Survey: One in 10 Americans Gained Weight After 9/11

One in ten Americans say they gained weight in the months following the events of September 11, 2001 and many are still battling to lose those extra pounds, according to a new survey commissioned by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).

"Immediately after the attacks, there was a lot of conjecture that Americans were turning to unhealthy eating behaviors, and our initial survey in November 2001 showed that to be the case for about 20 percent of Americans -- which represented about 56 million people," said Melanie Polk, R.D., AICR's Director of Nutrition Education. "We commissioned a follow-up survey to see how Americans are faring today."

Both the November 2001 and August 2002 survey confirm that most Americans did not change their dietary patterns in response to September 11. However, a small but significant number of Americans turned to unhealthy eating habits and have kept these habits going.

More than one quarter of the population say they are making healthy changes since September 11.

"The good news is that the small percentage of Americans who say they are now exercising more often has nearly doubled -- from 7 percent in November to 12 percent today," said Polk. Also, 26 percent of Americans are choosing lighter foods more often than before September 11.

In the latest survey, 15 percent of those surveyed said they were turning to comfort foods more than they did before September 11. Fourteen percent said they were eating more sugary foods than before that date. Last November, 20 percent were eating more comfort foods and 19 percent were eating more sweets.

"I don't think any of us expected to see the numbers for comfort foods and sweets stay so high, a full year away from the event," said Polk.

In the November 2001 survey, nine percent of those surveyed said they had gained weight in the months immediately following September 11, 2001. Of that nine percent, most did not blame the attacks as a reason for their weight gain.

Forty-three percent of those who said they had gained weight after September 11 said they had lost none of that extra weight. Another 37 percent reported losing only some of the weight and 18 percent said they lost most or all of the extra weight.

The August 2002 survey polled 1,002 adults, 18 years or older, chosen at random.

Other sources: American Institute for Cancer Research