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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. Fairfield County has been ranked the second-least obese area in the country, according to a recent Gallup Poll. With a 14.5 percent obesity rate, Fairfield County is second only to Boulder, Colo., and well below the national average of 26.1 percent.
According to Christopher Mosunic, director of the Weight Loss and Diabetes Center at Greenwich Hospital, Fairfield Countys low obesity rate can be directly tied to the high socio-economic status of many of its residents.
Its very costly to eat well and exercise in our country, he said. The Gallup Poll agreed with this assessment, showing that people making $90,000 or more per year are among the least obese in the country.
The data also shows that the more weight gained by people, the lighter their wallets will become. The 10 metro areas where obesity was the highest were shown to cumulatively pay an estimated $1 billion more per year in health-care costs than if their obesity rates were 15 percent. According to the National Institutes of Health, obese people will pay an average of $1,429 more per year in health-care costs than people of normal weight.
The Gallup Poll found that the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area of Texas was the most obese in the country, with a rate of 38.8 percent. According to its estimates, the area pays more than $400 million per year in extra health costs because of this high rate.
To add insult to injury, fast food restaurants target impoverished areas, Mosunic said. A city such as Bridgeport has higher obesity rates than a town such as Greenwich, he says, because it is cheaper to eat foods with lots of calories.
Another reason a wealthier town has lower obesity rates is because its residents exercise more, Mosunic said. Residents can afford gym memberships and often have access to country club sports such as tennis or golf. People dont think of golf as a strenuous activity, but youre out walking and standing a lot.
By contrast, in lower income areas, it is often more difficult for residents to get exercise. Mosunic said people can't even go walking because the streets may not be safe.
But there are solutions. Mosunic said that even people in lower-income areas can often walk or run at high school tracks. And hospitals and other wellness centers offer classes that teach how to eat healthy without spending too much.
They help you pick out the least expensive of the expensive stuff, he said.
However, Mosunic said that even though obesity rates may be low in Fairfield County, it is on the rise and it affects the rich and the poor alike. He said the opinion among many obesity experts is that it will take public policy to cut the obesity epidemic, much like it was used to cut smoking.
Many feel that there should be taxation on unhealthy foods, and lowering of the prices on healthy foods, he said.
Its an uphill battle because of the wealth of the food industry, he said, but strides are being made in fighting obesity through public policy and education.
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