In North Carolina, alarmingly high rates of obesity are resulting in an increasing
prevalence of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and several types
of cancer.
The Center for Disease Control estimates that:
- Obesity-related expenses add up to more than $2.1 billion in North Carolina alone,
with just over half of that coming at the expense of taxpayers, via Medicare and
Medicaid.
- National expenditures on obesity-related illnesses are now measured in the tens
of billions of dollars annually, and rising fast.
- Unhealthy weight kills nearly 400,000 people per year, and is positioned to overtake
tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.
The statistics don’t tell the whole story. Individuals and families often want to
make better choices for healthier lifestyles, but find there are too many existing
barriers. The answer is not just an individual solution, but a community solution.
Together, we can beat the statistics. Learn how.