Here Today... Gone To Hell!

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Fitness/story?id=7122717&page=1

Is This Family Too Fat to Work?
Out of Work With Packed-On Pounds, Family Struggles
By ESTHER YOUNG and RADHA CHITALE

LONDON, March 20, 2009 ?

The Chawners seem like any other family of four. They enjoy watching soap operas in the evening, and daughter Emma,19, and her father like cooking the odd meal now and then.

But typical they are not: With a combined weight of 1,160 pounds, they are all considered extremely obese, with myriad related health problems.

The family, from Lancashire, England, has also been the focus of heavy criticism, as they live exclusively on $26,000 of yearly, tax-free medical benefits.

In an interview with Closer Magazine this week, Philip Chawner, 53, a former truck driver, claimed that his diabetes was causing him to fall asleep behind the wheel. His wife, Audrey, 57, volunteered at a disabled children's clinic but her epilepsy prevents her from leaving home.

They live in a two-bedroom, government-sponsored apartment that costs $50 a week. A typical diet included bacon sandwiches, known as "bacon butties," and "microwave pies." A typical day involved turning on the television in the morning. Husband and wife weigh 336 pounds each. Emma weighs 238 pounds.

Floundering or Free-Loading?

Soon after the interview was published, subsequent news accounts referred to them as the "free-loading family" and "the real telly-tubbies," among other things.

But daughter Samantha Chawner, 21, did not think the articles were fair at all. She said that the description of their lifestyle was false. For example, they do not solely buy junk food but try to buy fruits and vegetables as well, as much as their budget allows, she said.

"It was full of lies. We thought they [Closer] were doing an article about families on benefits that were looking for jobs. We didn't know they would write such horrible things," she said.

What she does reiterate, however, is that their weight prevents them from getting the jobs. At 252 pounds, the aspiring hairdresser said she has applied for more than 500 positions and most of them fell through. "I got an interview with a couple of them," she said. "But they all turn me down. They can be quite mean about it."

She also receives unemployment checks from the government every two weeks, worth around $100 each.

Overweight and in Pain

While being overweight or obese does not necessarily mean a person is not able to work, Carla Wolper, a nutritionist at the Obesity Research Center at St. Luke's Hospital in New York City, pointed out that the accompanying health problems, pain and fatigue, can be debilitating.

"When people get very obese and they're older, arthritis or pain in their knees or back may kill them," Wolper said. "They sit around more, so their muscle mass shrinks. If they have sleep apnea they wake up gasping for breath hundreds of times during the night. ... All of these things combine -- pain, shortness of breath, fatigue -- and many of them ultimately can't move around anymore."

Samantha Chawner was careful to mention that her parents spend their days doing house chores, and taking care of their 3-year-old niece. "My dad would like to work again but he can't," she said. "His legs are swollen and he can't walk around. That is why it is hard for him to exercise. He has to be careful about his diabetes and he feels weak a lot."

Public opinion toward the Chawners varies wildly. "It all depends on them, does it? I guess if they have exhausted their choices, then all right," said Pablo, a local Londoner who didn't give a last name. "But, if they are just being lazy, it's not fair on the taxpayers."

Another Londoner, Tina, who also didn't give her last name, was less forgiving. "Laziness. Maybe the parents, but the daughters -- no one could be that fat just by genetics," she said.

"They should exercise, even if they are busy. I work too hard to pay for their pies," she said.

Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical College Weight Management Center, agreed that genetics does not play as much of a role in obesity as nutrition education.

"At face value, everyone will say, 'Just push away from the table and run around the block. What's the problem?'" Fernstrom said. "But people may not have a lot of nutritional knowledge."

And nutritionist Wolper said it would be hard for a single person to lose weight if everyone continues to live in the same environment.

"The entire family has to agree to work with professionals" to lose weight, Wolper said. "Family conventions and family traditions around food and eating mean they are caught in this trap. ... It's like a drug addict who is trying to quit living with three drug addicts. When an attractive substance is nearby, it is difficult to ignore it."

The Cost Per Pound

The Chawners are only one of multiple stories that are indicative of the growing trend of obesity in England.

According to one 2009 NHS report, obesity has doubled in the past 15 years. Health conditions related to obesity, such as diabetes and liver disease, have also risen, putting pressure on the local medical resources. Heart disease alone cost all British taxpayers a total of more than $40,000 in lost productivity and health expenditure in 2006.

And economics is not on the Chawners' side. While there can be cheap ways to be healthy, such as buying local, seasonal or frozen produce, and finding low-cost or free weight-loss groups locally or online, the crumbling global economy still means fierce job competition. And studies have shown that prejudices against overweight people could prevent someone from being hired for a job for which they may be qualified.

"It's one of the last acceptable prejudices," Fernstrom said. "That [obese people] are lazy, that they don't try hard, that they're not intelligent."

As for getting government money during the recession, Audrey Chawner said that it was a necessary cost. "We are making by with what we have," she said. "I recently just got out of the hospital. I've been in a coma before because of my epilepsy."

"I only spend money on groceries, the phone bill, and the petrol to drive my daughters to job interviews," she continued. "We live on medical benefits, because we need it, not because we want to. We don't wish to be fat."
(http://i41.tinypic.com/1oawqr.jpg)

I know a guy who is about 4 bills and works two jobs, 65-90 hours a week and brings home mad cash. Although everything he does is to the extreme. I don't expect him to live past 35.

A typical diet included bacon sandwiches, known as "bacon butties," and "microwave pies."

I just wasn't aware that willingly eating this constituted a real medical issue.  Even better to teach your kids to eat the same way. :no:

I know plenty of obese folks that work regular jobs, though, so this sounds like total bull to me.

Bandita, you've touched on a sensitive issue for me.  Disability.  It pisses me off to no end.  I honestly believe a huge portion of "disability" is absolute bullshit.  Sure, a person gets hurt on the job, and it results in them not being able to perform the necessary functions of their job...but...that doesn't mean that person can't do another job.  Data entry, telemarketing, a lot is possible with computers nowadays. 

Put them on exercise bikes and attach them to the electricity grid. Not sure why ABC needed to go to all the way to the UK to find an obese family who don't work though?

I think the original report was from the Telegraph.

@Axl4Prez-I don't think self inflicted obesity and the medical issues that result of that should qualify for disability.  At best, these folks should be given an amount of time to "shape up" and get back to work before they get cut off.

Very sad to see, but is it disease?

Of Course!  I am pretty sure that's what I said.  ...and Norway, no, it's not a disease.  Disgusting yes, disease no.

My best friend of 20 yrs is trying to collect disability and is getting the third degree. In a nutshell his kidneys are failing, and he is simply unable to work. He has worked hard his entire adult life and is now in poor health (he may very well die) and broke. Those who used the system have made it difficult for a guy like him to get the help he so desperately needs.

after reading that J, I feel so fortunate to be Canadian...I wish him the best possible because I know firsthand what he is dealing with right now.

That's sad.  yet these folks eating bacon at every meal and killing themselves get to collect.

He was in Dallas getting great treatment, but now in NC with his family (he has to live with them now) and unfortunately the care is not nearly as good. Very sad indeed, the man has tubes coming out of his back, in constant pain, a leg that is swollen to twice his size, in the hospital one week out of every month, goes to 6-7 doctor appointments each month, and they are giving him shit about collecting.

SLC, yep, now THAT is the idea behind disability.  Very sad.

That's a whole lotta rosie.

This is a very sad story. You can be skinny and have those health problems and not be able to work. They aren't THAT fat by American standards, plenty of people their size have jobs in the Midwest. By BRitish standards THEY are HUGE! It's all a matter of attitude. Michelle Obama talked about how her father who had MS would get up an hour early for work so that he could dress himself and go to work every day. Some people just like to work the system. Their probably is more prejudice in England towards overweight people. It's almost acceptable to be fat in America these days.  I totally can't relate. I NEVER want to weigh over 100 lbs. If I get up to 98 lbs I start freaking out.

My cousin has MS, a 2 year old child AND works a full time job.  It depends on the person I guess.

Chances are these folks have most of the health issues they do from eating the way they do, though.

I'm 265lbs. and 6'2"  Am I considered obese?

Yes

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

oh no I am overweight! :-*

bullshit. absolute bullshit.

The BMI is notoriously inaccurate.

Yeah, a lot of athletes will be fat :P

I think it's quite easy to determine, unless you have these too kind thinking.


PS/
Have to laugh at all the pig-avatars on page 1 :hihi:

 :nervous:

I concur.

Ladypigs don't have it easy, you know!


They make no account for pregnancy because they are telling me I am overweight! :hihi:

I was always in realm before even though I don't really care for strenuous exercise.

BMI is notoriously inaccurate, really? It's very well known that is shouldn't be used for serious athletes because muscle is denser than fat - but it's pretty easy to decide whether you're a fit athlete or a porker, doncha think? It's a simple measure which obviously shouldn't be the be all and end all of deciding how fit/fat you are but it's a reasonable guide for most of us. Fact is that people are eating worse, exercising less and are getting fatter - I see many, many overweight people every day - it's a serious problem, hiding behind 'media ideals of size' and other such nonsense doesn't help.

On X-factor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjdUnVRzZjw

TAP's right.  While BMI is not a perfect determinant of obesity, for the vast majority of people it's spot-on.  It's a wake-up call a lot of folks don't want to address.  Old, bad habits die hard.

Might use that for my sig  ;D

Don't worry, I'll only charge a small fee. :)