Obesity in New York

City
Niki Numamoto

Why this is significant to me

New York State

http://andyarthur.org/new-york-state/ny-census/map-median-household-income-in-ny-

New York City

5 boroughs:
Manhattan
Brooklyn
Queens
Staten Island
Bronx

http://wikitravel.org/upload/shared/5/5a/New_York_City_District_Map.png

Obesity is not a merely a cosmetic

issue

http://www.guardian.com.sg/sites/all/modules/guardian_health_tools/images/BM
I-Chart.jpg

Overeating is not merely cosmetic

Deep rooted societal problem that has many factors i.e.
economics
More than eating, its psychological
Do you consider overeating an eating disorder?
Feast and Famine physiology
Comfort foods
Media, models and mankind

Division of Labor
Refers to the
allocation of
tasks to
individuals or
organizations
according to
the skills and/or
equipment
those people or
organizations
possess.

Division of Labor
Industrial revolution introduced division of labor and
solely wage economies.
Specialized workers i.e. bankers, mechanics, bakers,
factory workers
Within the past century have whole populations and
different classes of people had open availability and
access to food everyday without having to work in a
field all day for it.

Feast and Famine examined

Homo sapiens emerged approx. 195,000 years ago
Homo sapiens have lived since then, without eating
everyday
Our bodies are excellent at storing energy and utilizing
efficiently
Proteins, carbohydrates and fats and be turned into storage

Food that was eaten little meat, lots of nuts, berries,

fruits and vegetables
Now in US: lots of meat, less fruits and vegetables
With the increase of large agriculture and industrial
revolution came food available at all times

Feast and Famine

Portions sizes have increased since the beginning of the
century i.e. soda, sandwiches etc. (expanded later)
Sodium, sugar and fats have all been added to preserve
and add flavor
Processing has increased to make food last indefinitely
i.e. twinkies, canned food
All of these adds calories (for the most part)

http://brennamccaffreydotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/realbeautyhuh.jpeg?

NYC stats
In the early 60s, 13% of Americans were overweight.
In 2007-2008, 34% of Americans were overweight or
obese
58% of Adult New Yorkers are overweight or obese now
(3,437,000)
In black, Latino and low income communities obesity
reaches 70% in some of NYCs neighborhoods
Poor neighborhoods mostly in the Bronx and in Brooklyn
and Harlem in Manhattan.

Obesity and low income

In NYC, obesity is linked with poverty: the lower the
income level for the neighborhood, the higher the
chance for those within the area to be obese.
The rate of diabetes has risen at a higher rate among
African-Americans and Latinos and is twice as likely to
be found in low-income neighborhoods over others

Diabetes Mellitus Type II

Begin on the sixth floor, third room from the end, swathed in
fluorescence: a 60-year-old woman was having two toes sawed
off. One floor up, corner room: a middle-aged man sprawled,
recuperating from a kidney transplant. Next door: nerve damage.
Eighth floor, first room to the left: stroke. Two doors down: more
toes being removed. Next room: a flawed heart. As always, the
beds at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx were filled with a
universe of afflictions. In truth, these assorted burdens were all
the work of a single illness: diabetes. Room after room, floor after
floor, diabetes. On any given day, hospital officials say, nearly
half the patients are there for some trouble precipitated by the
disease. New York Times, January 9, 2006 14

Income Map

http://visualizingeconomics.com/blog/2007/09/22/new-york-city-

Diabetes and Obesity Map

http://umicheso.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/diabetes-obesity.png

East and Central Harlem, Bronx,

Brooklyn
More than 1 in 3 high school students report not
exercising at least 20 minutes a day, 3 days per week.
Nearly 6 in 10 watch TV at least 3 hours per day.
One in 4 adults report not exercising at all. A similar
proportion do not walk or bicycle at least 10 blocks to
get to work or school or to run errands.
More than 8 in 10 adolescents and more than 9 in 10
adults say they eat fewer than 5 servings of fruits and
vegetables per day.

Obesity-Hunger paradox
One article in NY Times calls it The Bronx Paradox
Movie-Precious
Poverty:
Longer hours at work/more jobs
Non-nuclear families
Food is not varied, its obtained fast and eaten fast and with
more preservatives
Little or no exercise from time and money limitations
No fields, limited outdoor access
Sometimes not safe to be outside

New York City Projects

http://www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Bronx+Born+Judge+Sonia+Sotomayor+Nominated

Uphill battle

NYC trans fat ban

2008
First city to
ban trans fats
in restaurants
Other cities
followed suit

Mayor
Bloombergs
Obesity task force
Multi-agency Obesity
Task force
Convened in January
of 2012
Comprised of
commissioners from
11 city agencies and
representatives from
the mayors office.

http://www.business2community.com/consumer-marketing/nyc-health-department-shows-howsugary-drinks-deteriorate-pour-on-the-pounds-017200#!Kr2Gu

The Gulp
In a 2002 study by the National Alliance for Nutrition and
Activity found that a 64-ounce Double Gulp Coke at 7Eleven cost just 37 cents more (42% more money) than
the 16-ounce Gulp,
However it provided an additional 450 calories (300%
more calories).

Calorie Counts
NYC requires chain
restaurants that hold
NYC Department of
Health and
Mental Hygiene
(DOHMH) permits to
post calorie information
prominently on menu
boards and menus.

Meal and
Vending
Standards
NYC established
nutritional standards for
every City agency that
purchases or serves
meals to clients.
i.e. schools, hospitals,
nursing homes, jails and
other city facilities.
http://lonelyconservative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/school-lunch.jpg

Green Carts
NYC made available 1000
green carts permits to
sell raw fruits and
vegetables only
Micro loans to
operators
Locations that would
have otherwise not had
access to fresh fruit
and veggies

Health Bucks
Worth $2 each, Health
Bucks are developed
and distributed by NYC
DOHMH District Public
Health Offices and can
be used to purchase
fresh fruits and
vegetables.

Move to Improve
Engaging way to help
teachers integrate
physical activity into all
areas of classroom
academics. This initiative
is funded in part by the
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
Communities Putting
Prevention to Work grant
and City Council Funding.

Active Design
guidelines
For creating healthier
buildings, streets, and
urban spaces.
Focus is on pedestrians

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6015/5933405671_e65bb2a680_b.jpg

Urban Cycling
NYC has re-imagined the
urban streetscape to
promote safe bicycling
for recreation and
commuting, The DOT has
completed the City's
ambitious goal of
building 250 bike-lane
miles in all five boroughs
in just three years.

The End