D.C. tops in obese youths

The District has the highest percentage in the country of overweight children and teens, according the research group Trust for America’s Health, which also said government must play a larger role in fixing the problem.

The report released yesterday found 22.8 percent of the District’s 10- to 17-year-olds were overweight.

“I’m glad they did this report,” said Dr. Gregg A. Pane, director of the District’s Health Department. “I’m not disputing that this is an important project.”

The District is planning a childhood obesity summit next month at Gallaudet University that will include city agencies, hospitals and nonprofit groups.

West Virginia at 20.9 percent and Kentucky at 20.6 percent followed the District in overweight children and teens. Utah, Wyoming and Colorado had the lowest percentage, all below 10 percent.

The percentage of D.C. adults considered obese was lower than in most of the 50 states. The city was ranked 40th, with 22.2 percent of its adults considered obese. Maryland ranked 25th with 24.3 percent, and Virginia ranked 23rd with a 24.5 percent.

To measure obesity rates, the group compared 2003-to-2005 data with 2004-to-2006 data. It also combines data from three years to improve the accuracy of projections. The data come from a survey of height and weight taken over the telephone by state health departments.

Generally, anyone with a body-mass index greater than 30 is considered obese. The index is a ratio that takes into account height and weight. The overweight range is 25 to 29.9. Normal is 18.5 to 24.9. People with a large amount of lean muscle mass, such as athletes, can show a large body-mass index without having an unhealthy level of fat.

The D.C.-based research group, whose board of directors includes retired lawmaker Lowell P. Weicker Jr., said the federal government should develop a national strategy to combat obesity. Mr. Weicker, a Republican who became an independent, was a congressman, senator and the governor of Connecticut.

Trust spokeswoman Laura Segal said the group wants government to help increase the number of playgrounds, make school lunches more nutritious and to make choices that result in more parks, sidewalks and safe playgrounds. She also said the group wants businesses to encourage wellness programs.

People who are overweight are at an increased risk for diabetes, heart problems and other chronic diseases that contribute to greater health care costs, the report found.

“It’s one of those issues where everyone believes this is an epidemic, but it’s not getting the level of political and policymaker attention that it ought to,” said Jeffrey Levi, the group’s executive director. “As every candidate for president talks about health care reform and controlling health care costs, if we don’t hone in on this issue, none of their proposals are going to be affordable.”

At the same time, many think weight is a personal choice and responsibility. Mr. Levi doesn’t dispute the idea but said society can help people make good choices.

“If we want kids to eat healthier food, we have to invest the money for school-nutrition programs so that school lunches are healthier,” he said. “If we want people to be more physically active, then there have to be safe places to be active. That’s not just a class issue. We’ve designed suburban communities where there are no sidewalks for anybody to go out and take a walk.”

Seventeen states set nutritional standards for school meals and snacks that exceed Agricultural Department standards, according to the report. The District, Maryland and Virginia were not among those states.

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