U.S. plans aggressive fight against obesity

Poor eating habits 'killing us,' health secretary says

Washington ? Obesity soon may overtake tobacco as the leading cause of preventable death in America, according to a study to be released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Describing the findings as a health crisis, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said his agency was launching an aggressive campaign to encourage Americans to take “small steps” to change their lifestyles.

The CDC estimates that 400,000 deaths were related to overeating and physical inactivity in 2000. Smoking remained the leading cause of death and accounted for some 435,000 mortalities.

The findings will appear today in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

“Our poor eating habits are literally killing us,” Thompson said.

The problem is alarming but preventable if Americans agree to take action to protect their health, Thompson said.

If a man of average height is 40 pounds overweight, he’s regarded as obese. For the average woman, that figure is 30 pounds.

The CDC estimates that more than 30 percent of all Americans are obese and are at risk for developing heart disease and some forms of cancer and diabetes.

“Obesity is among the 10 most-wanted disease conditions that the National Health Institute wants to fight,” said Dr. Elias Zerhouni, director for the National Institutes of Health.

The new educational campaign, which includes multimedia public advertisements and a new interactive Web site, aims to persuade Americans to get active and eat healthfully. Walking or skating to work, eating half of dessert and skipping buffets are among some of the “small steps” that can be taken without joining a gym or taking part in the latest diet plan, Thompson said.

In one of the new TV ads that will be aired today, a couple walks down the fruit and vegetable aisle of a supermarket and stumbles over someone’s double chin lying on the floor. The couple decide that someone lost it by snacking on fruits and vegetables. The ad is designed to use humor to persuade viewers to change their eating habits, Thompson said.