Good News for Jenny Craig, Bad News for Everybody Else; Land of Techies; Vote With Your Remote; Bearing the Market; Keep on Testing
Good news for Jenny Craig, bad news for everybody else
An epidemic of obesity threatens the health of millions of Americans, accounting for an estimated 300,000 deaths a year. That's the message in a report issued last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comparing current rates of obesity with past numbers. Though minority and less-educated groups typically experience more obesity, white and college- educated Americans are catching up.
Percentage of Americans who are obese
Definition of obesity: A person with a body mass index of 30 or higher, generally 30 pounds overweight or more
Rise in obesity from 1998 to 1999: 6 percent nationally, affecting most states and population groups
Big increases in obesity from 1998 to 1999:
30- to 39-year-olds 10 pct.
Individuals with some college 10 pct.
Whites 7 pct.
[Map not available.]
1991
Over 15 pct. obese
Louisiana; Michigan; Mississippi; West Virginia
10 pct. to 15 pct Alaska; Arizona; California; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Hawaii; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kentucky; Maine; Maryland; Minnesota; Missouri; Nebraska; New Hampshire; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Vermont; Virginia; Wisconsin
Below 10 pct.
Colorado; Georgia; Massachusetts; Montana; New Jersey; New Mexico; Rhode Island; Utah; Washington
No data
Arkansas; Kansas; Nevada; Wyoming
1999
Over 15 pct. obese
Alabama; Alaska; Arkansas; California; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Michigan; Mississippi; Missouri; Nebraska; Nevada; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming
10 pct. to 15 pct.
Arizona; Colorado; Massachusetts; Minnesota; Montana; New Hampshire; Rhode Island
Vote with your remote
The total number of viewers for presidential debates has gone up over time--but that's because there are more people in the United States, not because more people are tuned in to politics.
Percentage of homes that watched debates or other programs
[Data for chart are not available.]
[Chart labels:]
Kennedy/Nixon, Ford/Carter, Carter/Reagan, Reagan/Mondale, Bush/Dukakis, Bush/Clinton/Perot, Clinton/Dole, Gore/Bush, Dark Angel, Baseball playoffs, Aired during prime time on October 3
Source: Nielsen Media Research, Census Bureau
Keep on testing
Critics say American schools are obsessed with standardized tests. But a recent survey of 803 parents of public school students in grades K-12 found little evidence of a backlash.
uestion to parents Yes
Is there too much academic pressure on your child? 9 pc standardized tests? 11 pct.
Are standardized- test questions too difficult or unfair? 12 pct.
Does a focus on tests cause neglect of real learning? 18 pct.
Source: Public Agenda
Bearing the market
The Standard & Poor's 500 Index is off 5.5 percent since September 1. Many economists say at 1409 it is still overvalued.
Ed Yardeni, strategist, Deutsche Bank Securities:
+32 pct. 1067
How S&P 500 is valued Estimated fair market value
Mark Zandi, economist, economy.com:
+18.2 pct. 1194
Peter Canelo, strategist, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter:
+15-20 pct. 1225
Jeremy Siegel, professor of finance, Wharton School:
+10 pct. 1281
Abby Cohen, market strategist, Goldman Sachs:
-10 pct. 1566
James Glassman, economist, American Enterprise Institute:
NA 4300
Congress voted to let more skilled immigrants come work for U.S. tech titans. In the first five months of 2000, 42,563 H-1B visa applications were approved for technology jobs within the computer industry.
Visas approved
Country (pct. of total)
India 7,619 (64.9 pct.)
China 3,438 (8.08 pct.)
Philippines 960 (2.25 pct.)
Canada 864 (2.03 pct.)
Pakistan 814 (1.9 pct.)
Source: INS
This story appears in the October 16, 2000 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.