Des Moines Register
04-01-06
Battle of the bulge ideas gain ISU weight
By DAWN SAGARIO
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Bike racks on the Iowa State University campus. Bus transportation. A fitness
competition between the state's three public universities.
Iowa State students came up with these ideas Thursday afternoon when CNN's
"Fit Nation" made a stop at the university. "Fit Nation" is a campaign urging
Americans to mobilize their communities to combat obesity.
CNN's senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is leading a crosscountry, multi-college campus tour, with visits to seven universities. Iowa State
was the tour's fourth stop.
Gupta was joined by a panel of local health-care professionals, as well as Sen.
Tom Harkin for the discussion at Fisher Theater. The five panelists helped the
audience of about 200, mostly university students, brainstorm creative solutions
to increase the fitness and health of Americans.
More than two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese; in Iowa, that
number is 61 percent.
Gupta said the statistics have been drilled into the public, with most people
understanding that Americans are losing the battle of the bulge. He said the "Fit
Nation" program is less about words and more about inciting people to action.
Gupta said Harkin visited him last year to discuss how the media could help
increase fitness and healthier lifestyles in Americans. "Fit Nation" was born out of
that conversation.
"I'm sick of talking about it," Gupta said. "I talk about it every day on television.
It's time that we do something.
"What we're trying to do is inspire people to come up with solutions. This is a
fixable problem."
Gupta applauded current programs in Iowa that emphasize health and fitness,
citing events like the Iowa Games and Lighten Up Iowa. The programs can be
models for other states, he said.
"Fit Nation" hopes to find similar successful ideas on college campuses, which
have historically been sites of great change, Gupta said.
The hope is also that the campaign can help instill healthy habits in students,
who are in the midst of forming lifelong habits. Gupta said his program is also
focusing on young people because they will eventually bear the brunt of the
rising financial costs of obesity.
As an incentive, "Fit Nation" is offering a $5,000 first prize for the best community
project to battle obesity, with the story aired on CNN.
The two-hour interactive session Thursday included video of Gupta visiting the
"Body Worlds" exhibit in Philadelphia, where he looked at preserved hearts and
livers of obese humans.
The audience also answered questions about student eating and exercise habits.
Participants were then split into three different groups and given 10 minutes to
brainstorm ideas for a fitter America. Students fleshed out their ideas with the
help of the six panelists, and came up with a wide range of suggestions.
Iowa State senior Beth Westbrook shared her group's ideas, which included
putting bike racks on the university's campus buses and a bike-sharing program.
"Just putting bike racks is something feasible. It's just one cost, and you would
continue to use it," said Westbrook, 21. The bike-sharing program would include
locations around campus where bikes would be available for students to ride.
Tamim Mahayni, 21, had a more unconventional idea -he suggested that all
drive-thru windows at fast food restaurants around campus be removed.
"My issue is that we need to encourage healthier eating habits," said Mahayni, a
senior. He thought his idea might quell the temptation to eat fast food.
Panelist Ruth MacDonald, professor and chair of Iowa State's department
of Food Science and Human Nutrition, tweaked Mahayni's idea and suggested
that fast food restaurants could offer healthier foods.
Mahayni said the local health professionals brought the health issues closer to
home.
"It gives you a sense of connection, and it would take minimal effort to get in
touch with these professionals."
Panelist Dr. Thomas Edward Becker, a pediatric cardiologist, said "Fit Nation" is
helping to get the word out to families, especially parents, about the importance
of being role models for children by being physically active and eating nutritious
food.