Obesity Has No Political Affiliation
By Stewart Lonky, M.D.
Republican, Democrat, or Independent, when it comes to the great weight debate, party affiliation is irrelevant.
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in this country. It might be "politically incorrect to discuss weight," and the Democrats might even be "dancing around the problem," as former New York Lieutenant Governor Betsy McCaughey said in a recent New York Post Op-ed. However, we can't blame one political party, or keep burying our heads in the sand where our ever-expanding waistlines are concerned.
Right now, 40 percent of US adults and 20 percent of children and teens are considered obese. If 40 percent of the population had cancer, we would have a national emergency on our hand.
We do have a national emergency on our hands. As Ms. McCaughey points out, "obesity-related illnesses consume nearly a third of the nation's health-care dollars," and is a major factor in making health insurance unaffordable.
Obesity isn't a Republican or Democratic issue. Obesity has no political affiliation. It cuts across all demographic categories and no one is safe.
The average obese adult uses 42 percent more health care than a healthy-weight adult. A morbidly obese adult uses a staggering 81 percent more, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Who do you think is shouldering the burden?
It's perfectly acceptable to single out cigarette smokers, but talking about obesity is taboo is in many circles. However, obesity kills more Americans and adds more to medical costs than cigarette smoking, according to the Common Wealth Fund.
I want to be clear: No one should be fat-shamed, ever, or made to feel bad about her physical appearance!
However, we shouldn't go in the opposite direction, encouraging people to be fat and proud. There's no pride in being stuck in the revolving door of your doctor's office.
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