Americans, it has been said, are more concerned with health issues than ever before. Unfortunately, for many of those very same consumers, the concern expressed in surveys has not led to the changes in personal habits required to bring about improved health.
A case in point is the nation's weight. A number of recent studies have painted a troubling picture regarding what many professionals consider the single biggest challenge to health in America. Obesity has been directly connected to a variety of preventable public health ills including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
A study released this week by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH), F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2007, found obesity rates increased in 31 states while none saw a decrease. Twenty-two states saw obesity rates increase for the second year in a row.
"There has been a breakthrough in terms of drawing attention to the obesity epidemic. Now, we need a breakthrough in terms of policies and results," said Jeff Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH, in a press release. "Poor nutrition and physical inactivity are robbing America of our health and productivity."
Mississippi had the most overweight adult population with more than 30 percent classified as obese. Of the 15 states with the highest percentage of adult obesity, 10 were from the South.
Washington, D.C. had the highest rate of overweight kids with nearly 23 percent of children between 10 and 17 having a body mass index greater than 30.
Another study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Human Nutrition offered troubling projections.
Youfa Wang, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and an assistant professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of International Health, said in a press release, "The obesity rate in the United States has increased at an alarming rate over the past three decades... If the rate of obesity and overweight continues at this pace, by 2015, 75 percent of adults and nearly 24 percent of U.S. children and adolescents will be overweight or obese."
Both studies found that certain groups (less educated, lower income, certain minority populations, including African-Americans and Hispanics) have higher rates of obesity than the general population.
The pervasiveness of the problem has created a huge industry as consumers have shown a continued willingness to spend in pursuit of weight loss. According to Marketdata, the U.S. weight loss market will reach $61 billion by next year.
Examples of business opportunities and costs associated with obesity are everywhere to be found. Consider:
- During its first quarter after going over-the-counter (OTC), GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare's Alli weight loss drug racked up $155 million in sales.
- Rite Aid has partnered with Lindora Medical Clinics to offer consumers a medically supervised weight loss program. Specialized programs are offered for adolescents and geriatric patients.
- Companies are creating in-house wellness programs and offering incentives to workers who make lifestyle changes to reach a healthy weight. According to the American Journal of Health Promotion, obesity costs companies of 1,000 people an average of $285,000 a year in healthcare costs and absenteeism.
Discussion Questions: Do you see retailers becoming more aggressive in trying to help consumers and employees lose weight and live healthier lifestyles? Where do you see the business opportunities (in-store weight loss programs, medical equipment rentals/sales, OTC, pharmacy, etc.) coming out of people's desire to either lose weight or their failure to deal with the problem? Will this be a business differentiator in the future?