New York's fattest counties
Kirsten Gillibrand has proposed legislation that would ban trans-fats from schools. And she says she's working legislation that would ban junk food from school vending machines.
KG says rising rates of obesity prompted her to focus on this issue. And to make the point, her staff pulled the numbers for the incidence of overweight/obesity in New York State by county.
Curious about where the Capital Region, uh, weighed in statewide, we ranked all the counties by their percentage. The list is after the jump.
Update: We've added a color-coded map with the county-by-county breakdown.
KG's office says they got these numbers by combining stats from the New York State Department of Health and the US Census Bureau. We got them from the KG's press release.
Statewide, about 59 percent of adults are obese or overweight
There's a map above with the counties color-coded by percentage.
Capital Region counties marked in blue
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Comments
Wow, reading that 54% of Albany County--my home county--is obese or overweight almost made me drop my Bombers burrito/Kurver Kreme sundae/Biergarten wurst platter/Paesan's 24-cut pizza with extra cheese.
How on earth did this juicy booty epidemic happen? I'm shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you.
... said Siobhan on Jul 22, 2009 at 2:48 PM | link
I guess calling your constituents fat is one way to get votes.
... said Jackers on Jul 22, 2009 at 2:51 PM | link
Great idea, let's up KG can lead by example in terms of healthy eating.
... said Miles on Jul 22, 2009 at 2:57 PM | link
I applaud KG's efforts, and certainly support her on his. But you know what would make an ever bigger difference (and something she might actually have the power to influence)? What foods our country subsidizes. There's a reason why junk food is cheap & vegetables are expensive.
ps- Why, Albany, you look so thin! Have you lost weight?
... said Mrs. M on Jul 22, 2009 at 3:10 PM | link
There must be some damn good eatin' in Lewis, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence counties!
Road trip?
... said Sandor on Jul 22, 2009 at 3:22 PM | link
Wait, NYC is almost 10% under the next highest and 15% below the highest? They must walk alot. Or have a high per capita count of fashion models. Or something.
... said komradebob on Jul 22, 2009 at 3:47 PM | link
Very fitting article to follow the weekend after the Troy Pig Out.
... said Madeline on Jul 22, 2009 at 4:09 PM | link
Anyone notice the correlation between New York's fattest counties and its poorest? The listings are almost identical.
Poor Wages = Poor Health
Poor Health = Medical Bills
These people don't have insurance so the state (You and I) pays.
So weather you pay more for goods and services produced at minimum wage or you pay the health care costs for the people making minimum wage, you still pay.
Maybe with $7.25/hr they can afford to eat right?
... said Mr. Fancy Pants on Jul 22, 2009 at 4:25 PM | link
@Mr. Fancy Pants
Pretty sure the weather forecast is cloudy, with occasional meatballs.
I made a joke about a type rather than going into my "living wage" rant. It's unattractive and unfunny and often paints certain grocery stores is poor light. My friends have learned to shove a glass of wine down my throat when I get started. So... cheers!
... said Ellie on Jul 22, 2009 at 5:36 PM | link
WOW! It is really so sad that people in this state and country are literally eating away at the quality of their lives. We need to wake up.
... said Smith on Jul 22, 2009 at 5:59 PM | link
I guess this means if I play competitive bar trivia tonight in Troy, I should go for the salad and soup rather than the muchos nachos and deep-fried onion rings - unless the onion rings give me brain muscles!
... said Chuck Miller on Jul 22, 2009 at 6:31 PM | link
Right. Tell people what they can and can't eat like they're five years old. I don't need a lecture from my senators on how to plan my diet, particularly when neither of them are exactly paragons of fitness themselves.
... said Kim on Jul 22, 2009 at 6:55 PM | link
@komradebob
People do walk a lot. New York has walkable streets and easily accessible mass transit. I'm guessing residents of New York County also have access to fresh produce and can actually afford fresh produce.
There is a remarkable difference between Manhattan and the Bronx on the list. I'm guessing that is largely based on access to walkable streets and fresh produce.
... said Lauren on Jul 22, 2009 at 8:48 PM | link
Kirsten Gillibrand could afford to put down the fork every once in a while herself.
==================================
"From last weeks's Recent Comments:
"This explains why my garbage can only gets emptied twice a week. (and why my Fritos keep disappearing.)".
Kirsten Gillibrand is stealing your Fritos.
... said Tommy on Jul 22, 2009 at 9:29 PM | link
It freaks me out that in every county in NY except one, more than half the people are overweight. Like many people I always think everyone else is thinner than me, but now I see that is statistically impossible.
Hopefully the release of this information sounds the final death knell for the skinny jeans trend.
... said Elizabeth on Jul 22, 2009 at 9:41 PM | link
You know what happens when the govt. does these meaningless bans. Remember Prohibition? The War on Drugs? Joe Kennedy started his dynasty running shine. Maybe the next be political dynasty can start in NY running underground Cheese Whiz operations and Twinkie-easies in NYC basements.
... said James on Jul 22, 2009 at 9:43 PM | link
@ Sandor: it's because we eat Michigans and poutine up north. We're screwed.
I knew before clicking this post that St Lawrence County was number one. we're always number one in the bad categories :(
... said AJ on Jul 23, 2009 at 12:21 AM | link
Anyone know how the obesity rate correlates to the unemployment rate in each country?
87.2% of statistics are made up on the spot.
... said abby on Jul 23, 2009 at 6:14 AM | link
I don't think these stats are valid....how do they weigh people who don't have medical coverage to visit the doctor and get weighed? I'm afraid the results are far worse than what is published.
... said margie on Jul 23, 2009 at 7:51 AM | link
The government isn't outlawing snacks. They want to get rid of junk food at schools. Children aren't known for their impulse control or healthy decision making (hence the expression "kid in a candy store"). And the fact is, 1 out of 3 kids born in the year 2000 is expected to develop type 2 diabetes at some point in their life. And that number is even higher for black & latino children. So we can write this off as big brother and complain about KG's personal weight problem, but unless we take steps now to avert this crisis, our health care system will snap under the pressure, and that affects us ALL.
Just food for thought.
... said Mrs. M on Jul 23, 2009 at 8:29 AM | link
Dear Ms. Gillibrand:
last I checked, most kids aren't doing the grocery shopping in their house. It seems to me, if parents bought nutritious, healthy food (and managed to avoid the "inside" perimeter of the store where all the subsidized corn-stuffed products are) and took a few extra minutes to prepare meals (instead of already prepared meals, take out etc) then a candy bar or two at school will not be the end of the world. (that said, I don't agree with junk vending machines at schools) And yes, I grew up in a house with two working parents so spare me the diatribes about how long it takes to make a meal from scratch. throw some chicken legs (cheap) in the oven, steam some broccoli (cheap) , add a salad (they sell already washed, bagged greens. gross, yes, But fast. Cheaper if you buy a head of lettuce..you get the idea) and call it a meal.
The reason more rural folks have higher weights is no surprise--few country roads have sidewalks so they must be drive (correlates with higher weight) everywhere and unhealthy food(see: subsidized-corn stuffed food items) is cheaper.
how about instituting programs in school wherein kids (gasp) exercise? they used to call it...gym.
... said high-horse Hannah on Jul 23, 2009 at 8:56 AM | link
@Mrs. M You made a fantastic point. It's about kids and making sure they have healthy options in SCHOOLS. Simmer down adults, KG isn't trying to take the Snickers out of your hand.
Also, a persons weight does not necessarily mean that they have bad eating habits. Many medical conditions and medications can cause people to gain weight. So automatically assuming that KG "could afford to put down the fork every once in a while herself" is ignorant. If you don't personally know the person, you should remember the saying about what happens when you assume.
On a related note about obesity in children and government intervention...look up this story on cnn.com: A mother was arrested in South Carolina for medical neglect because her 14 year old son is 555 pounds. Yes, three 5s...
... said Cassie on Jul 23, 2009 at 9:31 AM | link
Dang it Lewis, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, you're making us look bad. Though the obesity troubles in Lewis County are probably related to the large and in charge Kraft Cream Cheese plant they have... seriously, it's one of the largest in the world. I'm sure having a mega cow welcome people to the county seat doesn't help much either.
Disclaimer: I'm a Lewis County native, and relatively proud of it!
... said Kate on Jul 23, 2009 at 10:47 AM | link
I don't think there is much of an arguement about whether or not the state or the country is fat, we are fat (well, I'm not, but about 60% of YOU are). I think we're going to end up like the Romans, sitting around in our big fat togas while some skinny nation comes and over runs us... we'll be like Weebles.. weebles wobble but they don't fall down.
... said Barold on Jul 23, 2009 at 4:01 PM | link
That BMI crap is a joke. Everyone knows the folks in Lewis, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence Counties are just big-boned.
... said Pat on Jul 24, 2009 at 8:43 PM | link
@Pat...I dunno I think bones are lighter than fat...jus' saying
... said kww on May 17, 2010 at 10:49 AM | link