Last month, the Department of Health released a study showing that 40% of the city's public school children are overweight or obese. But a new study is showing that either their parents aren't taking their kids to the doctor enough, or they have no idea what an obese person looks like. And thus the old battle over whether negligent or stupid parents are worse rages on. more ›

That holier-than-thou attitude most New Yorkers carry about being healthy because we walk everywhere and have so many food options may have to change, as a study shows that city efforts to curb childhood obesity have not changed. In fact, city kids may be even heavier than the national average. Last year, NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said, "When four out of 10 school kids are overweight or obese, the city has a problem." And despite the city's efforts, the number remains the same. more ›

Reportedly an international online date site, called BeatifulPeople, is perfectly happy to show their shallow side. CNN reports that they have a "strict ban on ugly people," and recently cut 5,000 members for gaining weight during the holidays! Robert Hintze, founder of the site, explained: "Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which [the site] was founded." The most users expelled from the site were from, surprise, the U.S — in fact, they says, "Every year we see that some of our members from Western cultures eat and drink to excess over the holidays, and clearly their looks suffer. The U.S.A. has been grossly over-indulging since Thanksgiving." [via Boing Boing] more ›

After a photo emerged yesterday of an overweight man on an American Airlines flight, flooding the aisle with flab, Federal aviation authorities investigated the image. Apparently before being airborne, flight attendants gave the man two extra seats, which is in line with safety rules, according to the NY Post. This was accomplished by offering another passenger a ticket for a later flight, so the overweight man could have an entire aisle to himself. more ›

There's been much debate about how to handle overweight passengers on flights. While some airlines may charge for an extra seat, not all do — and now a flight attendant allegedly snapped a photo on an American Airlines flight (destination and take-off point unknown), which of course has been leaked to the press. more ›

After news that Manhattan is—relative to the rest of the NYC—the thinnest borough, with just 42% of its residents overweight, a NY Times reporter stalked the svelte, why. One Upper East Sider said, "My mom always says, 'The smaller the dress size, the larger the apartment,'" while a painter, "attributed his slim frame (5-foot-11, 160 pounds) to a combination of healthy and unhealthy habits: daily two-mile walks, weekly soccer, and breakfasts of coffee and cigarettes." Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys, seen leaving the gym, said, "Our closets are filled all these expensive clothes that are like swords of Damocles, because we may not fit into them anymore." He also added he wasn't "fatist" but, referring perhaps to some in middle America, "I’m appalled by people my age who can’t get through the airport without a wheelchair. more ›

Yesterday, while announcing a plan to ban trans-fats in schools, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released a report noting that almost 60% of New Yorkers are overweight or obese. And, in the five boroughs, 55% of the population is overweight or obese! You can read the study (PDF), but here's a breakdown: In the Bronx, 62.7% of residents (586,419) are overweight or obese; in Brooklyn, it's 58.6% (1,056,457 residents); Manhattan: 42.3% (541,135); Queens: 57.6% (990,809); and Staten Island: 57.7% (190,681). CityRoom spoke to epidemiologist Andrew G. Rundle who "said that at the neighborhood level socioeconomic and demographic factors were the strongest predictors of obesity rates"—wealthy neighborhoods have lower rates of obesity while poorer neighborhoods have higher ones. "[Rundle] has found that even when adjusting for poverty and race, at least three factors are associated with lowering obesity: proximity to supermarkets and groceries where fresh produce is sold; proximity to parks; and access to public transportation, which reduces reliance on cars." more ›

A new report [pdf] from the NYC Health Department and Department of Education finds that physically fit students tend to outscore their less-fit peers on academic tests. During the 2007-2008 school year, students who scored in the top 5% on their fitness tests outscored the bottom 5% by an average of 36 percentile points on standardized academic tests. But it's also possible overweight kids score poorly on those tests because bullies are constantly kicking the backs of their chairs. The new report further examines childhood obesity in NYC and finds that 21% of kindergarten through eighth grade students are obese, and nearly 40% of all students are overweight or obese. In a statement, NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said, "When four out of 10 school kids are overweight or obese, the city has a problem." Part of that problem is that 14% of middle- and high-school students hadn't even been offered a physical-education class this school year, according to a recent survey cited by the Post. more ›

Quick, what New York City neighborhood has the greatest percentage of obese residents? Wrong! It’s Williamsburg, which is confusing, because everyone knows the only people who live there are the proverbial skinny hipsters. more ›

Between the 2002 and 2004, New York City residents gained 10 million pounds, becoming Rubenesque at a rate nearly three times that of other Americans, according to a survey by city health officials. Obesity and diabetes rates in the city soared 17% between 2002 and 2004, compared to a 6% rise in obesity rates nationwide, where there was no marked increase in the rate of diabetes. more ›