Across the United States, and especially in Michigan, the problem of obesity is growing at alarming rates.
As state obesity statistics rise, MSU researchers are working to define exactly where the problem lies and what people can do to slow the increase.
In a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 56 percent of Americans were overweight or obese in 2000. Among individual states, Michigan ranked second with more than 61 percent.
"The main issue here is that obesity is a risk factor for many chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes and heart disease," said Jim Pivarnik, a professor in MSU's departments of kinesiology and epidemiology.
Pivarnik co-wrote a 2002 MSU report that focused on promoting healthy weight in Michigan through physical activity and nutrition.
Overweight and obesity trends and obesity levels in certain societal groups were highlighted in the report, he said.
The study found that obesity levels in Michigan are far higher for those with less education and lower incomes, one reason Pivarnik thinks the obesity issue is not as prevalent on MSU's campus.
"If you look overall, you'd have to say that going to college is somewhat associated with a higher socio-economic status," Pivarnik said. "Socio-economic status is somewhat inversely related to obesity."
According to surveys conducted through Olin Health Center, 73 percent of students are at the recommended body mass index, while about 15 percent are at a higher than normal level.
Body mass index, or BMI, is a measure of weight in relation to height that is significantly correlated with total body fat content. A BMI of over 25 is considered overweight, while a BMI of over 30 is obese.
Despite the low numbers, Pivarnik said students should start taking steps now to fight problems with unhealthy lifestyles associated with weight gain.
"People are active in college, so they can keep up with strange eating habits," Pivarnik said, adding that students have easy access to intramural sports, aerobics programs and weight rooms. "But what about when they get out of college?
"It's something they should consider thinking about now."
Olin Health Center offers services dealing with food management and counseling to students concerned with their weight.
"Students can come in for nutritional education for free," Olin nutritionist Ronda Bokram said. "It's about developing a positive relationship with food and their body."
Bokram said the emphasis on fad diets and a super-model thin appearance is a push in the wrong direction. More than 95 percent of diets fail in the long term, she said.
"A lot of it has to do with how people are feeling psychologically," Bokram said. "If there was one diet that worked, there would be only one."
There are many negative stigmas overweight people - especially women - have to deal with every day, said Cheryl Kaiser, an assistant professor in the MSU Department of Psychology.
"One of the more interesting things to being overweight is the aspect of control," Kaiser said. "They are perceived as being in that group because they lack will-power."
Kaiser noted that a lack of self-esteem is often found in overweight people.
"People tend to blame overweight people for their status," she said. "They think it's okay to receive poor treatment or be rejected by dating partners."
