Letter to the Editor

Obesity and Weight-Biased Shaming in South Carolina: A Medical Student’s Perspective

Authors: Jessica Patrizi, BS, Taral R. Sharma, MD

Abstract

To the Editor: The economic cost of obesity in South Carolina alone has been estimated by the Department of Health and Environmental Control to be >$8.5 billion/year and growing. As of August 2017, South Carolina was ranked 12th in the nation for adult obesity — 32.3% of the state’s population is obese; the number was 12.0% in the 1990s. The combined overweight and obesity rate of children aged 10 to 17 years is even higher than the adult rate, at 32.9%.

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