The fattest city in America has just been named, and apparently it "shrugs" at that moniker. This makes me think long and hard about how a city in America, a country so weight-obsessed, can be as nonchalant about being called The Fattest. Professor Pasquale's lecture about image-obsession reminded me of how beauty throughout history has been paralleled with wealth. Huntington, West Virginia, the aforementioned unhealthiest city in America, also has a poverty level worse than the national average. With the economy in the state it is, will the future of America's health suffer as dramatically as the stock market? And if so, how will the health care system adapt? The economy is sickening the hospitals in the U.S. Decline in elective procedures and admissions, and patients who cannot pay for care have left hospitals in an economic slump. Poor times call for cheap measures, for sure. Kentucky Fried Chicken's $10 Challenge is no help. A KFC commercial challenged a family in a grocery store to put together a dinner for $10 or less that was comparable to the KFC $9.99 7-piece value meal. Access to health seems to be as big of an issue as access to health care.
Huntington leads the nation in a half dozen other ailments too, including diabetes, heart disease, and tooth loss. I wonder how a city that is so evidently health-poor can just not seem to care? When did being healthy become associated with being rich? When did health become a luxury? Americans pine after having the newest thing, and despite the economic situation, people will keep shopping. KMart reinstated layaway just in time for the holidays. But people don't seem to want to spend that money on healthier foods -- the apathy is there, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Not even the mayor of the fattest town in America seems to want to do anything about it.
In Mauritania, fatter women are considered beautiful. Young girls in rural areas are forcefed until they vomit in order to attain this goal. This, on a continent with with 50% of the population living below the poverty line, seems reflective of the trend that wealth equals beauty. In India, even in the most rural areas, the poorest of women wear a piece of jewelry because that represents her beauty. However, even with America's economy plummeting as it has, that desire for beauty in the U.S. seems to fade. Priorities change, and rightly so, but the desire to preserve one's health, the most basic human instinct, has seemed to vanish from the American psyche. One would think being called the fattest city in the entire country would be a wakeup call, but when the reaction is no more than a shrug, I worry.
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As of 2007, Americans spend less than 10% of their income on food. This number has been in steady decline since 1930 when we spent a collective 24% on food. http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/CPIFoodAndExpenditures/Data/table7.htm
Where are we spending all the money we aren't spending on our dietary health? My guess would be things like cell phones.
Yet everyone always complains about the price of food rising and most Americans are unwilling to spend more money to eat healthy meat or organic vegetables. We do not paying the true cost of our meat while poor countries make up for it.
This same Men's Fitness survey caused quite a commotion this time last year when the magazine ranked my hometown, Oklahoma City, as the 15th fattest American city in 2007.
As a result, our mayor, Mick Cornett, decided to put the entire city on a diet for 2008. Mayor Cornett challenged the city to lose 1 million pounds as a new year's resolution. On December 31, 2007, Cornett launched a website to track the city's progress called www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com. Individuals could sign up and create accounts tracking their individual weight loss progress.
In addition to the shame of the survey, the project resonated with the city as a result of who was heading it. Mayor Cornett's personal weight loss battle had been well documented in the paper. Cornett explained that “everyone wants to feed the Mayor. I was gaining over five pounds a year. Losing weight is about what you eat. I have to eat less and watch what I eat. If I'm going to speak on obesity, I have to be a better example." Cornett was good for his word as he has lost 38 pounds since April of 2007.
Although Cornett's site has an impressive 24,899 members with an overall weight loss of 263,874, the city has yet to improve in the eyes of Men's Fitness. In spite of the Mayor's initiative, Oklahoma City actually went from the 15th fattest city in 2007, to the 8th fattest city in 2008.
Indeed, it will take considerably more than one mayor and his website to change the ways of overweight Oklahomans. As the study noted people in Oklahoma City simply just don't participate in outdoor recreation. As a result of the city's sprawling layout of major streets and highways, people simply do not ever walk from point A to point B. Sadly, virtually the only people you see on the streets of Oklahoma City are homeless individuals attempting to garner donations from the passing cars.
Nevertheless, unlike the city referenced in this post, (Huntington, West Virginia) Oklahoma City's reaction has been incredibly positive. With the recent addition of a professional basketball team to our recently renovated downtown area (albeit an embarrassing block for block imitation of San Antonio's Riverwalk), OKC feels like it will ultimately begin to lead the state out of this obesity epidemic. Although some state traditions may have to be curbed.
Specifically, I have a feeling that health experts might take issue with our legislatively codified, OFFICAL STATE MEAL:
fried okra, squash, cornbread, barbecue pork, biscuits, sausage and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries, chicken fried steak, pecan pie, and black-eyed peas.
Andrew, you're makin' me hungry! Seriously though, the reason that there seems to be "fat pockets" around the country is, in my opinion, psychological.
The reason I say this is because I have relatives with diets just as Andrew described. When we have family reunions, or weddings,(hell, it could just be Thursday), we all get together and eat the comfort foods of our childhood. My family members that moved to urban areas tend to be more fit and eat healthier, I attribute it to peer pressure. My relatives "back home" have eaten the same diet, with a few modern convenience modifications, for their entire lives. The females' average weight is about 300 lbs. The males tended to participate in sports and factory labor in their youth and didn't fare as badly weight-wise.
I believe that environment plays a role is what is acceptable to eat. Anyone who has dated a vegetarian will attest to that.
Joann
It's interesting also that you'll see dozens of Whole Foods or other health conscious stores in more wealthy areas whereas fast food chains and grocery stores with lower quality produce are prevalent in poorer areas. The sad truth is that junk food is often cheaper and more accessible than healthier options and thus, much of our eating habits are dictated by what income bracket we fall under.
Although I think it is apathy to some extent,I agree that environment has much to do with eating habits. When you grow up with people who disregard the importance of health, you'll likely adopt the same lifestyle.
Ellie
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