Walking to class lowers obesity rates in W.Va
STEPHANIE PERRY
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: News
College students can change the obesity rate in West Virginia by walking to class.
West Virginia is listed as the number three state with the highest obesity rating, according to WebMd.
Kristy Blower, coordinator of physical activity for the office of Healthy Lifestyles, said certain reasons for the obesity in West Virginia are because there aren't enough places for physical activity, the cooking is cultural and low socioeconomic status limits the choice to purchase expensive healthy foods.
"The main ways to solve obesity is for people to do some kind of physical activity, make fruits and vegetables more accessible through lower prices or vouchers and learn how to cook with fruit and vegetables," Blower said.
Blower said moderate exercise for 30 minutes a day at least four or five days a week is the amount of exercise that a person should receive.
"We are finding out that college students can accumulate the recommended amount of exercise in a day by walking from class to class, taking the steps rather than the elevator and choosing a parking place that is the farthest distance away," Blower said.
Fred King, coordinator of the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System, said the rate of obesity in adults has almost doubled since 1998.
A program that is working to solve these issues is called the Main Street Program.
Blower said this program is trying to revitalize downtowns to make them accessible for people to walk, to work with restaurants to lower fats in their foods and to work with markets to lower the price of fruits and vegetables.
"Increasing the fruits and vegetables will also help fight cancer, diabetes and obesity," Blower said.
Fast food restaurants are low in price but high in fat. A meal from McDonald's consisting of a regular cheeseburger, small fry and small coke has about 700 calories and 25 grams of fat, according to the McDonald's official Web site.
Another restaurant close to campus and most likely used by students is Wendy's.
A meal from Wendy's consisting of a five-piece chicken nugget, medium fry and small coke has approximately 700 calories and 31 grams of fat, according to the Wendy's official Web site.
"Students should be choosy and not afraid to ask for the healthier options and to have the chefs make foods without butter or high fat contents," Blower said.
Stephanie Perry can be contacted at perry215@marshall.edu.
West Virginia is listed as the number three state with the highest obesity rating, according to WebMd.
Kristy Blower, coordinator of physical activity for the office of Healthy Lifestyles, said certain reasons for the obesity in West Virginia are because there aren't enough places for physical activity, the cooking is cultural and low socioeconomic status limits the choice to purchase expensive healthy foods.
"The main ways to solve obesity is for people to do some kind of physical activity, make fruits and vegetables more accessible through lower prices or vouchers and learn how to cook with fruit and vegetables," Blower said.
Blower said moderate exercise for 30 minutes a day at least four or five days a week is the amount of exercise that a person should receive.
"We are finding out that college students can accumulate the recommended amount of exercise in a day by walking from class to class, taking the steps rather than the elevator and choosing a parking place that is the farthest distance away," Blower said.
Fred King, coordinator of the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System, said the rate of obesity in adults has almost doubled since 1998.
A program that is working to solve these issues is called the Main Street Program.
Blower said this program is trying to revitalize downtowns to make them accessible for people to walk, to work with restaurants to lower fats in their foods and to work with markets to lower the price of fruits and vegetables.
"Increasing the fruits and vegetables will also help fight cancer, diabetes and obesity," Blower said.
Fast food restaurants are low in price but high in fat. A meal from McDonald's consisting of a regular cheeseburger, small fry and small coke has about 700 calories and 25 grams of fat, according to the McDonald's official Web site.
Another restaurant close to campus and most likely used by students is Wendy's.
A meal from Wendy's consisting of a five-piece chicken nugget, medium fry and small coke has approximately 700 calories and 31 grams of fat, according to the Wendy's official Web site.
"Students should be choosy and not afraid to ask for the healthier options and to have the chefs make foods without butter or high fat contents," Blower said.
Stephanie Perry can be contacted at perry215@marshall.edu.
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