News Feed: Fat Americans Can Tighten Their Belts As Petrol Prices Bite
“RISING petrol prices could force obese American to hit the streets.”
So says the Independent, which omits to add that the rising cost of gasoline could force obese Americans to remain indoors eating home delivery, only leaving the place when the roof is removed and they are prized from their lounge by the Jaws of Life.
But the Indy has a point to make and it is that rising oil prices need not be all bad news.
The paper sees lardy Americans climbing into monster trucks to drive to town for a “super-sized plate full of fatty fast-food”.
They consume “mountains of chips, fried meat and baked goods all washed down with corn-sweetened soft drinks”.
And are they happy. No, they are not. For that they need pills. The Indy sees them drive to the book shops and consume a diet of diets and slimming advice.
But now Americans are being subjected to rising fuel costs. And that means they will have to walk or take the bus. It also means that many are tightening their belts and packing their own lunches.
At least this is what the report A Silver Lining? The Connection between Gas Princes and Obesity suggests.
“I was pumping gas one day, thinking with gas prices so high I may have to take the Metro,” says the reports author, Charles Courtemanche, of the University of Washington, St Louis (weight not supplied).
The author worked out that by walking to work he would get an extra 30 minutes a day exercise, although it does depend on how fast he walks. Given the picure of Americans painted by the Indy, we’d guess Mr America walks very slowly, covering no more than 100 yards or the length of an average mid-West buffet.
He then correlated rates of obesity and petrol prices in America.
The expert concluded that 13 per cent of the rise in obesity between 1979 and 2004 could be attributed to the falling price of petrol. The other 87 per cent could be attributed to eating too much and walking too little.
Sadly, he fails to answer why with petrol prices far higher here than in the US, the British are getting fatter.
Perhaps the expert is saving that for another study…
Posted: 13th, September 2007 | In: Broadsheets Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink
