Obesity Invasion Of The United States

Obese- is becoming an “epidemic!” We have 44.3 million people that are either obese or over weight. In 1986, the numbers were at 1 in 2000, and they became 1 in 400 by the year 2000. Even our high school age students are at an all time high of 16% overweight and 10% obese. As that number keeps increasing, future projections for covering healthcare expenditures must figure in the obese-related

Obesity in America is a continually growing problem and even worse our own children are sharing in this problem. A commentary in the Washington Times reports that sixty million Americans are obese. What really is the meaning of obese? Obese is having a body mass index of thirty percent or more. In recent years, the percentage of obese Americans has risen. In the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, the percentage of obese Americans rose from 22.9 in 1984-1994 to 32.2 in 2003 and 2004. The study also says if you throw in the number of "over weight" Americans (body mass index of 25 to 29.9) the total jumps to 66.3

In the United States, there are several problems occurring, but people would rather go on with their lives as if everything is fine .Being unaware of distressing circumstances is less arduous than being aware. But being aware allows one to adjust,because if people are knowledgeable than they are able to prevent or control the situation.

The ongoing controversy as to who is to blame for this unhealthy food/obesity epidemic is fiercer than ever. Fingers have been pointed in all sorts of directions and will continue to be pointed. The industries, personal responsibility, food culture, and parents have all taken heat for this rapid increase of obesity. But who is really the root of this ongoing problem? Though the industries affect the rapid increase of obesity and health problems correlating to this unhealthy food crisis, it is not fully their fault. If you sit down and think about it, the people who are to blame are none the less but the parents.

Welcome to the United States of America; where every citizen has the right to life, liberty, and an expanding waistline. Recent studies have shown that “1 out of every 3 Americans are considered obese or overweight”(Kelley); a major contributor for 100,000 to 400,000 weight related deaths yearly. As a cost of being one of the heaviest nations in the world, the U.S. designates around $190.2 billion dollars, or 21% of all medical spending every year, for treatment, preventative, and diagnostic services, in an effort to stop what is now referred to as ”an obesity epidemic”. As for individuals living with this chronic disease on a daily basis, a recent report from George

In the United States, a crisis is breaking out known as the Obesity epidemic. For the first time in history, it is possible for the children of this generation to have a lower life expectancy than their parents. Millions of Americans are exposed to ads that are luring them into eating the cheap, fast food of billion dollar companies such as McDonald’s. Obesity has established itself as the fastest growing disease in the nation and continues to make an impact on the general population. The issue of Obesity is directly related to todays technology through television, cell phones, video games and all of sorts of new gadgets.

Obesity has become increasingly more prominent in American society. The Unites States has even been termed an overweight nation. Some twenty to thirty percent of American adults are now considered obese (Hwang 1999 and Hirsch et al 1997). With this in mind, Americans constantly look around themselves determining their weight status as well as that of those around them. While some Americans do fit the healthy category, others enter the underweight, overweight, and even obese categories, all of which can be unhealthy.

Being overweight, eating poorly, and not exercising are becoming an epidemic in America, especially among college students. Most of the research on it states the same things, however the first research article I found speaks more to the behavior and its current affects on college students’ health. A slew of doctors and Jesse S. Morrell wrote an article about “Risk Factors Among College Men and Women” in relationship to obesity. The opening of this article stated that “an estimated 300,000 deaths each year are attributable to obesity… and young adults have experienced dramatic increases in obesity rates,” (Morrell, 2012, pg. 82). This statistic is what really got the research going and helped the researchers focus specifically on college-aged individuals. Upon diving into their research, the authors found more alarming statistics and related diseases. This included a recognizable relationship between obesity in young people and chronic disease risk, especially diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Morrell, 2012, pg. 82). In fact, CVD was the second leading cause of death in the US in that college-age group showing that our generation is at a greater risk for health problems than ever before due to our lack of exercise and healthy diets. Researchers then took to college campuses to examine students and their habits and provide risk assessments to promote healthier lifestyles and hopefully decrease the probability of CVD and DM through the metabolic syndrome system,

Obesity is a very serious threat to the health of Americans and people all across the world. A plethora of studies have been done to confirm the adverse effects of obesity on an individual 's health. Obesity rates have been skyrocketing in the past 30 years. The year 2000 marked the first time in human history that the percentage of obesity in the human population rose over 50% (Obesity: A Cultural and Biocultural Perspective). Obesity, as well as childhood obesity, is more prevalent than ever. There has been little done by the American people and the U.S. government to reverse this trend. My research has shown that the problem of obesity is a much larger problem than most people believe it to be. Many Americans underestimate the

“Obesity is a disease that affects more than one-third of the U.S adult population (approximately 78.6 million Americans). The number of Americans with obesity had steadily increase since 1960, a trend that has slowed down in recent years but show no sign of reversing”.

In 1999, the cost of child and adolescent hospital admissions and visits due to obesity and overweight was estimated to be $127 million (CDC). According to the Center of Disease Control, the total cost of obesity in the U.S. in 2000 was $117 billion, with one third of these costs attributed to cardiovascular complications (CDC).

Obesity is defined by the Encyclopedia of Nursing “Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease and is characterized by an accumulation of excess body fat caused by increased caloric intake and decreased energy expenditure” (1). Obesity can cause several health conditions and even death. In America to be considered obese is when a person’s Body Mass Index also known as BMI is over 30. Obesity divided into three categories. Here is the breakdown of the categories per the Center for Disease and Control Prevention “Class 1: BMI of 30 to < 35 Class 2: BMI of 35 to < 40 Class 3: BMI of 40 or higher. Class 3 obesity is sometimes categorized as “extreme” or “severe” obesity” (1). An obese adult can have many health diseases such as heart disease, instance of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and sleep apnea. With these health problems adults, will also have increased health care cost. According to the article The Economics’ of Obesity: Cost, Causes and Controls” by Clare Ulrich “Total health-care costs for obesity-related problems were tabulated at $75 billion in 2003” (1). This is an estimated cost of what the nation spends on healthcare for the Obesity related health cost. J.G. Trogdon’s article Indirect Costs of Obesity: A Review of the Current Literature he talks about the obesity in six categories. One of the categories in these categories he discusses what the government pays in income due to obese related

It is no secret that at the national level, people are still gaining weight. Recent statistics reveal that there are now twice as many Americans obese than just thirty years ago. And, along with the extra pounds increases the risk of chronic diseases - such as diabetes and high blood pressure - so the worsening of the epidemic should definitely put more pressure on health care system. Obesity is not so selective when it comes to charge victims - regardless of age, sex or race, millions of people are affected by it (Skelton, Cook, & Barlow, 2009). Certain population groups are more affected than others.

Obesity is a significant public health problem that has serious worldwide implications for health and disease. The sheer quantity of obese people in the world and specifically America, is testament to the need for this grave public health concern to be curbed. Obesity is classified as individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 and above. Since 1980 worldwide obesity has nearly doubled.7 In 2014, approximately over 600 million adults worldwide were obese.7 Of this number 39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight (BMI of 25-29.9) in 2014, and 13% were obese.7 Most of the world 's population live in countries where

During the past 20 years, there has been a substantial increase in obesity in the United States and rates remain high. More than one-third of U.S.