It's Never Too Early to Adopt Healthy Habits

7/2/2010

Americans who have struggled with weight issues are certainly not alone, with more than one-third of the adult population now considered overweight or obese. As people age, though, this condition can give rise to a broad range of other medical conditions that can diminish one's quality of life while also resulting in higher health insurance premiums.

People in the market for their own health insurance policies often find that pre-existing conditions will result in higher premium costs. These include diabetes and heart disease, both of which can be prevented in many cases with a healthy diet and exercise.

The rate of obesity among children is of particular concern to public health professionals, who have met with mixed results as they try to encourage young people to go easy on junk food and to spend more time engaged in physical activities.

One potentially discouraging bit of news on this front came from Texas this week, where the Houston Chronicle reported that more than two-thirds of the state's schoolchildren had failed a required physical fitness test. The newspaper added that this development comes at a time when legislators are considering further easing high school gym requirements.

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