One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
California's obesity rates could double by 2030, study says (PDF)
A new study suggests if California's current trends aren’t reversed, 46.6 percent of the state be obese by the year 2030, up from 23.4 percent in 2011.
(
TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images
)
Listen
0:52
California's obesity rates could double by 2030, study says (PDF)
If America’s obesity rates continue their upward trajectory, the number of people who suffer serious diseases could increase ten-fold by the year 2020, and then double again by the year 2030. That’s the word from a national study released Tuesday by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The study suggests if California's current trends aren’t reversed, 46.6 percent of all Golden State residents will be obese by the year 2030, up from 23.4 percent in 2011, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That spike will likely cause more than two million new cases of obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke, the study says.
The report also includes an analysis of what’s likely to happen if each state is able to reduce the body mass index of their residents by only 5 percent. (That's the equivalent of a ten-pound weight loss for someone who stands 6-feet tall and weighs 200 pounds).
In California, that drop would result in an almost 8 percent reduction in the state’s existing health care costs, or almost $82 billion by the year 2030.
To reach that goal, the report’s authors recommend a series of policy changes that include improving nutrition in school lunches, making physical education a priority in schools, and increased investment in evidence-based obesity prevention programs.
F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future
Sponsored message
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
