OPINION:
Your article “CDC report finds more than 40% of U.S. adults are obese” (Web, Feb. 27) is very timely. The biggest challenge for people like me, who are in the fitness/wellness industries and work mostly with adults whose eating choices are starting to cause other health problems, is educating people about the misinformation put forth by advertisers over the past 40 to 50 years.
It appears that the only goal of the various government agencies involved have is to track the rising epidemic. This battle to change people’s eating habits has to include mass marketing and advertising through all forms of media in order to counterbalance the same efforts that promoted the poor eating habits currently creating a health disaster. If our advertisers are going to continue celebrating unhealthy foods, the opposite view needs to be presented as well.
The sad part of all this is that if you add to the 40 percent of adults who are obese the increasing percentage of teenagers and children becoming obese, our next generation will be at an enormous disadvantage to compete in all levels of society because they will be spending most of their time and money dealing with healthrelated issues, either their own or their parents’.
GREG RALEIGH
Washington
Please read our comment policy before commenting.