Cutting the fat

One in three Texas adults is obese; kids rank seventh-worst in the country

As you wrestle with how much food you ate during the Thanksgiving weekend, consider this sobering news: Texas continues to struggle with obesity among adults and children, with each group ranked among the worst in the nation, a national study has found.

One in 3 Texas adults and nearly 1 in 5 children in the state were considered obese last year, according to a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation study called “The State of Obesity,” which analyzes compiled data on the national and state level.

In Houston, which had previously earned the unwanted title of “Fattest City in America,” there are climate, sociological and infrastructure factors that contribute to our residents’ obesity, making it a more complex issue. Still, health experts say there’s hope for change. And it’s needed, as Texas adults had the 14th highest rate of obesity in the U.S., but the state’s children ages 10-17 were ranked seventh-highest in obesity, the research found. Among high school students, the obesity rate was the fifth-highest in the nation in 2017.

“Childhood obesity is a significant problem in Texas, just like it is in the

rest of the country,” said Jamie Bussel, senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “We’re also still seeing major racial and ethnic disparities, with rates noticeably higher among black and Hispanic youth in Texas than among white youth. We need leaders at all levels, in Texas and nationally, to step up efforts to help all children grow up at a healthy weight.”

There was some good news as the obesity rate went down among 2- to 4-year-olds enrolled in WIC, the nutritional program for low-income pregnant women, new mothers and their children up to age 5. The obesity rate for young children in Texas dropped from 16.9 percent to 14.9 percent between 2010 and 2014, the latest year the information was available.

Obesity among Texas adults is highest for those between age 45 and 64, and African-Americans and Hispanics had significantly higher rates than white, the study showed. Men also had slightly higher rates than women.

The racial disparity played out nationwide, as black youths had nearly double the rate of obesity, at 22.5 percent, compared with white youths, at 12.5 percent.

The problem has been linked to a host of health problems, including diabetes, hypertension and some cancers.

In Texas, the percentage of adults with diabetes is 11.9 percent, making it the nation’s 10th worst. Last year, about 1 in 3 Texas adults suffered from hypertension, putting the state in the middle range when compared to other states.

If current trends continue, the number of adults with obesity-related heart disease is expected to climb fivefold in Texas by 2030, and the number of cancer cases linked to obesity will more than double.

But findings that Texas obesity rates are high are not new, says Dr. Faith E. Foreman-Hays, with the office of Chronic Disease, Health Education and Wellness for the Houston health department.

“This study reiterates what we’ve know for some time, but it’s a dynamic and complex issue,” Foreman-Hays said. “We are in the South, and we are a car-dwelling people. We don’t use active forms of transportation, like hiking, biking or walking. We live and work in environments that are not conducive for physical activity. We have food deserts in which there is a lack of fresh foods and vegetables, so people eat what is convenient and easier, which is usually fast food.”

Not to mention Texas’ heat.

“You can’t be outside year-round like you can in some other cities with lower obesity rates. We are forced to find other ways to get exercise,” she said.

Houston was crowned the the fattest city in the U.S. from 2001 to 2003 by Men’s Fitness magazine and has been given the title by a number of publications and health organizations for many years since.

In 2012, former Mayor Annise Parker launched the Go Healthy Houston initiative to reduce obesity and increase healthy eating and exercise. The result was a series of citywide programs and policies to promote healthy living by increasing access to healthy foods, physical activity and tobacco-free places.

Holiday celebrations, Foreman-Hays said, also add to the issue. “We tend to celebrate and grieve with food. Some cultural practices like this can keep us in an obesity paradigm.”

She recommends eating more fruits and vegetables daily, incorporating more physical movement daily and reducing stress.

“Changing your daily routine a little each day can make a difference.”