| ■ New Yorkers Gain 10 Million Pounds in Two Years | 2008.03.31 |
| The Big Apple is getting much bigger. Between 2002 and 2004, New York City residents gained a total of more than 10 million pounds, about 173,500 residents became obese, and more than 73,000 were diagnosed with diabetes, says a study by the city's health department. During those two years, the city's rates of obesity and diagnosed diabetes both increased by 17 percent, compared to a six percent increase in obesity and no increase in diabetes diagnoses nationwide. In New York City, obesity increased by 20 percent among whites and by 14 percent among Hispanics. Among older residents, the obesity rate increased by 28 percent, and shot up by 33 percent among foreign-born residents. There were large increases in diabetes diagnoses among both U.S.- and foreign-born residents, 15 percent and 26 percent, respectively. The highest diabetes rates were among black and Hispanic adults, and among people in low-income neighborhoods. In another study, health department researchers said calories from sodas and other sugary drinks are a major cause of the city's obesity epidemic. Overall, 27 percent of New York City adults consume an average of nearly two sugar-sweetened sodas a day, which contain nearly 300 calories. The studies appear in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease and in the Journal of Urban Health. |