WHY POLICY

	Unhealthy eating and physical inactivity are leading causes of death in the U.S. People are dying. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, unhealthy eating and inactivity cause 310,000-580,000 deaths every year—similar to the number of deaths caused by tobacco and 13 times more than are caused by guns.1		Diet- and inactivity-related disabilities. Quality of life is reduced. Unhealthy eating and physical inactivity are major contributors to reduced quality of life and disabilities. Amputations and blindness can be complications of diet-related diabetes. People who have had a stroke or an osteoporosis-related hip fracture may suffer loss of independence.
	Almost two-thirds (61%) of American adults are overweight or obese.2 Obesity rates in children have doubled in the last two decades, prompting concern about the rates of diet- and inactivity-related diseases that will occur as obese children age. 3		Diet- and inactivity-related diseases are expensive. Better nutrition could reduce the cost of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes by $71 billion each year.5

Unhealthy eating and inactivity contribute to 310,000 to 580,000 deaths each year according to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). That’s 13 times more than are killed by guns and 20 times more than by drug use.¹

Leading Contributors to Premature Death¹

Diet and Physical Inactivity 310,000-580,000 Tobacco 260,000-470,000 Alcohol 70,000-110,000 Microbial Agents 90,000 Toxic Agents 60,000-110,000 Firearms 35,000 Sexual Behavior 30,000 Motor Vehicles 25,000 Drug Use 20,000

The typical American diet is too high in saturated fat, sodium, and sugar and too low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, calcium, and fiber. Such a diet contributes to four of the six leading causes of death and increases the risk of numerous diseases, including:

• heart disease
• diabetes
• obesity
• hypertension
• stroke
• osteoporosis
• many cancers (colon, prostate, mouth, throat, esophagus, lung, stomach)
   

Leading Causes of Death⁶
(Diet and inactivity are leading risk factors for causes of death shown in bold.)

1. Heart Disease 709,894 2. Cancer 551,833 3. Stroke 166,028 4. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 123,550 5. Accidents 93,592 6. Diabetes 68,662 7. Pneumonia and Influenza 67,024 8. Alzheimer’s Disease 49,044 9. Nephritis 37,672 10. Septicemia 31,613 11. Suicide 28,332 12. Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis 26,219 13. High Blood Pressure 17,964 14. Pneumonitis 16,659 15. Homicide 16,137

Unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity are leading causes of disability and loss of independence:

• Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness and amputation.
   
• Most hip fractures are caused by osteoporosis. ^{7, 8} Of people over age 50 who fracture a hip, 24% die within one year and 25% require long-term care.⁷
   
• Within 6 years of a recognized heart attack, 22% of men and 46% of women will be disabled with heart failure.⁹
   
   

Number of Americans Living with Diet- and Inactivity-Related Diseases

Seriously Overweight/Obese9 113,360,000 High Blood Pressure9 50,000,000 Diabetes10 15,700,000 Coronary Heart Disease9 12,600,000 Osteoporosis7 10,000,000 Cancer11 8,900,000 Stroke9 4,600,000

Read more about how public policies could help reduce obesity. (Acrobat 1,157k )

Almost two-thirds (61%) of American adults are seriously overweight or obese.²

Obesity rates in children have doubled over the last two decades—14% of children and 12% of teens are now obese.³

Overweight and Obesity in the United States*
(percent of U.S. population)

Adults Children ages 6-11 Adolescents NHANES I, II: ages 12-17; NHANES III: ages 12-19     Boys Girls Boys Girls NHES I (1960-62) 43 5 5 5 5 NHANES I (1971-74) 46 6 4 5 7 NHANES II (1976-80) 46 8 7 5 6 NHANES III (1988-94) 61 12 11 11 10

* Figures for children are for obesity. Figures for adults are for overweight and obesity combined.

(Note: NHES and NHANES are national, multi-year studies of Americans’ eating habits and health sponsored by the United States government.)

Costs of Diseases Associated with Diet and Inactivity^*

Cancer11 $180 Billion Coronary heart disease9 $112 Billion Obesity3 $117 Billion Diabetes12 $98 Billion Stroke9 $49 Billion High Blood Pressure9 $47 Billion Osteoporosis7,** $14 Billion

* Estimates of annual direct + indirect costs for diseases overall (including portions caused by factors other than diet and physical inactivity.)
** Figure includes direct costs only.

According to the USDA, healthier diets could prevent at least $71 billion per year in medical costs, lost productivity, and lost lives.⁵ That is an underestimate because it accounts for only diet-related coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes and not other diet-related diseases. Obesity alone is estimated to cost $117 billion, and osteoporosis costs $14 billion in medical expenses.

According to the CDC, state and federal governments spend one thousand times more to treat disease than to prevent it ($1,390 vs. $1.21 per person each year).

Current investments to promote healthy eating and physical activity are insufficient

• The federal government’s largest nutrition education program for the general public (the 5 A Day program) has an annual communications budget of about $3.6 million.¹ Mars spends 68-times that to promote M&Ms candies ($68 million).² McDonald’s spends 1000-times more than 5 A Day on advertising and promotions ($1 billion).
• Amount the food industry spends on advertising and promotions: $25 billion³
• Funding for tobacco control at CDC: $100 million
• Funding for the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity at CDC: $45 million
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity is currently funded at $45 million a year. The CDC is given more than twice that amount for programs to reduce the use of tobacco, which kills about the same number of people as poor nutrition and physical inactivity.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does invest in nutrition programs. However, those programs are targeted primarily at low-income Americans. Little is done to promote healthy eating to the general public.

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