A new report points toward an ever-growing obesity rate in the U.S.
In Ohio, almost 30 percent of adults are obese. It is the single biggest health concern nationwide.
"We have seen rates of obesity rising over the past 30 years," said Dr. Muicul Chandra, Associate Professor of Medicine at Wright State University.
In all of his years in preventative cardiology, Chandra said he has never seen an epidemic like this.
"If you walk around the hospitals, you will see we have completely re-done our waiting rooms to accommodate 300 pound patients. We have large beds. We have seen a lot of obesity happening in our community," he said.
Growing waistlines also mean more health problems such as strokes, heart attacks and diabetes.
"The expense of obesity is tremendous, particularly at a time we are talking healthcare expenses. This is perhaps the most preventable condition we can approach and tackle," added Chandra.
National strategies to tackle the problem include policy changes like eliminating soda machines from schools and changing what kids eat for lunch.
Like weight loss, Chandra said it is a process that will take time.
"It took us about 30 years to drop smoking rates to where they have become, so I think it might take another 30 years, or a generation for the next generation to be less obese than this one, and to really reverse the trend where our life expectancy may be falling because of the epidemic of obesity and diabetes," Chandra said.
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