Nation's 'Fattest' State Feels Its Growing Pains
By Pamela Berry, The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger
posted 11/19/02
JACKSON, Miss. — At 6 feet 4 and 325 pounds, it's easy to see why 32-year-old Robert Walton is called "Big Rob."
Walton said his size never been much of a concern to him other than aching knees and briefly having high cholesterol.
But based on a federal scale used to determine an individual's body mass, Walton is carrying too much weight on his frame and is considered clinically obese.
"I don't consider myself obese," Walton said. "I know what obese looks like. I've even told my (friends) that if I ever got to be the size of some of the people I see, they should beat me and get me to do something about it. But I don't think I have any health issues."
State health officials do. Mississippi ranks as the "fattest" state in the country. It is also the leader in heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. According to a recent study, the trend shows no signs of slowing.
The Mississippi Behavioral Risk Favor Surveillance System survey data for 2001 shows 26.6% of the state's population, or about one in four people, are obese — up from 25% in 2000. In 1990, when health officials first conducted the survey, the obesity percentage was 15.3.
The climbing rate means more Mississippians are overweight than ever before — and they are getting bigger each year.
While major health problems might not materialize immediately, too much extra weight increases chances of developing such serious health problems as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
"Generations ago, people had to literally do physical work to get food," said Dr. Dan Jones, associate vice chancellor for Health Affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. "But with the industrialization, we now have economies that allow people to sit and think and be paid for it, and we have grocery stores and restaurants that provide us with food we can buy."
But the instinctive drive to eat certain kinds of foods, such as starches, sweets and fats, remains, Jones said.
Nationally, obesity is at an "epidemic" level, with nearly 100 million Americans overweight or obese, Jones said. In Mississippi, about half the population fits those categories.
The reason Mississippi leads the nation is because of an amazingly sedentary lifestyle, Jones said.
"People in California and other places go to the gym. People in Mississippi are less likely to afford the gym or have that as a priority. There is less awareness of the need to control weight," he said.
Lekita Nichols, 25, of Jackson, Miss., said that as a child, she used to be thin and wispy. Then at age 16, she got her first job working part time at a family-owned restaurant.
"I started eating fried chicken and yeast rolls everyday," Nichols said. "I just blew up. ... My weight comes from me being greedy and eating when I'm not hungry."
At 5 feet 4 and a half, she weighs 325 pounds. Lately she's had trouble breathing.
"I want to do something about it, but I don't have anyone to motivate me," said Nichols, who is studying to become a child-care director. "I've tried just about everything. I've tried appetite suppressants, Slimfast, Dexatrim, Metabolife. ... It's been on my mind to get it under control and get down to a certain size, but I don't know what to do."
When Jackson lawyer Leonard Van Slyke, 58, couldn't lose weight alone, he spent thousands of dollars to attend the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center, "sort of the Betty Ford Clinic for fat people," he said. Two visits helped him drop from about 305 pounds to 250.
"I'm getting old, and I know there is such a thing as mortality," Van Slyke said. "I had never managed to lose weight on my own. I needed some help. Although it was quite expensive, I decided there was nothing more I needed to spend money on then to try and take care of myself. "
Melvena Fulton, also of Jackson, said the most she ever weighed was 389 pounds.
"It was in 1995, and I had just joined the gym," said Fulton, a hair stylist. "I lost a lot of that weight and got down to 300, and when I gained five pounds back, I found out I was pregnant."
After having her daughter, Fulton's weight was 324 pounds. "I remember saying that I only got 24 pounds to go to get to 300. I was back in the gym four weeks later."
Through sheer will, Fulton dropped from size 24-26 to size 14. She estimates her total weight loss is 150 to 180 pounds but has stopped counting.
"There was no magic pill or anything for me," she said. "It was a lifestyle change. You just have to stay focused, and soon you'll get to the point that you won't buy what you used to buy and eat what you used to eat. It never worked for me until I decided to make those choices."
Source: USA Today.
Home - Table of Contents - Donate Now - About Diabetes - Warning Signs - Complications - Screening Test - Diabetes Terms - Site Search - Meet Mr. Diabetes® - Wake Up And Walk® Tour - Latest News - Headlines & News Stories - Health & Fitness - About Us - FAQ - Research Form - - Message Board - Privacy Policy - Legal Notices - How to Contact Us - Comments form - Suggestion Form - Our E-Mail Addresses - Our Address and Phone Numbers - Links - Contact Us