Apparently we’re not eating our apples, or at least not enough
of them. A new survey of Santa Clara County residents points to low
fruit and vegetable consumption as a key source of weight gain and
obesity in the area.
According to the survey, 47.5 percent of county residents fell
in the normal weight range, while 52.5 percent were overweight or
obese.
Apparently we’re not eating our apples, or at least not enough of them. A new survey of Santa Clara County residents points to low fruit and vegetable consumption as a key source of weight gain and obesity in the area.
According to the survey, 47.5 percent of county residents fell in the normal weight range, while 52.5 percent were overweight or obese.
Men are more likely to be overweight or obese than women, according to a recent study by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. Obesity is also more common among non-Asian minorities and, in a statistical happenstance, is more common among the poor as well.
What leads to these conclusions is a matter of debate. Men are almost twice as likely as women to be considered overweight in the county, at rates of 42.1 percent and 25.7 percent respectively, according to the survey, but the sexes average out when it comes to the number who are considered obese.
Measurements for both categories were based on the body mass index, a computation of body fat based on height and weight that generates a numerical answer.
Those with BMIs over 25 are considered overweight. Over 30 and they are considered obese. The range between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal weight.
Slightly more than 18 percent of Santa Clara County residents are classified as obese in the survey, but those numbers are actually below national and state averages, which fall in the low 20s.
Obesity rates based on similar data were the same in San Benito County, according to a 2004 survey conducted by the group California Food Policy Advocates.
Despite lower numbers, both counties still fail to meet the standards set forth in Healthy People 2010, part of the national health objectives the federal government set for the first decade of the 21st century. The Healthy People report calls for a reduction of obesity to 15 percent or less of the adult population by 2010.
“I would definitely say that obesity is a huge issue here,” said Lynn Kjelson, a dietician at Hazel Hawkins Hospital in Hollister. She was not aware of any studies attempting to pinpoint the number of overweight people in the county. “At least 50 percent of my patients are overweight, if not more. But I haven’t found that it’s really a cross of the gender line.”
The difference in the number of overweight men versus women is striking in the Santa Clara County survey, but the disparity in average versus overweight classifications in men and women could stem from a variety of contributing sources, according to Lillian Castillo, a public health nutritionist for Santa Clara County.
“(The difference) could be related to underreporting and over-reporting of weight,” said Castillo. “Men tend to add to their weight, but women, when they’re self-reporting, are more likely to lower theirs.”
Both measurements are based on BMIs, which raise even more questions. Because men, by nature, have less body fat and more muscle mass than women, said Castillo, they are likely to be heavier than women of their equivalent sizes. The weight disparity could skew their overall BMIs.
In terms of fitness routines, men are more likely to exercise regularly than women, but women practice more healthy patterns of fruit and vegetable consumption, weight maintenance and portion control, according to study results.
Still, it’s not much. Federal dietary guidelines recommend 60 to 90 minutes of exercise per day for everyone and consumption of at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
According to a separate study conducted by the county in 2004, just 23 percent of males and almost 36 percent of females consumed the recommended levels of fruit, juice and vegetables per day.
The causes of higher obesity rates among minorities and the poor are harder to assess, said Castillo.
In impoverished areas, families are more likely to eat processed foods with high caloric density, rather than high-fiber alternatives like fruits and vegetables. This could be due to a lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables in the urban setting, or a lack of education.
“If you look at the Latino population,” said Castillo, “and you measure assimilation in terms of the language, you will see that the knowledge of nutrition and health increases with assimilation. But the more assimilation, the less likely they are to consume the traditional Mexican diet, which is high in complex carbohydrates and fat.”
The shift is not always for the better. While a traditional diet may be high in fat, it is often balanced by a high intake of fruits and vegetables, whereas an assimilated diet is more likely to contain a high number of processed foods that can lead to excessive weight gain, Castillo said.
The other concern for the minority community is the genetic basis for obesity-related problems. Nutritional genomics is the study of the relationship between food and genetic variants that can lead to increased risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer.
“In terms of ethnicity, we know that Hispanics and African-Americans have a higher prevalence of obesity than the Caucasian population,” said Castillo. “Asians do not. Here is a paradox. Is it related to genetics and how our body uses the nutrients or to the amount of calories we consume?”
Until these answers become clearer, Castillo said the best thing for everyone to do was to walk and consume more fresh fruits and vegetables as part of their daily routine.
“We’re lucky in this area to have lots of nice fruit stands,” said Castillo. “We’ve got to get out and visit those stands and maybe even walk to them.”
The advice applies across the board, as Kjelson said to remember that a thin figure does not equal a healthy body in and of itself.
“There’s so much more of a success standard for those who are thinner, because it gives the appearance of health,” said Kjelson. “I was talking with a patient today who’s always been skinny, She’s always had the appearance of health, but really, she has severely high cholesterol and a fatty liver. Just because she’s thin doesn’t mean she’s the picture of health.”
To calculate your own body mass, visit www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/ and click on the BMI Calculator.
