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Restaurant Obesity Ban in Bad Taste, Critics Say
February 06, 2008 12:50 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
A Mississippi bill prohibiting restaurants from serving obese people generates heated reactions even though lawmakers say the measure is doomed.
30-Second Summary
Although House of Representatives leaders say the bill will never win approval, it has drawn press coverage from around the world.
The bill’s sponsors, including Rep. Ted Mayhall, said they proposed it to draw attention to Mississippi’s obesity rate, which is the highest in the nation.
Advocacy group the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance said the measure amounted to discrimination and would bankrupt the state.
An unnamed author on Big Fat Blog called the law “one of the least logical bills in modern American history.”
Government officials have often cited the high costs of treating obesity as a reason for advocating dietary measures, but a study from the Netherlands has cast doubt on that argument.
Led by the Netherlands' National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the study compared the cost of health care for healthy people, smokers and obese people.
The study concluded that average costs from age 20 on were highest for healthy people, and lowest for smokers.
Researchers attributed their findings to the fact that healthy people live longer. They said that long life was no reason to stop obesity prevention campaigns.
Campaigns aside, it is not unheard of for governments to get directly involved in the lives of obese people.
A Missouri judge was accused of delaying an adoption until the child’s prospective father lost weight. And an eight-year-old British boy, who weighed four times the national average and seemed to eat only junk food, faced being taken into care last year.
The bill’s sponsors, including Rep. Ted Mayhall, said they proposed it to draw attention to Mississippi’s obesity rate, which is the highest in the nation.
Advocacy group the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance said the measure amounted to discrimination and would bankrupt the state.
An unnamed author on Big Fat Blog called the law “one of the least logical bills in modern American history.”
Government officials have often cited the high costs of treating obesity as a reason for advocating dietary measures, but a study from the Netherlands has cast doubt on that argument.
Led by the Netherlands' National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the study compared the cost of health care for healthy people, smokers and obese people.
The study concluded that average costs from age 20 on were highest for healthy people, and lowest for smokers.
Researchers attributed their findings to the fact that healthy people live longer. They said that long life was no reason to stop obesity prevention campaigns.
Campaigns aside, it is not unheard of for governments to get directly involved in the lives of obese people.
A Missouri judge was accused of delaying an adoption until the child’s prospective father lost weight. And an eight-year-old British boy, who weighed four times the national average and seemed to eat only junk food, faced being taken into care last year.
Headline Link: ‘Obesity Bill Won’t Make it to the Floor’
Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Rep. Steve Holland vowed a quick demise for the bill, calling it “totally the wrong approach.” Bill sponsor Rep. Ted Mayhall says he didn’t plan to support it, but wanted to call attention to the state’s obesity problem.
Source: The Clarion-Ledger
Reaction: Mississippi bill faces fervent opposition
The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance urged Mississippians to remove the bill’s sponsors from office: “These men are wasting their time which is your money and could potentially bankrupt your state. Are these the kind of men you want to continue to represent you?”
Source: National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance
When the bill originally came to light, the Big Fat Blog urged people to call Rep. Mayhall. “This is a civil rights issue that can not go unnoticed,” wrote the blog’s unnamed author. In a later post, the author called the measure “one of the least logical bills in modern American history.”
Source: Big Fat Blog
Analysis: Obesity studies
A Dutch study suggests obesity and smoking may not be the drain on public health funding that some thought. According to the researchers’ models, it costs the most to treat healthy people. From age 20, treating obese people cost $371,000, smokers cost $326,000 and healthy people cost $417,000. One of the authors said the study doesn’t recommend governments stop trying to prevent obesity. “But they should do it for the right reasons,” Pieter van Baal told Time.
Source: Time
A study published in the journal Cell Metabolism suggests that neural pathways may contribute to obesity. University of Southern California researchers looked at neural connections in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus in rats, which controls appetite and hunger. They found that obese rats had fewer neural connections projecting from that area of the brain than average-sized rats. The findings suggest that neural wiring could influence obesity in humans.
Source: HealthDay
Related Topics: Governments intervene in lives of the obese
A Missouri man said his plans to adopt a child were stalled because of his weight. He underwent gastric bypass surgery over the summer and lost 200 pounds, which brought his weight to 350 pounds. The judge argued that the decision to remove the child from the couple’s custody was the result of their violating interstate move procedures, not the man’s weight.
Source: Associated Press
In 2006, British authorities expressed concern over eight-year-old Connor McKeown who at 200 pounds weighed four times more than the national average. He had trouble dressing himself and missed school because of health problems. His mother told the BBC, "Connor had a mouthful of apple once and he didn't like it. He refuses to eat fruit, vegetables and salads—he has processed foods. When Connor won't eat anything else, I've got to give him the foods he likes.”
Source: The BBC
Reference: Obesity health guide
findingDulcinea has an obesity health guide. It explains what obesity is, the factors that can cause it, what health effects the condition can have in the long term, and what treatments are available. It also details the steps people can take to maintain a healthy weight.
Source: findingDulcinea
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
