Nov. 8th, 2006 06:11 pm
Random health musings
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textualdevianceStudying for my psych quiz tomorrow, and I came across something rather interesting. Apparently, life expectancy (for women, at least) is highest in Hawaii.
And yet Hawaii also has the highest obesity numbers.
High on the death list (44th out of 51) is Nevada. And yet the state is only #11 on the obesity chart.
Also, life expectancy is low in New York (35th out of 51.) Yet they have a relatively low obesity rate (17th).
The only place where obesity and death rates match is in the South and D.C.
If obesity--on its own--causes disease and death, wouldn't Hawaiians be dropping like flies? And why are Nevadans and New Yorkers dying when they're supposedly so much fitter than Hawaiian chubbies?
I think the answer lies in the numbers from the South and D.C. First, there's the race factor: death rates for AAs (whose population is high in those areas) are in general much greater than rates for whites and Latinos. Some of this is due to genetic factors--higher rates of some serious illnesses that are unrelated to behavioral or social causes. But the factor that the South shares with Nevada and New York is simple: stress--particularly stress related to social problems such as poor education, domestic strife and poverty. (These factors also, of course explain part of the race correlation; racism is a stress factor on its own, and also exacerbates the other stress-inducing problems.)
I don't know if this is still true, but Nevada has historically had one of the highest suicide rates in the country. It's also had problems with poverty, domestic violence and poor education. New York historically has had a high violent crime rate, and has also struggled with poverty--even though some of the richest people in the world live in Manhattan, some very poor people live in the state, too, especially wrt the cost of living.
Poverty, especially among natives, is high in Hawaii, too. But there, the difference is that poverty alone is not necessarily the same stress factor it is in many places on the mainland. The general Hawaiian mood, whether one has a fortune or not, is very casual and laid-back. Native Hawaiians, those with higher obesity rates, also tend to have very strong ties to family and friends. So, yes, Hawaiians are enjoying their plate lunches and not going to the gym, but they're also enjoying life, even if they're poor. Conversely, a slim New Yorker may be dedicated to the gym and on whatever diet is in fashion, but she's far more likely to suffer from stress-related illnesses such as high blood pressure and affective disorders.
Not that my analysis of this data is scientific, mind, but I've been saying for years that stress is a far greater national health crisis than obesity. AND, the stress over obesity itself isn't actually helping, but making things worse. Not only that, but there is plenty of evidence that stress itself contributes to weight gain (look up the effects of cortisol sometime.)
Yes, obesity is correlated with some measure of disease and mortality, but on a statistical basis, when all other factors are considered, it's simply not the dire death sentence the diet industry wants us to believe. Taking in environmental factors like composition of diet, stress, exposure to pollutants, amount of sleep, support networks, etc., there's simply no way to absolutely declare that a given fat person will necessarily get sick and die before a given non-fat person.
That we're constantly hearing about this massive national obesity crisis, and yet we never hear about a national stress crisis is ridiculous, and clearly based in economic factors. People working long hours for little pay produces stress, but it also makes capitalists rich. Suggesting that people might want to slow down the rat race pace is anathema to the Amurrikan Way. Conversely, the national bulimia cycle is making the diet/gym/convenience food industry quite flush, and the constant pressure to look a certain way keeps cosmetic and fashion companies in business, too. So we can't cease telling people that they're fat and ugly (while also saturating them with ads for chemical-laden cardboard food.)
There is profit in the obesity "crisis" and in maintaining Americans' stress levels. So the numbers keep getting misinterpreted, despite the fact that people are dying because of it. But, given that 12 solid years of Republican leadership has proven that collateral damage is meaningless in the face of profit, I shouldn't be surprised that things are this way. Not that I necessarily think the Dems will catch on to this one. I think they're probably brainwashed by the fat people are evil thing, too. Fat people are the new smokers. Only in this case, the studies aren't being suppressed by the tobacco industry, but by the diet industry. Damn shame.
(I'm taking myself out of this equation, mind. My rants about this are neither an explanation or justification for my size and state of health. The reasons for that are complex and many, though I am firmly of the belief that stress--especially childhood stress--is part of what got me here.)
And yet Hawaii also has the highest obesity numbers.
High on the death list (44th out of 51) is Nevada. And yet the state is only #11 on the obesity chart.
Also, life expectancy is low in New York (35th out of 51.) Yet they have a relatively low obesity rate (17th).
The only place where obesity and death rates match is in the South and D.C.
If obesity--on its own--causes disease and death, wouldn't Hawaiians be dropping like flies? And why are Nevadans and New Yorkers dying when they're supposedly so much fitter than Hawaiian chubbies?
I think the answer lies in the numbers from the South and D.C. First, there's the race factor: death rates for AAs (whose population is high in those areas) are in general much greater than rates for whites and Latinos. Some of this is due to genetic factors--higher rates of some serious illnesses that are unrelated to behavioral or social causes. But the factor that the South shares with Nevada and New York is simple: stress--particularly stress related to social problems such as poor education, domestic strife and poverty. (These factors also, of course explain part of the race correlation; racism is a stress factor on its own, and also exacerbates the other stress-inducing problems.)
I don't know if this is still true, but Nevada has historically had one of the highest suicide rates in the country. It's also had problems with poverty, domestic violence and poor education. New York historically has had a high violent crime rate, and has also struggled with poverty--even though some of the richest people in the world live in Manhattan, some very poor people live in the state, too, especially wrt the cost of living.
Poverty, especially among natives, is high in Hawaii, too. But there, the difference is that poverty alone is not necessarily the same stress factor it is in many places on the mainland. The general Hawaiian mood, whether one has a fortune or not, is very casual and laid-back. Native Hawaiians, those with higher obesity rates, also tend to have very strong ties to family and friends. So, yes, Hawaiians are enjoying their plate lunches and not going to the gym, but they're also enjoying life, even if they're poor. Conversely, a slim New Yorker may be dedicated to the gym and on whatever diet is in fashion, but she's far more likely to suffer from stress-related illnesses such as high blood pressure and affective disorders.
Not that my analysis of this data is scientific, mind, but I've been saying for years that stress is a far greater national health crisis than obesity. AND, the stress over obesity itself isn't actually helping, but making things worse. Not only that, but there is plenty of evidence that stress itself contributes to weight gain (look up the effects of cortisol sometime.)
Yes, obesity is correlated with some measure of disease and mortality, but on a statistical basis, when all other factors are considered, it's simply not the dire death sentence the diet industry wants us to believe. Taking in environmental factors like composition of diet, stress, exposure to pollutants, amount of sleep, support networks, etc., there's simply no way to absolutely declare that a given fat person will necessarily get sick and die before a given non-fat person.
That we're constantly hearing about this massive national obesity crisis, and yet we never hear about a national stress crisis is ridiculous, and clearly based in economic factors. People working long hours for little pay produces stress, but it also makes capitalists rich. Suggesting that people might want to slow down the rat race pace is anathema to the Amurrikan Way. Conversely, the national bulimia cycle is making the diet/gym/convenience food industry quite flush, and the constant pressure to look a certain way keeps cosmetic and fashion companies in business, too. So we can't cease telling people that they're fat and ugly (while also saturating them with ads for chemical-laden cardboard food.)
There is profit in the obesity "crisis" and in maintaining Americans' stress levels. So the numbers keep getting misinterpreted, despite the fact that people are dying because of it. But, given that 12 solid years of Republican leadership has proven that collateral damage is meaningless in the face of profit, I shouldn't be surprised that things are this way. Not that I necessarily think the Dems will catch on to this one. I think they're probably brainwashed by the fat people are evil thing, too. Fat people are the new smokers. Only in this case, the studies aren't being suppressed by the tobacco industry, but by the diet industry. Damn shame.
(I'm taking myself out of this equation, mind. My rants about this are neither an explanation or justification for my size and state of health. The reasons for that are complex and many, though I am firmly of the belief that stress--especially childhood stress--is part of what got me here.)
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no subject
Plus, Nevada and New York are both very industrial and urban (at least, the largely populated parts of them are). It's much more likely you'll be killed doing day-to-day things in New York city or Las Vegas than you will doing a similar type thing in Hawai'i. While some of this theory is probably true, I have to believe there are more factors than stress. I think you're just more likely to die in New York than you are in Hawai'i, no matter what size you are. (I mean, if you're shot in the head you're going to die, it's just more likely you'll be shot in the head in New York than in Hawai'i.) You could certainly say that stress causes people to shoot other people, and thus the unstressful Hawai'ians might not feel that urge, etc., but it doesn't necessarily relate to obsesity.
It would, however, be interesting to see/compare deaths from complications of obsesity in all three states. I think that might yeild better and more accurate statistics.
no subject
I agree.
I have an advanced reporting class next term in which we'll be doing stories that interpret and analyze statistical data. I may well use this topic for my project. The info is out there; I think it just hasn't been put together the right way yet.
There are a whole bunch of different things to add in--everything from access to health care to pollution. But I do think statistical anomalies like the Hawaii thing deserve more attention than they're getting.
no subject
(Interestingly, I was in Hilo, Hawai'i [locally] and Maui, O'ahu [touristy] in June-July of 2005, and while I recall seeing some overweight people, I don't recall seeing an alarmingly high number of them. Then again, when I think of "obese" I think morbidly so, so perhaps someone 40-pounds overweight wouldn't ping on my radar as "obese" but just "above average" etc.)
Anyway. I'd definitely be interesting in seeing you follow up on this.
no subject
no subject
no subject
I think obesity has more to do with one's mental state than anything else (barring true medical issues). Over-eating is an addiction just like all the other addictions - alcohol, drugs, sex, etc. Obesity is an indication that one has a problem, and usually not just with food. The over-eating/obesity masks other issues and also provides a convenient excuse for not dealing with said issues. You know, "When I lose weight I will blah, blah, blah." "I can't do blah blah blah because I need to lose weight.".
My two cents. :-)