The obesity rate may rise to 42 percent from about a third of the U.S. population by 2030 if nothing changes, according to a report.
Preventing that rise may save about $550 billion in medical costs over the next 20 years, Eric Finkelstein, the study author and an associate research professor at Duke University, said during a press briefing. The findings were presented today at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Weight of the Nation obesity conference.
No doubt this is a bad prospect. That doesn’t mean, however, that we need more government programs to combat the problem. I suspect that’s what we’ll hear once these stats make the rounds. While there may be some folks who legitimately need specialized medical and/or professional help to address obesity, for most people there’s a simple cure that doesn’t have anything to do with government — eat less and exercise more.
