Excess weight can be a sign that we are not as healthy as we could be, and obesity is strongly linked with serious chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. Nationwide in the US, 67% of adults are either overweight or obese (National Center for Health Statistics, 2008), and the rate of childhood obesity keeps going up too. Currently, 35% of children in the US are either overweight or obese (National Survey of Children's Health, 2007). Of great concern is the increase of overweight and obesity in younger children, including preschoolers. Also, while more children are becoming overweight, the heaviest children are getting even heavier.

We know that overweight kids are more likely to become obese adults, and that child obesity is creating a generation of children who are on the path to more health problems, and possibly shorter lives (by 2-5 years), than their parents (New England Journal of Medicine, 2005). Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, once rare in children, are starting to become more common. If environmental and behavioral conditions that contribute to obesity do not change, we can expect that one in three children born in the year 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003).

What Factors are Making it Hard to Choose Healthy Foods and to Get Active?

We all hope for health for ourselves, our children, and our communities, but the way our lives and neighborhoods are structured can make it challenging to do what is good for us.  The typical American diet is high in fat, sugar and calories and low in nutrients, and we are not as physically active as we could be.  Not everyone has access to a healthy lifestyle in his/her neighborhood.

• Most people don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables.
• Fast food and soda pop are replacing healthier options.
• We are seeing more and more “junk food” ads that influence our choices.
• Portion sizes – even the plates we use at home – have gotten bigger over the past several decades.
• Healthier and fresh food often costs more than processed or fast food.
• Only 32% of children have physical education at school three or more times a week, and only 14% of children have daily physical education (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006).
  
• The typical school-age child spends more than 7 hours a day in front of TV, computer, or video game screens or using mobile media, instead of being active. (Kaiser Family Foundation, "Generation M" Report, 2005, updated in 2010).
  
• Neighborhoods are not always good places to be active (because of crime, traffic, or lack of sidewalks, parks, trails, or affordable recreation).
• Some communities have few, if any, options for healthy foods that are affordable and culturally acceptable.

Communities of color and people with limited incomes have higher rates of obesity and obesity-related chronic health problems – usually because of limited access to healthy food and safe physical activity. However, when we shift environments – whether they are congregations, schools, other institutions, or entire neighborhoods – so that the range of choices there supports healthy eating and sufficient physical activity, everyone will benefit and be healthier.  Let's lift each other up by creating healthy environments for all!

For more information on obesity, see the Obesity Fact Sheet to the right on the top of this page. See the Advocacy section to learn what you can do to promote health equity.