In 2005, obesity cost us $190 billion in obesity-related illnesses, $14 billion of which was related to kids. The military has a hard time finding recruits who are not overweight. What we previously called “adult-onset diabetes” now routinely occurs in children.
Obesity is not some recent occurrence. It has been a slow-motion car wreck watched by public health practitioners for decades. By the mid-1970s, obesity already affected 15% of the population and was a known cause of illness, absenteeism and lost school days. Since then, it has tripled despite the many campaigns encouraging personal responsibility.
Read Dr. Flood’s full opinion article: We’re Getting Fatter, and It’s Costing Us a Fortune in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.