"W.Va.: Stop the soda super-sizing"
 

W.Va.: Stop the soda super-sizing

Friday, May 30, 2003 Posted: 1:31 PM EDT (1731 GMT)

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CHARLESTON, West Virginia (AP) -- The nation's second-most overweight state may ask residents to go easy on the super-sized sodas.

The proposed campaign does not plan to ask people to quit soft drinks, but would promote smaller portions, said Nidia Henderson, wellness manager at the Public Employees Insurance Agency.

Henderson's agency said that the state Medicaid program and the agency together spent more than $200 million treating obesity-related diseases in the 2000-2001 budget year.

"We're doing it because obesity is an epidemic in our state and among our members," Henderson said, adding that Americans have lost sight of what normal portion sizes are for food and beverages.

Henderson noted that a 6-ounce bottle was the standard serving size when soft drinks first became popular in the United States. Now fast-food restaurants and convenience stores offer 64-ounce soft drinks containing about 800 calories.

West Virginia is ranked second among the 50 states and four territories for obesity and general poor health, according to the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The proposed advertising campaign will be similar to an earlier campaign: "Biggie Fries = Biggie Thighs," which encouraged West Virginians to avoid super-sized fast food meals.