The annual deaths in the United States attributable to poor diet and inactivity hover at 300,000, and one in three, or 58 million American adults aged 20 through 74, are overweight. According to data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examina tion Survey (NHANES III), this number is growing. Minority populations are particularly affected. Other statistics show that more than one in five children and adolescents (6-17) are also overweight.

These statistics predict major health problems for Americans. Experts say that these statistics mean that this generation of young people may be the first generation who is not expected to outlive their parents. Being overweight is a known risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, arthritis, breathing problems, and some forms of cancer. Extra weight places extra stress on the heart (nearly 70 percent of the diagnosed cases of cardiovascular disease are related to obesity) and more than doubles one's chances of developing high blood pressure, which affects approximately 26 percent of obese American men and women. However, it is surprising that cancer and obesity seem linked. Almost half of breast cancer cases are diagnosed among obese women; an estimated 42 percent of colon cancer cases are diagnosed among obese individuals. Obesity-related breast cancer and colon cancer account for 2.5 percent of the total costs of cancer, or $1.9 billion annually.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through their public health information offices, is pushing toward a leaner public. Knowing that all solutions must ultimately be local, the CDC has initiated several partnerships to try to bring home the message about healthier eating.

Other education programs are coming from other sources. First lady of New York State, Michelle Paige Paterson, has an advanced degree in health services management and has worked within both hospitals and for health care providers. She has resolved that combating childhood obesity would be the primary focus of her work as first lady. She has launched "Healthy Kids, Healthy New York," a six-week program for middle school students to encourage them to track their eating and exercise habits. . .

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