Data About Overweight Wisconsinites Disprove State Health Secretary's Claim
Remember when the news broke last month that new Department of Health Services Secretary Dennis Smith torpedoed a grant application for federal funding to combat smoking-related illness, obesity and other preventable illness through programs run out of Madison and the City of Milwaukee?
Smith, an anti-government ideologue from the private sector, via the Bush administration and the Heritage Foundation, said we should shun the funding provided by the Obama administration because we were already doing enough of that "stuff?"
Well, the data in a just-released study show we're not doing so well on that "stuff," as Wisconsin has a third-more overweight residents than we did twenty years ago:
More than two-thirds of American adults are either overweight or obese. Thursday's report ranks Wisconsin at 24, with 64.3% of its population overweight or obese.So two-thirds of the state's residents could do well with some additional encouragement, and the health-care system, taxpayers and employers could all save money if people could shed the weight.
Twenty years ago, Wisconsin led the nation at 49% of adults who were overweight or obese.
Smith and his boss, one Scott Walker, need to stop putting ideology ahead of pragmatism and common sense.
3 comments:
But but he talked to some " folks" about this.
Obviously the people in Madison and Milwaukee who are obese and have smoking related illness should just lose weight and quit smoking. I would bet that the key reason for not pursuing the grant has to do with the demographics of those served. I'll bet they aren't shovelling campaign money to the Walker crowd.
Smith and Walker need to begin a a plan to reduce their fat heads. Oh--and add the Fitzies to that list!
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