More Disabilities Blamed on Obesity

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The U.S. obesity epidemic may be causing another, quieter epidemic of

disability, including back trouble and diabetes, health experts reported.

Younger Americans are becoming disabled more often, many with back pain,

according to a study published in the journal Health Affairs. Although there

was no direct proof, the researchers believe obesity was mostly

to blame.

" Obesity is the only trend that is commensurate in size with what we found

happening with disability, " said Darius Lakdawalla, an economist at the Rand

Corp. who helped write the study. " It's the only suspect. "

More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. In 2000, 38.8

million Americans -- 31 percent of the adult population -- were classified

as obese.

Lakdawalla and colleagues at Stanford University analyzed data from the

National Health Interview Survey, an annual government survey of about

36,000 households.

" Obesity accounts for about half the increased disability among those ages

18 to 29, " they wrote. Much of the time, diabetes and back pain were to

blame.