preview

Obesity Is A Health Crisis

Decent Essays

Obesity is a health crisis in the United States (US) as well as all over the world (American Heart Association, 2015). It is estimated that 20% of the adult population in the world will be obese by 2030 (Jones & Bloom, 2015). According to Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC, 2015), more than one-third of the US adult population is obese and in the last 20 years the prevalence of obesity in the adult population have escalated dramatically from 15% to 35%. These trends have significantly increased the health risks (CDC, 2015). In the US, obesity is more prevalent in African-Americans than whites. The African-American adults are approximately 1.5 times obese than the whites (CDC, 2015). According to Lancaster, Carter-Edwards, Grilo, Shen, and Schoenthaler (2014), disease conditions associated with obesity, such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and some types of cancers are dominant in African-Americans, especially in African-American females. The sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy food habits, and physical inactivity are the main contributing factors of the escalating problem of obesity (Knutsen, Terragni, & Foss, 2011). Without appropriate interventions, this problem could drastically increase the risk of comorbidities that can adversely affect the healthcare system and the economy of the US. Statement of the Problem and Purpose of the Study According to the American Psychological Association (2013), about 60% of African-American women are

Get Access