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Has the US reached “peak obesity”? (bigthink.com)

submitted 3 days ago by Joker to c/[email protected]

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A CDC survey suggests America’s obesity rate may be falling.

Key Takeaways

Recent data shows a slight decline in US obesity rates, but experts caution it’s too early to declare a turning point in the obesity epidemic.

GLP-1 agonists show promise in combating obesity as trials demonstrate the drugs help people lose 10–20% of their body weight and reduce their risk of weight-related health problems.

However, the high cost and limited insurance coverage of GLP-1 agonists present significant barriers to widespread adoption, and other preventative initiatives would need to be adopted to keep obesity trends declining.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I'm going to agree with most everything here, though guys have their own critiques to deal with. Short, bald, and pudgy or scrawny muscles take a fair bit of confidence to overcome. Some compensate in more or less healthy ways depending on their own persona.

The way we deal with it as a society is a tougher question. Kids don't deal in nuance so well so trying to frame it as a health thing is hard to do without perpetuating old stereotypes. Telling them that it's wrong to bully someone but that being sedentary and out of shape is not good at the same time takes a lot of balancing. With the current culture of body positivity and health-at-every-size it can leave people scared to suggest that someone take up some sports or eat healthy for fear of being labeled as fat phobic.

Somewhat ironic additional note, I just recently joined the ranks of the spectacled. Not delayed out of vanity but out of lack of need up until now, but yes I do remember the era of 4-eyes being a thing.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

That's fair, but short and bald are not health issues. And kids should be encouraged to exercise regardless of their size. A skinny kid who plays video games all day isn't living a healthy lifestyle, either. Health at every size is about setting attainable standards. The overweight kids can't climb the rope or fit into a bikini. As a society, we need to encourage healthy diet and exercise, not body shape and appearance. Kids understand that, because they haven't learned to equate sex appeal and self-value yet. It's the adults that have a hard time with it. That association is learned, and we're all better off if we don't learn it.