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>> Return to KSTX Town Hall Main Page KSTX Town Hall: Obesity and DiabetesAmerican waistlines have been expanding for decades. Diabetes and obesity rates are on a continual, dramatic rise, both across the nation and in Bexar County. Poor personal choices, physical inactivity and limited access to nutritious foods hinder our ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle. As a result, our gluttonous culture has severe impacts on our personal health and emotional well-being, all while voraciously consuming massive amounts of public resources and driving up health care costs to staggaring levels. In Bexar County, diabetes is epidemic. Thousands of citizens are exposed to severe health risks, including death. Yet, for most, this disease is entirely preventable. We can all help minimize our own risk to diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer through regular exercise and a well-balanced diet. So why is maintaining a healthy lifestyle so difficult for many? Can we blame our waistlines solely on poor personal choices? Or do we live in a culture and environment that encourages unhealthy habits? Has the rising cost of food forced us to make poor dietary choices at the grocery store? And has the cost of health care prohibited access to treat diabetes and obesity for many? We took a look into the causes and impacts of obesity and diabetes in Bexar County at the KSTX Town Hall on Tuesday, March 1 at Pearl Studio.The community joined us in a solutions-based conversation about the obesity and diabetes epidemic in south central Texas. We convened a panel of experts to discuss the personal, cultural and economic impact diabetes and obesity has on our community, and what we can do both personally and as a community to transform our lifestyles and improve our personal health. The KSTX Town Hall on Obesity and Diabetes was sponsored by WellMed. Panelists
StatisticsAccording to the Texas Diabetes Institute:
According to Men's Health Magazine:
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services:
Resources
February 8, 2011 · The world is becoming a heavier place, especially in the West. Obesity rates worldwide have doubled in the last three decades even as blood pressure and cholesterol levels have dropped -more-
January 26, 2011 · U.S. health officials have raised their estimate of how many Americans have diabetes to nearly 26 million. -more-
January 20, 2011 ·The largest company in America wants to help you eat better. At an event in Washington, D.C., Wal-Mart announced Thursday that it's cutting the amount of sodium, sugar and trans-fats from thousands of its products. The company's executives were joined on stage by a special guest, first lady Michelle Obama. -more-
October 22, 2010 · Without more trips to the gym or a serious shedding of those extra pounds, up to one-third of American adults are on the way to becoming diabetic by 2050. That's according to a new projection out today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. -more-
June 16, 2010 · Most people wouldn't think diabetes and cancer have anything to do with each other. But a group of experts from the American Cancer Society and the American Diabetes Association thinks they do. A consensus statement from that panel says there's accumulating evidence that people with diabetes are, in fact, more prone to certain cancers. -more-
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February 8, 2011 · Los Angeles is a food lover's paradise — unless you happen to live in the Ramona Gardens housing project. Other parts of the city have organic farmers markets and natural food emporiums, but this neighborhood, surrounded by freeways, train tracks, and industrial warehouses, is isolated from all that. 
July 28, 2010 · The health effects of being overweight or obese are well documented. Extra pounds add extra risk for diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, even among children. But new research also documents significant social and economic consequences of being overweight since high school. 
April 20, 2010 · A growing number of potential recruits are "too fat to fight." More than 9 million Americans of prime recruiting age are too heavy to join up, says the group, called Mission: Readiness.
January 4, 2010 · If it's hard to imagine how small differences in lifestyle can make a big difference in your health, consider this story of identical twins Tim and Paul Daly. They shared almost everything in childhood, including the same eating habits, the same love of basketball and the same genes — some of which predispose them to diabetes.