in obesity. Several other diseases affect metabolic dysfunction, including NAFLD and PCOS. And many more could be added to this list: obesity increases your risk for asthma, sleep disorders (including sleep apnea), depression, pregnancy complications, and poor surgical outcomes. So, compiling accurate data to create a comparison between death rates caused by firearms, terrorism, and obesity would be a challenge..yet not impossible.
Let’s borrow data from the CDC Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report - specifically, information pertaining to American deaths caused by cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Do the hokey-pokey, mix it all about, and BAM!
Well now, it would appear obesity-related deaths highly outnumbers those caused by both firearms and terrorist attacks. Importantly, the obesity related data above includes diabetes mellitus as a whole. In adults, type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Though the illustrated data does not differentiate between deaths caused Type 1 and Type 2, respectively, any changes this might produce within the depiction would prove negligible.
Confused? Such a large data range warrants a second illustration – one that better depicts the concern at hand.
The same message regarding obesity and its life-threatening effects is clear. Importantly, the data illustrated in the pie chart suggests that terrorism’s show voice trumps its statistical worth. Certainly, show voice is a topic for a different article. The author would like to make the following very clear: terrorism is a concern and by no means carries a zero value. All lives matter. With this said, lives lost because of obesity and its complications also matter and are newsworthy.
Conclusion … No Sh*t
Conclusion to the intrigue: Obesity is a problem, and a serious problem at that. Let’s be honest, you probably already knew this. Maybe the graphs and charts put things into better prescriptive – or, a more staggering perspective.
With all this buzz talk of health and wellness that permeates our culture, how is it this isn’t a headline news? Why are the media’s boogeymen stories, along with whatever unembellished statistics and stories the media does pursue, overshadowing this great terrorist at large within our nation – the one that exists to some degree in every corner of our culture.
Discussion … A Piece-Meal Villain
The multifaceted obesity blame game is complex to say the least. Certainly, technological advances have resulted in more screen time and less physical movement for adults and children, alike. Ironically, a generation of parents fixated on being buff is raising a generation of physical weaklings. Two-thirds of American children can’t pass a basic physical. According to President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, 40% of boys and 70% of girls ages six to seventeen can’t manage more than one pull-up; and 40% show early signs of circulation problems.
Also to blame is our culture’s relationship with nature. As Richard Louv explains in The Last Child in the Woods, “Though we often see ourselves as separate from nature, humans are also part of that wildness.” Cultural introspection as it relates to nature will require reform within the education system, pharmaceutical industry, and the fields of environmentalism and law.
A recent publication in The British Journal of Sports Medicine places carbohydrates, not physical inactivity, behind the surge in obesity. While regular physical activity reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia and some cancers by at least 30 percent, physical activity cannot undo a poor diet. Typical American diets exceed the recommended intake levels or limits in four categories: calories from solid fats and added sugars; refined grains; sodium; and saturated fat. "Healthy choice must become the easy choice," say the study’s experts.
Public misperception due to dodgy corporate marketing undoubtedly plays a role in obesity’s terror. Various sources describe the "public relations tactics of the food industry as 'chillingly similar to those of Big Tobacco,' which deployed denial, doubt, confusion and 'bent scientists' to convince the public that smoking was not linked to lung cancer."
Connecting these and other culprits typically suggests dollar signs hold together this terror’s sticky web.
So which villain is to blame? – all of them and more.
A Suggested Resolution…A Reformation Movement
I (and, I believe, most Americans) sometimes find myself operating in the Generation M spirit of multitasking in the name of progress, linearity, extrinsic acceptance and entrepreneurial pursuit. With our freedom of choice and dogma culture come the diminished freedom to exist in a state of (hyper)awareness, the promotion of corporal-kinesthetic disconnectedness, and the dwindling of movement intelligence.
Working to create staked- out territories of blame serves as an ignorant and ultimately fruitless effort, albeit a place to start.Real systemic change will begin with the conjoining of two movements: a top-down movement stemming from scientific research and legislative statements expressing concern by health authorities; and a bottom-up movement born out of the pain and shortened lives caused by obesity.
Creativity expert Ken Robinson speaks of an educational reformation in which “we have to recognize that human flourishing is not a mechanical process; it's an organic process.”
The other war on terror – our nation’s battle with obesity and poor health – is an organic problem to its core. This home-grown terrorist is a living problem concerning human life, and the organic food and movement our bodies need to flourish.
The Bottom Line...
And now for the grand finale; the only question you as a reader really care about The age old WIIFM question: “What’s in it for me?” The answer to that question lives in the CDC’s numbers; in the pictures included in this piece of writing.
What’s in it for you … your life.
Louv, Richard. (2008). Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books
Author: Julia Anthony
B.S. Exercise Specialist, CSCS, NASM CPT