web1_Kingston-Police.jpg

Police: Heroin, cocaine and guns found in apartment in Kingston

web1_AP699788418413.jpg

Curtain ready to come up on Nittany Lions’ new offense

<p>Pennsylvanians became ever so slightly slimmer in 2015, according to a new annual report: The rate of adults deemed obese dipped from 30.2 percent to 30 percent, and the Keystone State dropped from 20th most obese to 24th.</p><p>But it&#8217;s scant good news when you consider that a few decades ago not a single state had an obesity rate above 15 percent, an area doctor noted.</p><p>&#8220;We really look at this more as trends,&#8221; Geisinger Health System Dr. Anthony Petrick said after reviewing data in the 13th annual &#8220;State of obesity in America&#8221; report. &#8220;Certainly, the overall incidence of obesity nationwide and in Pennsylvania has been almost universally toward higher prevalence.&#8221;</p><p>Data included in the report &#8212; issued jointly by the Trust for America&#8217;s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation &#8212; bolster the claim. In Pennsylvania this was the first year the obesity rate dropped at all since 1990, when a comparatively scant 13.7 percent of adults were obese.</p><p>Obesity rates rose rapidly through the 1990s and into the early 2000s. Pennsylvania&#8217;s rate soared to 23.8 percent by 2003, but climbed more gradually to 30 percent in 2013 before peaking the following year.</p><p>The report doesn&#8217;t give local data, but state numbers show that Luzerne County obesity closely mirrors the statewide trend, climbing to 28 percent in 2011 and to 30 percent in 2015 before dipping to 29 percent this year.</p><p>Obesity is defined by a person&#8217;s Body Mass Index, or BMI, which Petrick conceded is an imperfect attempt to determine healthy weight in relation to height. A person with a BMI above 25 is considered overweight, while a BMI above 30 is obese.</p><p>Get above 35 BMI and you&#8217;re morbidly obese, which makes a person eligible for surgical intervention. Petrick is Geisinger&#8217;s director of bariatric surgery, a procedure he described as &#8220;the top of the pyramid&#8221; when it comes to combating the problem.</p><p>How did the country, and the county, get so widely obese? Petrick said two cultural factors flipped end over end.</p><p>The first one: Decades ago, the cheapest foods were the healthiest and the fatty, nutrition-free stuff was available only to the wealthy. Now burgers at McDonald&#8217;s can be cheaper than salads at Panera, Petrick said.</p><p>The second: Technology transformed jobs, so more people spend their days sitting in front of screens or otherwise physically inactive.</p><p>Petrick credited the recent leveling of the obesity rate in part to broader recognition of obesity as a disease, helping remove the visual &#8220;stigma&#8221; of being overweight and focusing attention on the numerous health consequences directly linked to obesity, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, vision problems, joint pain and stroke.</p><p>The change helped government and other agencies focus on adopting policies to fight the problem, he said.</p><p>One of the biggest changes has been in combating childhood obesity in schools, with healthier lunches and vending machine offerings. Petrick said Geisinger has joined the regional push to get sodas out of schools, with substantial success.</p><p>&#8220;When I came here in 2001 I don&#8217;t think there was a school around without soda machines,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Now nearly all schools have eliminated or severely restricted soda.&#8221;</p><p>Nationwide, the report notes, 20.4 percent of high school students drank soda at least once a day in 2015, down from 27 percent just two years earlier.</p><p>Petrick described the &#8220;obesity tripod&#8221;: Medical science, nutrition and exercise. Reversing the obesity trend requires smart policies on all three.</p><p>Looking at obesity in terms of disease improves both medical research and successful interventions, and that success with adults can even help those who don&#8217;t resort to the option.</p><p>There is solid evidence, Petrick said, that children benefit when parents undergo treatments. &#8220;Kids are much more likely to lower <em>their</em> BMI just by mom having (bariatric) surgery.&#8221;</p><p>Getting people to be more active may be the toughest challenge, Petrick said, as children and teens spend more time in front of screens. The report notes pockets of success nationwide where municipalities deliberately work to create safe outdoor spaces for play or walking, or by mandating more physical activity in schools.</p><p>But structured activity may not be adequate, Petrick said. &#8220;If it all has to be scheduled and regimented, I&#8217;m not sure we can get enough exercise for them.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if, just focusing on nutrition, we&#8217;re ever going to get back to a 15 percent obesity rate.&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Anthony-Petrick-2c-MD.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Petrick </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Anthony-Petrick-2c-MD.jpg</photo0><caption0>Petrick </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

An ounce of good news in the pounds of bad: Obesity drops a wee bit