Obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10 percent of all medical spending in the United States or an estimated $147 billion a year, U.S. researchers said Monday. (Reuters) They said obese people spend 40 percent more — or $1,429 more per year — in healthcare costs than people of normal weight. They found U.S. obesity rates rose 37 percent between 1998 and 2006, driving an 89 percent increase in spending on treatments for obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. Obesity now accounts for 9.1 percent of all medical spending in the United States, up from 6.5 percent...
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“Just Say No” Failed :: Time to End “War on Drugs”
New research finds that a national campaignâ’s anti-drug TV ads failed to convince young children and teenagers to stay away from marijuana and actually might have encouraged some to try smoking pot. In their 1999 to 2004 incarnation, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaignâ’s TV ads â’either had no effects on kids or possibly had a boomerang effect,â’ said Robert Hornik, lead author of a new study and professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania. The U.S. Congress created the anti-drug campaign in the late 1990s and gave almost $1 billion to it through 2004, according to the...