A FAT AND LAZY STATE OBESITY COSTLY FOR CALIFORNIA.

Byline: David M. Drucker Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO - Californians are eating more, exercising less and getting fatter - a trend that costs businesses and the state $22 billion a year in lost productivity, higher insurance premiums and medical costs, a study released Tuesday says.

More than half of California adults are overweight, including many who are seriously so, classified as obese. The rate of overweight and obesity is more than 60 percent among Latinos, African-Americans and men past age 25.

The report predicted the costs will reach $28 billion this year.

``The cost is shocking,'' said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Los Angeles County's health officer and director of public health. ``The implication these numbers have on Los Angeles County is very significant.

``Everyone needs to have access to healthy food and physical activity at the work site and in their communities.''

The cure for this burgeoning-weight epidemic among Californians is to quit eating too much unhealthy food, get off the couch and get into a regular exercise program, according to the researcher who conducted the study. Employers can improve their balance sheets by encouraging and helping their workers to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

``That really is the overriding theme of this report,'' said David Chenoweth of Greenville, N.C. His study, ``The Economic Costs of Physical Inactivity, Obesity and Overweight in California Adults,'' was based on a review of data from the year 2000.

He found that lack of exercise and overeating among Californians cost taxpayers and businesses $21.7 billion in 2000, including more than $2 billion attributed to local government employees and $565 million for state employees.

Chenoweth said inactivity and overeating have combined to cause the obesity epidemic, which is especially severe in California.

``They actually run in tandem. In people who are obese, we typically find inactivity.''

The report - billed as the first of its kind to link physical inactivity and weight problems with an increase in employer costs - encompasses the effects on workers' compensation insurance premiums, health-care spending and hours of lost productivity at work.

According to the analysis, Californians' failure to exercise is costing businesses and taxpayers $13.3 billion annually, with obesity adding $6.4 billion in costs and the overweight factor adding $2 billion - and the costs are on an upward trend that is progressing faster in California than in other states.

Just a 5 percent increase in physical activity by Californians over five years could save businesses and the state $6 billion a year, the report says. A 10 percent increase could save almost $13 billion.

In Woodland Hills, men and women lifting weights at Gold's Gym on Tuesday said they have made a conscious choice to control their weight and adopt a healthier way of life.

Gym manager Brook Radenbaugh, 38, said he can understand the struggle to lose weight because he has experienced it. Suffering from Reiter's Syndrome, a form of arthritis, he couldn't exercise, and his weight rose to 235 pounds.

After a hip replacement, he started working out again and dramatically cut his body fat, and he is now a muscular 220 pounds.

``I was miserable. My self-esteem was in the dumps,'' Radenbaugh said. ``Now I have such a passion for this. It's not just the vanity thing, but when you look in the mirror and see (improvement) - I'm really healthy and I feel good - that's important.''

The report says overeating and lack of exercise cause more than $10 billion in direct and indirect medical costs and more than $11 billion in lost productivity.

Kim Belshe, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's cabinet secretary of Health and Human Services, called obesity an economic as well as a health crisis and said the administration is committed to helping Californians lead healthy lives, a sentiment echoed by local officials.

Legislators in Sacramento have proposed requiring state-run health-care programs to provide information on obesity, nutrition and exercise and using federal funds to provide fruits and vegetables in schools and for families using government food banks.

``This is not rocket science. Reducing obesity and physical inactivity is Gym Class 101,'' said state Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-San Luis Obispo. ``Each of us knows what we can change to reduce this crisis: Eat healthier and be more active.''

Those who exercise regularly seem to agree, saying it's all part of a lifestyle.

Writer Glen Merzer, 49, and his wife, painter Joanna Merzer, 40, say diet is just as important as working out.

``The way to stay in shape is you need to have a diet of fresh fruit, whole grains and vegetables,'' said Glen Merzer, who co-authored a book on vegetarian lifestyle called Mad Cow Boy.

``It's not hard,'' added his wife, Joanna, who was working out with a personal trainer. ``It's how you look at different aspects of your life.''

Staff Writer Kerry Cavanaugh contributed to this report.

David M. Drucker, [phone]

david.drucker(at)dailybulletin.com

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Photo:

Mona Tique, working out at Gold's Gym in Woodland Hills, is in a minority who consciously control weight and muscle tone.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer