Weight Epidemic

    Citing an epidemic of obesity, Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher today called on communities and schools to help children and adults lose weight and stay healthy.

    Satcher identified schools as central to efforts to prevent and decrease excess weight problems, and recommended they improve physical education programs and provide healthy food alternatives. Communities also must offer safe places to exercise, he urged.

    肥胖症的流行

    鉴于肥胖的流行，(美国）卫生部长David Satcher博士今日号召社区和学校要帮助孩子和成人减肥维持健康。?

    Satcher认为学校是有效预防和减少超重问题的中心，建议学校改进体育课设置，选择提供健康的食物。他强调社区也必须提供安全的地方供人锻炼。?   

   "Many people believe that dealing with overweight and obesity is a personal responsibility," Satcher states. "To some degree they are right, but it is also a community responsibility."

    An estimated 300,000 deaths may be attributed to obesity in the United States each year, and more than 60 percent of adults in 1999 could be classified as overweight or obese, according to the new report from the surgeon general.

   Satcher阐述说：“许多人以为解决超重和肥胖是个人的责任，从某种角度看，他们是对的，但这也是一个社区的责任。”?

    根据来自卫生部长的一份新报告，据估计，美国每年约有30万人的死亡与肥胖有关，在1999年，超过60%的成人可列入超重或肥胖。?

 But the problem is not just a concern for adults. The prevalence of obesity for adolescents has nearly tripled in the past two decades, making early intervention all the more critical.

   According to the report, in 1999, 13 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11 and 14 percent of those aged 12 to 19 were overweight.

    但是肥胖问题不仅涉及到成人，在过去的20年中，青少年肥胖的普及已增长三倍，使对各年龄人的肥胖早期干预显得更为重要。?

    根据这个报告，在1999年，13%的6至11岁的孩子和14%的12至19岁孩子超重。?

  And the younger a person begins to carry excess weight, the greater the potential impact on their future quality of life. Weight gain and obesity are major contributors to poor health, increasing the risk of a number of medical conditions including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, and even certain cancers.   人开始超重的年龄越小，对他未来生活质量的潜在影响就越大。超重和肥胖是造成健康不良的主要因素，增加了许多疾病的危险，如心脏病、糖尿病、关节炎、哮喘，甚至癌症。