Apparently, this week is National Public Health Awareness Week. Being out of the field for about a year now, I had no clue. Alas.

The school where I go is very well-known for its public health programs, making it no surprise that student groups wanted to make everyone aware of public health.

You can guess what topic they chose to make people "aware" of: how fat we all are!

A student at an elite college NOT knowing about the "obesity epidemic" seems to me to be quite ludicrous. There are "healthy eating" signs and brochures in the dining halls and eating areas. And every female (and probably every male) knows about the dreaded Freshman 15.* I envy anyone who doesn't know about obesity.

There were the standard "2/3 of Americans are OVERWEIGHT or OBESE!" The caps were on the sign. And the words were in blue glitter glue. The irony is that eating disorders are completely rampant on campus. Way to freak people out, Public Health Student Association.

There was also "Eat More to Weigh Less: Eat Breakfast to Lose Weight." Now, I am all for eating breakfast. It does stimulate your metabolism, which is beneficial in more ways than just weight loss. You feel more awake and less sluggish. You don't want to nibble on your co-worker before lunchtime because you're so freaking hungry you can't stand it. You think better (mom was right). Breakfast is called that because you are breaking the fast that happened during sleep.

The last sign was "Get your 30 minutes of daily exercise: run to class!" Granted, I usually race to class, but not for exercise. Mostly, I'm running late or the elevator is broken, or both. I also have to wonder about the mechanics of this. You have a backpack or tote bag likely full of books. That can't be good for your back. And a herniated disk or pulled muscle is one way to keep you from exercising for several months, as well as create a lifelong back problem (just as me). Secondly, do you really want someone all sweaty and gross sitting next to you in lecture? Maybe if they get some deodorant vending in the bathrooms. And you can't really run in the pouring rain, or the freezing cold, the ice and snow, or the stinking heat.

I can think of many public health issues that should have been addressed: lack of health insurance, access to places to play for kids, access to fruits and vegetables, childhood vaccinations, STDs, you name it.

Even the health sections of most news websites are all about weight loss. It's really sad. Health is NOT about losing weight- unless you want to equate that with losing health and sanity. Girls who diet are more likely to be anemic.** This noticeably lowered their IQ scores, and their energy levels. They were less likely to drink milk, putting them at risk for osteoporosis down the road.

Come ON, people. We can do better than this. Much better. There are so many aspects to health, and weight loss isn't even one of them! Why don't we focus on what we can change? And what will, I don't know, actually make us healthier?

*Although my mandatory health class was kind of ridiculous, one good thing I learned was that women are supposed to gain extra weight around that time, as our bodies finally ready themselves to give birth. The pelvis widens, and more fat is added to sustain a pregnancy. If only she included that girls are also supposed to gain 1/3 of their final body weight during puberty, but alas.

**These were NOT just girls with eating disorders- just your run of the mill middle school and high school dieters.

***That dieting should be considered run-of-the-mill is quite frightening in its own right.