U. speaker decries epidemic of obesity

The obesity epidemic is poised to shorten lives and consume too many of America's health-care dollars. It's also a major roadblock to ending health disparities based on race and ethnicity, according to former U.S. surgeon general Dr. David Satcher.

"It's a serious threat to the future and health of the nation," he said Thursday during the University of Utah's nonpartisan Siciliano Forum, which focuses on issues of importance to American Society.

Satcher's message was simple: We have to stop putting 95 percent of our health resources into treatment and focus more on prevention, including more physical activity and better nutrition.

Adopting healthy lifestyles and reducing obesity is doable, he said, but it will take concerted efforts of individuals, communities, government, schools, employers, health-care providers and others. And it won't happen unless we also figure out a way to deal with mental health issues like depression and anxiety, which foil attempts to live better, healthier lives.

"One thing is very clear. Mental health is far more important than we made it in (an earlier) report" on obesity, he said.

Key facts are known about the incredible surge in obesity. In 1990, he said, no state had more than 15 percent of its residents classified as obese, considered a body mass index of 30 or higher. Now the vast majority of the country does. It's also clear that overweight children are developing some of the serious diseases formerly seen only in adults, such as type 2 diabetes. People who are overweight have increased risk of heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes and other major health problems.

Some of the reasons Americans have been growing are straightforward: We eat more. We do less. Many people do not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, "although there's a fast-food place on every corner," he said. People often lack safe places to walk or play. And the country is built so you can drive to your destination and park near the door.

When he defines the roots of America's massive put-on, he talks about behavior and environment, access to quality health care, biology and public policies. Those are the things that he said work together to determine how healthy people are. And most of those things can be changed.

It's also clear there are things we don't know about the sizable growth in weight, said Satcher, who is now director of the Center for Excellence on Health Disparities. Is there something in the environment or in how we build neighborhoods? "We're still missing a piece to this puzzle."