We’re getting fatter. The vexing problem remains what to do about it. Government programs and televised admonitions are only part of the solution. Americans must understand that their expanding waistlines are a serious problem, both for their health and the country’s financial well-being. Then, they must do something about it.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates rose in every state except Oregon. Maine had the highest obesity rate – 21.3 percent – in New England and the largest gain – 1.3 percent – in the region between 2001 and 2004.

While this is bad news, it does not mean that anti-obesity efforts should be deemed a failure. Just as it took generations for Americans to put on so much extra weight, it will take years for them to slim down.

But, first they must be convinced that being seriously overweight is a problem. Here are some good reasons. People who are significantly overweight suffer from a reduced quality of life and a shortened life expectancy. They are more likely to have hypertension, diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, heart disease, cancer, stroke and osteoarthritis.

A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association warned that poor diet and physical inactivity may soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of death in the United States. A study published in the journal last year warned that a morbidly obese 25-year-old man has a 22 percent reduction in expected remaining life span,

a loss of about 12 years.

Dora Mills, the state’s chief health officer, warns that today’s youngsters, if they don’t reduce their weight, are on track to become the first generation in centuries to not outlive its parents. Obesity rates among children have nearly quadrupled in the last 30 years.

Not only is obesity bad for your health, it costs taxpayers a lot of money. Obese adults have annual medical expenses that are 36 percent higher than normal weight adults, according to an article by a trio of researchers at the CDC in the May 2003 edition of the journal Health Affairs. Nationally, as much as $75 billion a year is spent on medical expenses stemming from obesity, 5.7 percent of total spending on health care in the United States, according to researchers from RTI International and the CDC. Obesity-related illnesses cost $357 million a year in Maine.

The remedy for weight loss is simple: healthier eating and more exercise. Getting people to do this is difficult for a variety of reasons including time constraints and psychological issues. The government can’t force people to eat salads instead of double cheeseburgers and it can’t mandate a daily jog. It can, and should, continue to encourage healthy choices.