Obesity in America Essay

Obesity in America is real and profoundly alarming when you look at the major impact it has on our communities. Major health concerns like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure cases are at an all time high. Specifically, the disparity between low-income urban inner cities in regards to obesity as compared to more upper class wealthier communities makes you take pause. This relates to my professional goals of going back into my community as an activist and organizer of issues related to my environment, like health and education.

Are Americans, where obesity is found to be a major struggle, in jeopardy with the various aspects that may cause obesity, such as poor eating habits, lack of physical activity, etc.? Poor eating habits such as eating processed foods is one reason for weight gain in children and adults. These eating habits are affordable, tasty, and an easy way out when an individual does not want to cook. Obesity is a personal issue that many have struggled with all their life. There are many risks that come along with being obese as well as ways to overcome it. In order to explain this the research report will ask: do individuals who are obese know the various health risks that come along with the constant weight gain and how to lose the weight

Obesity in America is literally a growing problem, affecting every age group. Children are the most venerable group because they have no control over where they have dinner or how often they have fast food. Parents and guardians make decisions about food and are responsible for the health of children. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in the last twenty years. This is concerning because Type Two diabetes is a horrible, crippling disease that is affecting children and teens dramatically whereas the disease was primarily seen in adults. Children are said to have a shorter life span than their parents for the first time ever. In the United States sixty-six percent of adults are overweight and one in

The new generation continues to increasingly fall under obesity’s evil spell. Although many Americans recognize that their children are obese, they fail to accept that this is an epidemic that should be controlled and given dramatic attention to. Research suggests that childhood obesity in the United States has doubled in the past decade. Despite the fact that we have necessary resources to control these statistics, Americans continue to expose their youngsters to unhealthy and fattening meals. It is no joke that America is the fattest nation in the world. Thus, preventing this serious issue should be perceived as a life-or-death situation where if we fail to control it, many more overweight children will grow up to be obese adults in the future.

The United States of America leads the world as the country with the highest obesity rate. Obesity is a life threatening condition and a prerequisite for many other conditions such as diabetes. Along with causing life threatening conditions obesity can cause day to day problems such as lack of energy and poor mental performance. Both of these day to day problems brought on by obesity and poor health in general affect many students in school and adults in the workplace, causing low productivity and low moral in both students and employees. It is important for healthy habits, such as a healthy diet regular exercise, to be encouraged and required by teachers and employers through out the U.S to ensure every student and employee is working at their personal maximum performance.

The rising rates of obesity in the 1990s were stimulated by the transformation of the American lifestyle caused by new policies, technological advancements, and changes in activity levels. When President George H. W. Bush signed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) in November 1990, it gave the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to require nutrition labeling on most foods. The nutritional data this law requires is beneficial for most Americans, but uneducated individuals who do not know how to interpret it are at a disadvantage. Although the FDA mandated nutritional facts to be printed on food labels, it did not require Americans to be educated about basic health issues. This not only allowed them to continue to consume all types of food without knowledge of health implications they can develop, but it also resulted in the absence of nutritional education. The proliferation of nutrition facts across the nation emphasized the importance of eating wholesome foods and developing healthy eating habits.

Recently, a claim was made that worldwide obesity has become a growing issue. The global population is expanding, as well as the weight of humans. Obesity rates throughout the world have increased, as 1.9 billion adults have been overweight and 600 have obese since 2014. A majority of countries have experienced an increase in obesity rates between the years of 2010 and 2014. Obesity is not just a worldwide issue for adults, but is also an issue for children. 42 million children were known to be obese and overweight in 2013 causing countries to fight against obesity among children. The increasing rates of

Childhood obesity has multiplied exponentially in the past two or three decades. More than one third of children and young adults were classified as obese or overweight in 2012. Childhood obesity has become an epidemic all over the world but especially in the United States. Health is the most important part of a person’s life and it is unaccepta-ble for multitudes of people to be at a disadvantage when it comes to health at such an early and tender age. There are some trends of society that can be seen as apparent rea-sons for this increase in childhood obesity such as the rise of a more sedentary lifestyle and the growing access to unhealthy food. However, children and parents are not solely to blame, rather, society as a whole may be

Obesity continues to be a problem in the United States. The obesity epidemic on the rise and something must be done to solve this issue. About seventeen percent of children and adolescents about 12.5 million are obese (Diet). An adult with a BMI (body mass index) higher than 30% is considered to be obese (Obesity). There isn’t a direct focus on obesity, because people don’t think it’s an important issue. To ensure a better future, solution is needed now. The solution to ending the obesity epidemic by encouraging a healthier lifestyle on children at young ages, improving nutrition at schools and restaurants, as well as providing more time and space for citizens to get physically active.

Climbing Obesity rates are the evidence of an epidemic that affects adults and children alike. A person who is obese is defined as one who is significantly above the befitting weight for his or her age and height. Some believe that the food industry is to blame for the rapid increase in obesity rates; while others believe that it is the parent’s responsibility to make the healthy decision for their children. The pressing question that is troubling our society and our nation’s well-being is: what is to blame for childhood obesity? There are several contributing factors to childhood obesity and our society, meaning each individual and their decisions thereof, are to blame for this epidemic.

Every year our country has over three hundred thousand deaths due to obesity. People have trouble with portion sizes, eating right, and admitting that obesity is in fact a disease. People also are considered obese when their body-mass index (BMI) is thirty of higher (World Health Organization 22). “Obesity-related illnesses already are expanding the nation’s health care expenses and costing us $147 billion annually (this was in 2008) according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is an ongoing epidemic in the United States and in other countries. Today, children eat out more often than ever, portion sizes have increased substantially, and worst of all some schools have started to serve fast food. In the United States, one

“Approximately 69% of adults are overweight or obese, with more than 78 million adult Americans considered obese.” (Why Obesity is a Health Problem). This shows how obesity in America affects millions and millions of people, and if we do not do anything these numbers are just going to keep increasing. This issue could be prevented by making sure adolescents get the right education to have a healthy life. After all education is the best solution to control the rising rates of childhood obesity, and prevent a bigger number of people to be overweight. Obesity not only affects obese people, it also affects everyone around them. For example if your mom or dad is obese or overweight, you have a higher risk of also being obese or overweight. If you are obese or overweight, then your children have a higher risk of being obese or overweight and so on. “We know that in high income countries education and income tend to go together, and that those who are most educated and have the highest income tend to be thinnest and the opposite being true” (qtd by Dr. Amina Aitsi-Selmi in Education Can Help Prevent Obesity).

A big problem America is facing today is obesity. ( Authors of cdc.gov.com, “Childhood Overweight and Obesity”, www.cdc.gov.com, Nov.9, 2015, http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/ ,5/18/16) out of every six children in America is obese. Although the number of overweight children is less than adults, the problem is getting overwhelming. Many obese kids grow up to be obese adults who can develop medical issues, such as diabetes and heart disease. (Authors of wedMD.com, “Obesity in Children”,www.webMD.com, n.d., http://www.webmd.com/children/guide/obesity-children, 5/18/16) It’s mostly the parents fault if they’re not keeping their young children decently healthy.

Obesity is one of the most serious health challenges facing our nation. It is linked to an increased risk for type II diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and even arthritis. One of the most alarming trends in the increase in obesity has been the climbing rates of childhood obesity. Obese children are more likely to become obese adults, and the chronic conditions they suffer as the result of their obesity will affect them and the healthcare system for far longer than their parent's generation.

“Two-thirds of adults and almost one-third of children in the United States are overweight or obese” (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies). All around the country school boards, a small number of parents, and the department of Agriculture have tried to make school lunches healthier for students. They typically get shut down rather quickly by parents who say making his or her child eat a fruit or vegetable along with their lunch is ridiculous and uncalled for. Some schools have sent home letters to parents describing obesity and how to help his or her child not struggle with it. With so many people closed off from the idea that his or her child might be obese or have obesity it’s hard to make them understand the severity of it. “Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80% if one or more parent is overweight or obese.” (United States). Childhood obesity has grown so much that type two diabetes was once only known as onset adult diabetes; now doctors are seeing it in children younger than ten years old. In a study done by Stanford School of Medicine, they discovered that the overall percentage of obese children has tripled over the last thirty years. If that startling discovery doesn’t make people want to make a difference, I challenge them to think what the children will look like in another thirty years from now.