RespiteMatch.com Health Blog

Poor Diet, Inactivity Close To Becoming Leading Preventable Cause of Death
W ith poor diet and physical inactivity poised to become the leading preventable cause of death in America, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson renewed efforts against obesity and overweight, announcing a new national education campaign and a new research strategy at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

A new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that deaths due to poor diet and physical inactivity rose by 33 percent over the past decade and may soon overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death.

“Americans need to understand that overweight and obesity are literally killing us,” Secretary Thompson said. “To know that poor eating habits and inactivity are on the verge of surpassing tobacco use as the leading cause of preventable death in America should motivate all Americans to take action to protect their health. We need to tackle America’s weight issues as aggressively as we are addressing smoking and tobacco.”

Secretary Thompson said the new HHS and Ad Council advertising campaign educates Americans that they can take small, achievable steps to improve their health and reverse the obesity epidemic. Consumers don’t need to go to extremes — such as joining a gym or taking part in the latest diet plan — to make improvements in their health. But they do need to get active and eat healthier, he said.

“America needs to get healthier one small step at a time,” Secretary Thompson said. “Each small step does make a difference, whether it’s taking the stairs instead of an elevator or snacking on fruits and vegetables. The more small steps we can take, the further down the road we will be toward better health for ourselves and our families.”

HHS’ release of its new education campaign with the Ad Council and NIH research agenda coincided with publication of the CDC study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, “Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000,” finds that 400,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2000 (17 percent of all deaths) were related to poor diet and physical inactivity. Only tobacco use caused more deaths (435,000). And while most of the major preventable causes of death showed declines or little change since 1990, deaths due to poor diet and physical inactivity increased 33 percent. “Poor diet and physical inactivity may soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of death,” the study concludes.

Secretary Thompson called on individuals to maintain a healthy weight and help to stem the rise in preventable death attributed to obesity and inactivity. He also called on corporations, communities and others to join in a national cooperative effort to increase awareness of the problem and help individuals access healthy foods and opportunities for healthy physical activity.

“The fact that more than a third of deaths in America each year are related to smoking, poor eating habits and physical inactivity is both tragic and unacceptable, because these are largely preventable behaviors,” said CDC Director Julie Gerberding M.D. “Investments in programs to increase physical activity, improve diet and increase smoking cessation are more important than ever before and must continue to be high priorities.”

An estimated 129.6 million Americans, or 64 percent, are overweight or obese. Obesity and overweight have been shown to increase the risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some forms of cancer, and other disabling medical conditions. The total direct and indirect costs, including medical costs and lost productivity, were estimated at $117 billion nationally for 2000, according to the 2001 Surgeon General’s Call to Action on Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity.