Obesity Scale, Hawai'i Looking Good

[alohabear]

This article from the Advertiser says that 51.6 percent of Hawai'i's population is overweight or obese, lowest for all states.

Hawai'i's good weather and large Asian population are again being credited with keeping the state on the low end of the obesity scale nationwide.

I find it funny that we also lead the nation in "ICE" use. Could another fact that our obesity is low be that druggies are so skinny too?

I wonder which part of Hawaii is the heaviest and lightest? Any clues out there?

[pzarquon]

Re: Obesity Scale, Hawai'i Looking Good

Fifty one percent isn't exactly something to be proud of, and as the article notes, while our overall average is good, and while obesity among some groups are generally low, obesity rates are also unusually high for some ethnic and economic groups. Remember, Hawaii also has one of the highestrates in the nation for childhood obesity (adolescent obesity in Hawaii has doubled over the past 20 years), as well as for related problems like heart disease and diabetes.

Our obese youngesters are going to grow up, and we'll likely see similar trends in subsequent generations, so I would expect our stats to worsen if there aren't ongoing efforts to deal with it.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Obesity Scale, Hawai'i Looking Good

I wonder which part of Hawaii is the heaviest and lightest? Any clues out there?

From a recent presentation by Dr. Kalani Brady, "Childhood Obesity and the Modern Lifestyle: Implications for Future Generations" (http://www.hawaii.gov/health/family-...thma/ppw/1.ppt):

Ethnic Variation in Prevalence of Overweight Among WIC Children

Multivariate analysis showed that ethnicity had a strong independent association with BMI and overweight.

11.4 Total
11.9 Other
27.0 Samoan
10.1 Hispanic
11.3 Hawaiian
12.4 Filipino
8.5 White
7.3 Black
9.0 Asian
% overweight

Children 2-4 years, Hawaii WIC program, 1997-98