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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1983)
SPILYAY TYMOO April 26,1983 Page^B Warm Springs study Obesity linked to nutritional inadequacies The problem of being overweight plagues many people in this nation. But bringing that problem closer to home, obesity on the Warm S p rin g s R e s e r v a tio n is significant enough to be looked at seriously. Obesity has been found to be linked to many disorders on the body including diabetes, hypertension, gall bladder disease, cardiovascular disease and others. It is basically a nutrition problem. In working with Indian patients on the Warm Springs Reservation providers of health care have noted a high incidence of obesity. In an effort to quantify the incidence of obesity in all ages, health educator Lee Loomis and nutritionist Karen Gorden enacted a study to gather information. display. The results of the study show obesity to be a problem in Warm Springs in young as well as old. Obesity is determined to be 20 percent above ideal weight. The more overweight a person is the higher the risk of disease. The average for females showed that from birth to two years, normal weight was maintained. From the years three to five the child goes into overweight. By the time she is six years of age she has become obese and remains so until she becomes a teenager when her weight drops drastically. As the average girl enters adulthood from 18 to 21 years of age her weight increases to an overweight range and levels out for the next 15 years. Between the ages of 34 to 39 she again enters the obese range. The average female is well into obesity between the ages of 40 and 55 after which the weight drops to the overweight range arid follows a similar overweight pattern as the male, leveling out at this stage. Male children, according to the results of the study start out overweight. This is the only time the male weight status exceed that of the female. By 12 years of age the average male has slimmed down. Between the ages of 18 and 25 years of age the average male stays fairly trim with slight variations, still in the normal range. A big ju m p in to the overweight range occurs after age 25. By 30 years of age the average male is well into this range and he stays there. Each chart in the study was considered seperately and then a norm was estab lish ed enabling Loomis and Gorden to graph the findings. Some people actually were well below normal weight and some were far beyond obesity on the scale. The graphs indicate the norm for those charts studied. Most patients tipped the scale in the direction of obesity. In discussion of these findings Loomis and Gorden stated, “Today’s dietary intake in this community is one that is dominated by prepared foods, many of which are high in fat and sugar. A high rate of consumption of soft drinks and snack foods is also evident. “As dietary habits have undergone change so have The purpose after gathering such inform ation from a ran d o m sam pling is to formulate a plan of action to reduce both obesity and with it disorders related to obesity. Information gathered from the charts of patients seefi at the Warm Springs Indian Health Service clinic from October 1979 to Septem ber 1980 provided a source for the study. Approximately 370 charts of nearly 2,000 were examined in depth for this study. The clinic currently has 6,000 to 7,000 active charts. It did not matter if the chart belonged to male, female adult or child. The sampling was random. The only information taken from the charts was age, height, weight and gender. T h is in f o rm a tio n w as converted to metric equivalents and applied to a formula used to determine an index number. The index n um ber then provided raw data for a graphic levels of physical activity. From a culture where manual labor, in one form or another, was a way of life, the contemporary worker often is required to expend very little physical effort. “It would seem that it is very likely that obesity that is so p e rv a siv e is d u e to a combination of major modifi cations in food intake and physical activity levels. “The lowered incidence of obesity among those in the late teens and early twenties would seem to be closely related to an increased level of activity during these years.” With this index in mind the ‘ question rises, “What can be done about obesity in Warm Springs?” Nutrition education, Loomis feels, is necessary, aimed p a rtic u la rly at p reg n a n t women and parents of young children. The myth that a “fat baby is a healthy baby” must be dispelled. Aiming a nutrition program at adults above 20 years of age is more difficult. Fad diets d o n ’t work. Loomis and Gorden state in their paper, “The basic element necessary to long-term success is behavior change regarding eating habits. ...Nutrition education on an individualized con su ltatio n basis would seem to be the p rim a ry m e ch a n ism fo r encouraging dietary modifica tions axfiong this group.” A lo n g w ith n u tr itio n ed u c atio n , “ su p p o rt and encouragement for patient p a rtic ip a tio n in v ario u s physical/sports activities on a reg u la r basis sh o u ld be The mean body mass (K g/m2 which is a measure o f obesity is indicated by numbers on the left. That promoted by health care is compared with the average age o f groups studied. A study has found that Pima people rate very providers since activity of this high on the average. The normal mean body mass is 20-25for males, 19-24 for females. The nature can be an effective average Warm Springs male and female fall lower on the scale but still higher than the average U.S. mechanism.” male and female. Seat belts save lives, prevent injuries •^\Toe Ness*** These two guys were in the bar discussing life, the first said, “Yep, I had everything a man could ever want money, a handsome home, the love of a beautiful and wealthy woman. Then, bong, one day my wife walked in!” YIKES SS SS SS There were these two guys talking, when one said, “My wife is very optomistic about the future. She has already spent my next year’s salary.” YIKES SS SS SS A nice beautiful coed had to write a paper for her English course on “How I Spent My Last Vacation.” It must have been a dandy because she and her professor left for a two-week vacation in the mountains. YIKES SS SS SS CONFUCIUS SAY: Old maid count on fingers, but young girl count on legs! YIKES SS SS SS A professor told one of his sexy looking girls that she was about to fail history. She started mumbling and said, “I’d do an yth in g to pass.” , “Are you doing anything Saturday night?” The handsome professor asked. The girl answered, “Oh, no sir!” “Well, then, that would be a good time to study your history ” YIKES SS SS SS There was this personal ad in the newspaper which read, “Tex. Thank you for a beautiful evening. Call as soon as you learn to swim. Waterbed all fixed. By the way, why did you leave your spurs on?” YIKES SS SS SS Can you improve your actually, chances of escape are chances against injury or death much b etter if you are in an auto accident by using conscious and uninjured—and your safety belt? According to belts improve your chances for recent Government studies, the surviving for escape. Also, only answer is a definite yes. Auto a very small percentage of safety belts are about 65 accidents involve fire-or water- percent effective in preventing submersion. Safety belts also death and injury in a crash. In keep you inside the auto during other words, about 18,000 lives collisions, and you are safer in the U.S. could be saved every inside than to be thrown out and forced onto the pavement. year if belts were used. Many people are afraid to If your safety belt is not use belts because they think holding you down, in a crash they could be trapped in a the car stops and you keep on burning or submerged car. But traveling until you hit the dashboard or windshield. At just 30 mph, this is like hitting the ground from a three story building! Safety belts on child safety seats are even more effective. Studies show that children in safety seats are about 70 ¡percent less likely to be killed or injured in an auto accident. If a u t o d r iv e r s a n d passengers can start the habit ox using safety belts, they can greatly improve their chances in a crash. A few seconds that it takes to “buckle-up” is well worth the time. SUBSCRIPTION TO SPILYAY TYMOO SEND SUBCRIPTION TO SPILYAY TYMOO P.O. 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