
DATE: Wednesday, March 5, 1997              TAG: 9703050426

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:  113 lines

DOES NORFOLK AGREE WITH OBESITY STUDY? FAT CHANCE

Sue Hill wasn't particularly surprised to hear that this region ranked second among the nation's heftiest areas in a study released Tuesday.

Hill, a waitress at Mr. Dog and Friends on Granby Street in downtown Norfolk, is well-acquainted with our lunchtime favorites: sandwich meats, french fries, onion rings.

A native of Korea, Hill said meals in her homeland are often built around vegetables.

Americans ``eat too much,'' she said, clasping her hands and shaking her head. ``And greasy!''

At Mr. Dog and other eateries in downtown Norfolk Tuesday afternoon, staff and clientele talked about the 33-city study by the Coalition for Excess Weight Risk Education in Washington.

The study listed ``Norfolk'' as having a population that's 33.9 percent obese, second only to New Orleans (at 37.5 percent) among the nation's largest cities.

But Norfolkians might want to loosen their belts a little today.

Norfolk is shorthand for the region, used by the study's authors to refer to the 15 cities and counties that make up the Metropolitan Statistical Area, said Geri Mazur, a spokeswoman for the study's authors.

The area extends from Currituck County, N.C., to South Hampton Roads, to Gloucester, York and Mathews counties, she said.

Called the National Weight Report, the study looks at the environmental and cultural contributors to obesity, said Jerry Franz, a spokesman for the American Diabetes Assocation.

The association was among the groups supporting the study, said David White, executive director of the group's Virginia office.

Obesity is a major contributor to adult-onset diabetes, White said. It also is the second-leading preventable cause of death in the United States.

The study is based on statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, from 1990 and 1993.

Included were the heights and weights of about 20,000 people ages 20 to 74. Because those figures were not gathered scientifically, some national obesity experts said the study was flawed.

In general, the study found:

Higher obesity in cities with higher unemployment, lower per capita income, a larger portion of African Americans, higher annual precipitation and more food stores per capita.

Most respondents were not concerned about being overweight.

A ``strong loyalty to . . . so-called comfort foods - whether they are healthy or not.''

When people focus on healthy eating, they reduce fat but not calories.

Many respondents think that fast food is the most popular meal among Americans.

Our proximity to the deep South - where high-fat foods are tradition - and our dependence on cars in an area that's ``spread around'' might help explain the ranking, said Dr. Thomas J. Lauterio, a nutrition and obesity specialist at Norfolk's Eastern Virginia Medical School.

He also said the cost of food here is lower than in many metropolitan areas. ``When food is cheap, people eat more,'' he said.

``I still have a hard time believing we're up that high,'' he said.

Often, coastal cities have a greater proportion of outdoor-oriented, body-conscious residents, he said.

Sydney Meers, chef-owner at the Dumbwaiter restaurant in downtown Norfolk, said he doesn't think the label is deserved.

``In my restaurant, people are extremely thin and healthy,'' he said.

Cook Harry Williams said diners often request low-fat and vegetarian fare. ``But we also have a lot of dishes with butter and cream.''

Elsewhere in downtown Tuesday, few people seemed surprised by the study - only that Norfolk had been singled out on national news.

``Of all the things to say about Norfolk, they had to bring that up!'' said Lillian Coleman, a bankruptcy court clerk on a lunch break at Mr. Dog.

``I was shocked, but I think everybody likes . . . fast food.''

Waitress Sue Hill said Americans eat in a rush.

Among them, Barry Poole, a computer systems manager who was waiting for a couple of hot dogs and fries to take back to his desk in the federal courts building across the street.

Poole, who often works 10-hour days, said it's a common routine.

Overweight, he said, is a ``problem across the country,'' not just in Norfolk.

At the Downtowner restaurant, also on Granby, law-office co-workers Debbie Hilton, Ninna Milliken and Tina Brenner shared a booth and three taco salads and talked about the obesity study.

``I think there's fat people all over,'' said Hilton.

At the nearby Broadway Diner, owner Hugh Morse said few customers worry about girth. Among the favorites: bacon, sausage and bacon cheeseburgers.

``We use fresh hamburger,'' said Morse, sporting a ballcap and white apron. ``We have a lot of things people like.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Harry Williams, a cook at the Dumbwaiter restaurant in downtown

Norfolk, said diners there often request low-fat and vegetarian

fare. ``But we also have a lot of dishes with butter and cream.''

Graphic

FAT CITIES

The 33 cities ranked by the Coalition for Excess Weight Risk

Education for the obesity of their residents, by percentage of adult

population:

< City Total%

1. New Orleans 37.55

2. Norfolk, Va. 33.94

3. San Antonio 32.96