We continue our look into Trust for America's Health's F as in Fat report. Today we address the following statement:

Improving access to affordable nutritious foods by providing incentives for grocery stores and farmers' markets to locate in underserved communities

The first thing about this statement is its total lack of honesty. The statement speaks to urban areas as opposed to suburban or rural areas. There is a disparity in the amount of grocery stores in urban areas, so I can understand the possible limiting of healthy options for families.

We continue our look at Trust for America's Health list of ways to prevent obesity in the United States. 

Today we look at:

Increasing the amount and quality of physical education and activity in schools and childcare programs

Increasing access to safe, accessible places for physical activity in communities. Examples include creating and maintaining parks, sidewalks and bike lanes and providing incentives for smart growth designs that make communities more livable and walkable

They have a very good point concerning physical education in schools. As school districts have cut back on budgets, one of the first classes to go is physical education. 

Curious.

News today broke that Pfizer is no longer going to dedicate research money for obesity drugs. As we've all been told, obesity is an epidemic, so it would make sense for a drug company to focus their efforts on it. Right?

Not so fast. It turns out that most medicines involving obesity take one of three tacts:

Speeding up metabolism ... think amphetamines. 

Blocking absorption of calories ... think Ali. 

One of the things I hate about obesity are statistics. It's practically impossible to put a figure on how many people are obese, as the definition and measurement techniques are not standardized.

I've discussed BMI and the issues with it before, but two new studies today show how silly trying to drill down to actual numbers can be for those in charge. 

The first study that really cuts to the heart of the matters comes from Australia. Their childhood obesity rates have been steadily rising, but they've found that the wrong criteria was applied. 

Photo Credit: Modish