Dakota Beacon

Obesity and Related Conditions

First, a primer on obesity. Body Mass Index is a weight-to-height ratio, calculated by dividing one's weight in kilograms by the square of one's height in meters and used as an indicator of obesity and underweight. Go to the following website

https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html

for the latest information on obesity in the United States.

The standard weight status categories associated with BMI ranges for adults are shown in the following table.

BMI – kg/m²                   Weight status

Less than 15                Very severely underweight

15 to 16                       Severely underweight

16 to 18.5                    Underweight

18.5 to 25                    Normal (healthy weight)

25 to 30                       Overweight

30 to 35                       Moderately obese

35 to 40                       Severely obese

over 40                        Very severely obese

Some key statistics follow:

Severe obesity in U.S. very nearly doubled (1999-2018)

From 1999–2000 through 2017–2018, the prevalence of obesity increased from 30.5% to 42.4%, and the prevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% to 9.2%.

The overall age-adjusted prevalence of severe obesity among U.S. adults was 9.2% in 2017–2018. Women had a higher prevalence of severe obesity (11.5%) than men (6.9%). The prevalence was highest among adults aged 40–59 (11.5%), followed by adults aged 20–39 (9.1%) and adults aged 60 and over (5.8%). Non-Hispanic black adults had the highest prevalence of severe obesity (13.8%), and non-Hispanic Asian adults had the lowest (2.0%).

Obesity-related conditions likely rose with obesity

Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death.

Obesity and Race

Obesity affects some groups more than others

The prevalence of obesity was highest among non-Hispanic black adults compared with other race and Hispanic-origin groups, overall and among women. However, among men, the prevalence of obesity was not significantly different between non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic men. Overall, and among men and women, obesity was lowest among non-Hispanic Asian adults. Non-Hispanic black adults had the highest prevalence of severe obesity, and non-Hispanic Asian adults had the lowest.

Obesity highest in blacks

Non-Hispanic blacks had the highest prevalence of self-reported obesity (39.1%), followed by Hispanics (33.3%) and non-Hispanic whites (29.3%).

Non-Hispanic blacks (49.6%) had the highest age-adjusted prevalence of obesity, followed by Hispanics (44.8%), non-Hispanic whites (42.2%) and non-Hispanic Asians (17.4%).

Prevalence of Self-Reported Obesity by State and Territory, BRFSS (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System), 2016-2018 reveals that:

• 29 states (Alaska, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida) and the District of Columbia had an obesity prevalence of 35% or higher among non-Hispanic black adults
• 9 states (Washington, North Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio) had an obesity prevalence of 35 percent or higher among Hispanic adults.
• 2 states (West Virginia and Kentucky), had an obesity prevalence of 35% or higher among non-Hispanic white adults

Obesity and Age

The prevalence of obesity was 40.0% among young adults aged 20 to 39 years, 44.8% among middle-aged adults aged 40 to 59 years, and 42.8% among older adults aged 60 and up.

Obesity and Education

Obesity highest with less education

Overall, men and women with less education had higher obesity prevalence compared with those with college degrees.

Obesity and Geography

Obesity highest in the South and Midwest

The South (33.6%) and the Midwest (33.1%) had the highest prevalence of obesity, followed by the Northeast (28.0%), and the West (26.9%).

Obesity and Income

Obesity and Income in men

Among non-Hispanic black men, obesity prevalence was higher in the highest income group than in the lowest income group.*

Among non-Hispanic white and Hispanic men, obesity prevalence was higher in the middle income group than in the lowest and highest income groups.

Obesity and Income in women

Among non-Hispanic black women, there was no difference in obesity prevalence by income.

Among non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Asian, and Hispanic women, obesity prevalence was higher in the middle and lowest income groups than the highest income group.

The “Top 25” Flight Factor

The 25 busiest US airports (by international passengers) totaled 218,410,057 international passengers in year 2018. Just four of those 25 airports... John F. Kennedy (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA) both in Queens, NY; Newark Liberty (EWR) in Newark, NJ; and Logan (BOS) in Boston, MA... carried 25.6% of international passengers at the top 25 airports in 2018. With that amount of potential seeding of COVID-19, it is no wonder why that area was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic!

25 busiest U.S. airports by international passenger traffic (2018)

Listed according to data compiled by the Office of Aviation Analysis, part of the United States Department of Transportation, and ranked according to total international passengers during 2018.

If the reader lives in a Metropolitan Statistical Area in which one or more of the above airports lies, the Covid-19 “seeds” planted by international airplane passengers in late 2019 and early 2020 have reaped their human death toll already or are being delayed in hopes of therapies and vaccines.

Summary

A severely obese (Body Mass Index 35 or over) non-Hispanic black woman aged 40-59 is not likely to live beyond age 73 and so is at significant risk of death due to COVID-19. Her income is not likely a factor.

For men, race is not a factor for obesity. A severely obese higher income non-Hispanic black man aged 40-59 is also not likely to live beyond age 73 and so is also at a significant risk of death due to Covid-19.

For non-Hispanic white and Hispanic men, obesity prevalence was higher in the middle income group than in the lowest and highest groups.

The reason that severe obesity (BMI=35 and over) is so low (5.8%) for U.S. adults aged 60 and over is that their life expectancy is just over 73 years of age. It has been estimated that seven months life expectancy is lost to each BMI point over 25. Do the math for the severely obese. 35-25=10. 10×7 = 70 months. 70/12 = 5.83 years of lost life expectancy. With current life expectancy at 78.93 years of age,  the severely obese can expect to live only to age 73.1.

Perhaps most importantly, income has proven not to be a factor except that black men with higher income had higher obesity prevalence than those with middle or low income and except that more non-Hispanic white and Hispanic men with middle income had higher obesity prevalence than those with high or low income.

These revelations were eye-opening… the media in general has been promoting the idea that extreme poverty due to discrimination among some minority groups is at the root of Covid-19 disparities between minorities and whites. In actuality, it appears, from CDC summary information, that all women and highest-income black men are more obese, along with the obesity-accompanying heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, and thus are at greatest risk. Low and high income hold greater risks than medium income for white and Hispanic men.

With final construction of the border wall with Mexico and its associated near 100% southern border security, we can expect new immigration laws that ends the discriminatory practices of both political parties and consumers. Agriculture will finally be forced by markets to pay a fair wage for Hispanic labor, unions will accept Hispanics into their ranks, and consumers will pay a fair price for food and other goods and services.

It is worth noting also that the steady downward trend of life expectancy in the U.S. from 2013 to 2018 (78.94 to 78.81) has been reversed from 2018 to 2020, rising from 78.81 in 2018 to 78.93 in 2020. It is not surprising that more people working makes for longer lives? Covid-19 has certainly proved that less jobs go along with shortened lives...

LOVE = WORK + COURAGE