Survey: Obesity greater health risk than smoking

In case you are wondering where the Rand Institute got this little gem, which disagrees with even the most fat-phobic medical providers, here's the source:

"The telephone survey, which was conducted in 1998, asked 9,585 adults about their weight, height, smoking and drinking habits, income and quality of life. They also were asked if they had any of 17 chronic health problems, including asthma, cancer, diabetes and heart problems."

Excuse me -- a telephone survey?

I wonder if anyone ever considered that many of the people called were smokers -- and, wanting to convince the surveyor that smoking doesn't cause them health problems...might have LIED???

It's a telephone survey -- with no way of verifying truth or accuracy -- it's all opinion.

Taking that into account, few people can accurately describe a specific problem they are having with their doctor -- let alone accurately portray their state of health to a telephone surveyor.

So how can this survey carry so much validity with the public?

The media reported it as such, that's why!

And this telephone survey has been touted as "fact" by many ever since...

So what is the Rand Institute? Their homepage is: http://www.rand.org

They are a large corporation with over 1000 employees. Most of their sponsors are government-based, but one of their major sponsors is Hoffman-La Roche, Inc. -- the pharmacetical makers of the prescription weight-loss drug Xenical, a chemical fatblocker with a number of unpleasant side effects. Another of their major sponsors is the Kaiser Family Foundation, which has ties to Kaiser Permanente insurance, which adds another element to this scenario.

Now, either the Rand study is just flawed by nature of being poorly designed (ASKING people about their health is NOT any kind of valid study) OR the backing is from the tobacco industry, hidden in the funding of one or more of the Rand Institute's sponsors.

Ultimately, what is the truth about smoking and obesity? Smoking is STILL the most dangerous thing one can do, bar-none. A friend of the family quit smoking and gained 100 pounds. She shuddered as she wondered what the doctor would say. His answer surprised her. He said "Good!" Her mouth fell open. He continued, "That's correct, good! I'd rather you be 100 pounds overweight than continue to smoke."

This is anecdotal, however; the scientific research in every place I've read backs this doctor's opinion (i.e. that smoking is the worst killer in our society).

This Rand report would be amusing if it weren't for the fact that people will believe it. They will buy more diets (or weight-loss drugs) and continue to spend large amounts of money on cigarettes which is, of course, what the tobacco lobby would like to see.

So let's see, with the Rand report, based on a telephone survey:

1. Those selling diets win
2. Those selling cigarettes win (because people will figure if they diet... (see #1) they won't have to give up smoking)
3. The insurance companies win (because they have more reason than ever to raise rates on fat people)
4. Pulmonologists, cardiologists and other medical providers win

And all at the expense of the one group who LOSES - the consumer!

Scary what you can find when you follow the money, isn't it?

Think about it.

- SueW (who has not patronized the tobacco industry since 1981)