DR. DIETZ: Obesity costs this country
about $150 billion a year,
or almost 10% of the national medical budget.
Approximately 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 6 children are obese.
[ Monitor beeping ]
Obesity is epidemic in the United States today
and a major cause of death,
attributable to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
[ Flatline ]
At its simplest, obesity results
from people consuming more calories than their bodies burn,
but it's a more complex problem than that.
People didn't decide to become overweight.
Their weight gain is
a consequence of complicated changes in the environment,
where food is more readily available
and opportunities for physical activity are lacking.
DR. O'TOOLE: Societal, economic, cultural conditions
have all contributed to the rise in obesity.
DR. MOORE: One contributing factor
is the fact that the way we eat has changed
over the last 50 years.
Americans are eating more processed foods
and eating out a lot more frequently.
The foods that are offered in restaurants, snack shops,
and in vending machines
are higher in sugar, calories, and fat
than what we typically prepare in our own homes.
We are surrounded by food.
We're constantly bombarded by it.
We're consuming larger portion sizes
and more calories than ever before.
Another factor is that people
who live in poor and rural communities
may have less access to quality grocery stores
that sell healthy and affordable options.
In these areas, it might be easier and cheaper for residents
to purchase less healthy foods and beverages.
DR. O'TOOLE: Other factors,
such as technology and the way we build our communities,
has influenced our lives.
Both of these factors have left us more sedentary.
Families must drive to work and school
because it's often too far to walk.
Many communities are built in ways
that simply make it difficult or unsafe to be physically active.
For many families, safe routes
for walking and biking to school or play
may not even exist.
Getting to parks and recreation centers may be difficult.
Public transportation may not even be available.
And we spend a lot of time sitting in front of screens
for work and for entertainment.
[ Engine rumbles ]
Also, too few students
get daily quality physical education in schools.
DR. MOORE: There is no single or simple solution
to the obesity epidemic.
It's going to take solutions at many levels
in order to resolve the epidemic.
What can each of us do as individuals to be healthier?
First, we can eat more fruits and vegetables
and fewer foods that are higher in fat and sugar.
We can also drink more water instead of sugared drinks.
Everyone, including adults of all ages and ability levels
and children,
need to get the recommended amount of physical activity.
Parents can listen to their pediatricians
and restrict television viewing for their young children
to less than two hours a day,
and we can not put televisions in our children's bedrooms.
How can we work together as communities
to resolve the obesity epidemic?
Communities can expand access to fruits and vegetables
through farmers-markets programs like this one
in Brownsville, Texas.
DR. GOWEN: The market was designed for the sole intent
of reducing obesity rates
and improving diabetes rates in our community.
There's a wide range of people who come to the market
from different walks of life.
DR. MARTIN: Low-income families, who may not be able to afford
some of the fruits and vegetables --
the voucher program has been very instrumental.
DR. MOORE: Communities can also advocate
for quality nutrition programs
and physical education in their school systems.
One way to do that is through school health advisory councils.
UDARBE: The school health advisory council
is something that doesn't cost any money
and it is relatively little amount of time,
and it brings together a diverse group of people
from the community and the schools.
STUDENT: I like to be healthy
because I want to be big and strong.
UDARBE: Because schools face so much pressure
to try to do so many other things,
the school health advisory council
is the perfect way for schools to achieve this.
DR. O'TOOLE: Local governments and communities
can play an important role
in developing environments
that encourage and support active living.
They can increase opportunities for physical activity
by encouraging mixed-use development
to allow for easy access to schools, businesses, parks,
and grocery stores.
They can implement traffic-safety measures
and crime-prevention strategies.
Building bike paths, sidewalks, and crosswalks
will foster safe and easy access to more physical activity.
States and local governments
can provide incentives to existing markets
to offer healthier food,
and they can also provide incentives for new businesses
to establish their supermarkets in low-income areas.
WOMAN: The quality of the produce is much better,
and, of course, it's less expensive
than at the corner stores,
and it is very helpful to the neighborhood,
I think, to, overall, be a more healthier neighborhood.
MAN: I had lived in Philadelphia all my life, and I had never --
there never was a market like this around here
that we can walk to that's a convenience
and, on top of that, healthy foods.
DR. O'TOOLE: Employers can offer work-site health programs
that offer a variety of options for their employees,
such as this program in Austin, Texas.
TEAGUE: This used to just be a place
to come to work and go home,
and now it's a place where you can come and get in your workout
and get in your support group for your weight loss.
And instead of just going to the short-order cook
and having a burger and fries,
you can have a nice, healthier sandwich,
and that's -- that's made a difference.
DR. O'TOOLE: In addition, employers can make it easier
for women to continue breast-feeding
when they return to work
because babies who are breast-fed
are less likely to become overweight later in life.
DR. DIETZ: There is no simple solution
to the obesity epidemic.
People need to make better choices,
but we also have to change those choices in our schools,
in our child-care settings,
in our work sites, and in our communities.