Spring Break
Obesity proves heavy burden
Photo Illustration by Jason Fithian / Daily Staff
Anna Molin
Daily Staff Writer
Devi Johnson-Evans, an undeclared sophomore, said she had a high school friend who suffered from chronic obesity, a disease that ran in her family.
"She was actually so big that if she wanted to get a tummy tuck, they told her she would have to lose 50 pounds by herself before they could even do the procedure," Johnson-Evans said, adding that her friend, who is 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighs about 400-plus pounds.
"It affected everything - her social life, her business life - she would even get turned down (for) job opportunities because she couldn't fit in the chair," Johnson-Evans said.
Obesity affects nearly 30 percent of the population, or 60 million people, in the United States, where about 65 percent, or 127 million people, are considered overweight, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
Although the rate of overweight and obese people tends to increase with age, nearly 55 percent of 20- to 34-year-olds are overweight, out of which about 25 percent rank as obese.
In addition, overweight children and teenagers currently represent about 16 percent of America's youth, an increase of more than 265 percent since 1980.
Oscar Battle Jr., coordinator for health education at San Jose State University, said although the campus does not collect statistics on how many students are overweight, one could extrapolate the general U.S. statistics to any diverse population, including SJSU, and reach a rough estimate.
"You would be taking about 8,000 to 9,000 people who are obese at San Jose State," Battle said.
He said obesity has encroached upon smoking as the leading health problem in the United States.
According to the American Obesity Association, obesity kills more than 300,000 people each year.
Battle said to his knowledge the Student Health Center has not dealt with any obesity-related deaths.
However, obese and overweight people struggle with numerous other health threats, such as coronary heart disease and cardiac and respiratory problems, Battle said.
Jim Costas, a junior biology major, said his father died at the age of 48 because of an enlarged heart, a condition exacerbated in part because of his lifelong battle with obesity.
"My dad was very unhealthy," he said. "It is sad because he died early and missed out on a lot of things in life. It has made me want to be more healthy."
Cecilia Manibo, a staff physician at the Student Health Center, said some other long-term problems obese and overweight people might face include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and the risk of diabetes.
"Because the majority of the students who are overweight that we see are young, the long-term effects of obesity may not be evident yet," Manibo said. "Our main concern is that later in life it will manifest itself."
Nonetheless, some people develop high blood pressures in their 20s as a result of excess bodyweight, she said.
"I have had a few students who have been able to lose the weight and their blood pressures improved," Manibo said.
In addition, excess body weight tends to affect self-esteem and energy levels, Manibo said.
"Also, the extra weight probably compresses the organs in the body, including the lungs, so it decreases their lung capacity too," Manibo said.
Furthermore, some obese and overweight people suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that causes them to stop breathing at times when they sleep.
"They may have episodes where they stop breathing because they have all that extra weight," Manibo said. "The extra tissue in the neck may block their airways."
Obesity is determined using a mathematical calculation called body mass index (BMI). Persons who have a score of 25 or more are considered overweight, while those with a score of 30 or more are considered obese.
Johnson-Evans said although she might clinically be considered obese, she does not think of herself as overweight.
"I have had a meeting with a nutritionist just to learn how to eat better," she said. "It is kind of difficult being in college and always being on the run. You don't always have time to cook your food or be 100 percent aware of what is going into your food."
Manibo said in addition to busy schedules, some students might have limited access to healthy foods.
Shauna Yellin, a graduate television, radio, film and theatre major, said she tries to seek out healthy foods, but sometimes has trouble finding what she wants on campus.
"It seems like on campus there aren't too many options for healthy eating," she said. "It seems like the places to get something to eat on campus are pretty far away."
In addition, some students feel they are too busy with other responsibilities to fit exercise into their daily schedules.
"I feel it is a luxury (to exercise) just because I am so busy with school and just reading and doing papers," Yellin said. "It's like I have to write a paper but I don't have to exercise, and if I take time away from school, I feel guilty."
Yellin said in addition to being a graduate student, she also works parttime and commutes from the Peninsula twice a week.
Manibo said long commutes tend to make people more inactive as does ease of transportation.
Battle said modern technology has enabled people to become sedentary.
"We want to get to things quickly and we don't want to walk anywhere," Battle said. "People will drive around five times in the shopping center to find a place up close, when they could have walked and saved some gas."
Battle listed multiple reasons as to why obesity has become an epidemic problem in the United States.
For example, he said people's perceptions of what constitutes a serving size have changed, as people tend to eat because they "like the food" rather than to satisfy hunger.
In addition, people have become obsessed with the "quick fix" for any problem, an attitude switch that places the responsibility on anything but the individual.
"We have an attitude that it is not my fault -- I am just too busy," Battle said.
Costas said although he is currently taking 21 units, he still finds time to exercise at least three times a week.
"Maybe I am more motivated (to exercise) because of my experience with my dad," he said. "I think students who say they are too busy are fooling themselves, because they are just going to suffer the consequences later on." Battle said students who are under a tight schedule could still fi nd ways to exercise on a daily basis as they walk around campus.
"Exercise as you walk to and from class," he said. "Park your car at a distance away that allows you to at least walk sometimes. Rather than taking the elevator to class, walk up the stairs, and don't rely on all the technological gadgets."
Battle said childhood obesity is an especially troublesome trend for the future of America.
"We need to make sure that our children don't get obese while they are very young, because if you get obese when you are very young, you develop excess fat cells," Battle said, adding that it is harder to change a behavior that has been with somebody since his or her upbringing.
"America as a nation needs to go
back to making sure that its students
are physically fit coming into elementary
school and throughout high
school, so that everyone is prepared
to see that physical fitness is something
that we all aspire to and not just
people who are athletically inclined,"
Battle said.
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