The number of obese adults in Louisiana is increasing every year. Louisiana is one of the states with the highest adult obesity rate with 35.5 percent of adults over the obese threshold, according to a survey done by stateofobesity.org.
The rest of the nation is making progress by putting in multiple regulations to reduce the obesity rate in children and adults.
Regulations are set up regarding healthy eating, drinking water, nutrition standards, etc.
As a result, the national obesity rate is not on the rise anymore. However, the amount of obese people is not going down at a satisfactory rate either.
In Louisiana, the adult obesity rate has increased from 33.1 percent in 2013 to 35.5 percent in 2016. Louisiana is one of the few states where the obesity rate is increasing every year.
Students at ULM think that the reason is lack of planning and accountability.
“Being unable to plan a balanced diet and exercise are obvious ways to get obese. Other than that, the use of drugs and alcohol can contribute to this too,” freshman elementary education major Brandon Williams said.
Mara Brown, recreation services assistant director at the ULM activity center, thinks that the increasing amount of obesity is due to lack of accountability among some adults.
“If you’re unhappy with the way you look, then have surgery. People don’t want to work hard for their goal, because it is supposed to be handed to them or an easy fix through a diet pill,” Brown added.
Sophomore kinesiology major Katerina Svecova said American people are trying to make their lives as easy as possible and thinks Americans do very little exercise which has resulted in this rise in obesity.
“Towns are built in ways that make it impossible for us to travel anywhere without a car. The lifestyle here encourages unhealthy behavior,” Svecova said.
Brown said the food we eat has a bigger impact on us than we realize. She thinks that because healthy food is expensive and hard to find, we are choosing unhealthy food.
“Restaurants and fast food places should offer real, healthy food. You cannot put a $1 cheeseburger on the menu while the salad costs $5,” Brown added.
Williams said that if you plan your diet with proper research and stay away from drugs, we can stop the rise in obesity rate.
Svecova said that college students should try to include balanced diet and exercise in their schedule.
“People in Europe can go anywhere on a bicycle. There are strict diet rules in secondary and primary schools. American schools should regulate rules like these,” Svecova said.
They have programs that encourage people to choose the healthier options and do proper exercise.