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Michigan's obesity problem: Balancing societal costs, individual choice

Flickr/Paull Young

Michigan is bursting at the seams. We’re one of the most obese states in the nation, with nearly one third of Michiganders being classified as obese, and 65 percent who are considered overweight or obese. With all that extra fat comes substantial costs to society, from rising health care expenses to lost worker productivity to lower GPA's among youth.

A report released just this week by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, an independent, non-partisan research organization that analyzes public policy questions, takes a deeper look at the obesity problem in Michigan and wades into the delicate debate about how government can tackle the problem while respecting individual choices.

Nicole Bradshaw is the report's author and a research associate with the CRC. She joins us as part of Current State’s regular monthly check-in with the Citizens Research Council to help us understand important public policy issues in Michigan.

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