By , Staff Reporter of the Sun | March 26, 2008
New Yorkers are growing obese at a rate nearly three times that of the rest of the country.
In a new study, city health officials reported that the city's obesity and diabetes rates both increased 17% between 2002 and 2004. By contrast, there was a 6% increase in obesity rates nationwide, and there was no national increase in diabetes rates during that time.
City residents gained 10 million pounds - collectively - during the two-year period, health officials said. The findings were reported in the April issue of the journal Preventing Chronic Disease.
According to health officials, more than half of New Yorkers are considered overweight or obese. About 700,000 city residents have diabetes.
Officials said New York City's high rates reflect diabetes prevalence in poor communities, and they cited soda consumption as a contributor to weight gain.
"Obesity and with it diabetes are the only widespread major health conditions that are getting worse in New York City," the city's health commissioner, Dr. Thomas Frieden, said in a statement. He urged New Yorkers to consume fewer calories and touted recent initiatives to promote healthful eating.
"Consumers must have calorie information readily available when they are ordering food at chain restaurants, and we must continue to increase access to fruits and vegetables in the neighborhoods where healthy foods are not readily accessible," he said.
