Car Crash Injuries And Death: An Unintended Consequence Of Obesity
Filed under: Study — @ December 27, 2007
Dr. David Schlundt pinpoints another obesity-related problem
We all know the health dangers associated with obesity, including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cancer, and a whole host of other health calamities. But now researchers out of Vanderbilt University have stumbled upon another unexpected side effect of the overweight and obese population that is likely being overlooked by a lot of statisticians: automobile accident injuries and death.
Lead researcher Dr. David G. Schlundt, associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the Nashville, TN-based Vanderbilt University, hypothesized that the use of seat belts among the obese was likely less than their non-obese counterparts because of a variety of concerns, not the least of which is the comfort of use. He wanted to test this theory against hard data regarding BMI rates to calculate the rate of seat belt use among the increasing degrees of obesity.
According to what Dr. Schlundt found, here was the breakdown of seat belt use among the various categories of people according to their weight:
- NON-OBESE 82.6 percent
- OVERWEIGHT 80.1 percent
- OBESE 76.6 percent
- EXTREMELY OBESE 69.8 percent
The conclusion of this research, published in the November 2007 issue of the journal Obesity, was unmistakable.
“Lack of seat belt can be added to the list of risk factors associated with obesity,” the researchers contended. “Effective preventive interventions are needed to promote seatbelt use among overweight and obese persons.”
Click here to find out more about this study, see an example of this problem that was featured in a major motion picture not that long ago, and learn about a car crash that was likely what got me to first begin thinking about going on a low-carb diet four years ago.
