Obesity

Do weight gain and marriage go together, just like love and marriage?

While there are still questions to be answered about this issue, studies have found that obesity appears to be associated with couples living together (married or not) and that there is a stronger association the longer the pair have lived together.

KAYSVILLE -- Lingerie-clad mannequins in the store windows of Pretty You Boutique have some residents demanding a cover-up from the mayor and city officials.

LOS ANGELES -- French fries, slathered with ketchup and washed down with a pint of soda, are a favorite part of fast-food lunches and dinners for millions of American youngsters.

But taking a cue from nutritionists, a group of 19 restaurant companies are pledging to offer more healthful menu options for children at a time when concern is growing over the role of fast food in childhood obesity.

America continues to get fatter, according to a comprehensive new report on the nation's weight crisis. Statistics from 2008-2010 show that 16 of the nation's states are experiencing steep hikes in adult obesity, and none has seen a notable downturn in the last four years.

Meanwhile, cases of Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure that health experts have long warned would result from the nation's broadening girth and sedentary ways are becoming increasingly widespread, according to the report, titled "F as in Fat," released Thursday.

LOS ANGELES -- Public Enemy No. 1 in America's battle of the bulge isn't cupcakes, soda or double bacon cheeseburgers. It's the simple potato, according to Harvard University researchers.

Daily consumption of an extra serving of spuds -- french fried, sliced into crispy chips, mashed with butter and garlic, or simply boiled or baked -- was found to cause more weight gain than downing an additional 12-ounce can of a sugary drink or taking an extra helping of red or processed meats.

When news outlets use negative images of overweight people -- sloppily dressed, eating junk food -- to go with stories about overeating, they actually contribute to the problem of obesity, according to a new study from Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

Researchers at the Rudd Center studied five major online news websites and the images that went with their stories about weight and dieting.

OGDEN -- More than 30 percent of third-grade boys in seven elementary schools across the Top of Utah are overweight, according to a survey conducted by Intermountain Healthcare.

Third-graders in the seven schools was asked a variety of questions, including ones about their eating and exercise habits. In all, more than 800 children participated.