Fat Indiana is a growing problem

Indiana is a growing state, and not in a way we like.

According to a report published by the Trust for America’s Health, the percentage of Hoosier natives considered obese is 30.8 percent, which ranks eighth in the nation.

In the future, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that the report says Indiana will rank 27th in nationwide obesity rates by 2030. The bad news is that the percentage will skyrocket to 56 percent.

To think that the ratio of obese citizens will jump this high in just the next 18 years is scary. That’s more than 1 percent per year, which is a steady and frightening increase.
The widely accepted perception of weight management has always been that it is a very personal issue.

If someone wants to be unhealthy and throw their body into physical disrepair, that is their own prerogative.

It doesn’t affect anyone else’s lifestyle, so it shouldn’t be an issue for anyone but that fat person.

This is no longer looking acceptable.

It is becoming increasingly clear that weight-related issues are much greater than a single issue. Obesity can stretch into subsequent heart problems and other types of physical breakdown that can cause increases in health care coverage.

The medical attention that an obese individual needs puts added stress on health care companies and can push these companies past their capacity of service, the ramifications of which could hurt other nonobese clients.

Additionally, this begs some serious questions about national productivity.

With such a significant share of the population suffering serious health issues in terms of cardiovascular and immune system breakdown, how can Americans stay competitive in a global economic sense?

First lady Michelle Obama is outspoken about the fact that this generation is the first in recorded history whose children have lower life expectancy than their parents. A huge part of that is because of the ferocity of obesity rampaging our nation.

So leaving this issue to the individual is no longer viable. This is officially the time when the obese need to snap into action, and so does the general public.

Health can no longer be a tangential aspect of education.

Whether it is a governmental program that gets the country off its significant ass and into the gym, or the motion away from commercialization of gym membership, something must be done to turn this epidemic into a solution that will stop plaguing our nation with productivity issues that could very well hold the country back from being a significant player on a national stage.

To make this problem smaller, we need to make ourselves smaller.