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Obesity : Obesity And Overweight

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In the past decade, more people are becoming overweight or obese including children and adults of all ages. Obesity is “defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres (kg/m2). A BMI over 25 kg/m2 is defined as overweight, and a BMI of over 30 kg/m2 is obese,” BMI standing for body mass index (“Obesity and Overweight” 1). While some people may disagree regarding whether or not there is a growing obesity epidemic, research proves indeed that the number of people that are becoming either obese or overweight has doubled in the past 30 years. All around, people are getting heavier. Weight issues are on the rise with “more than 1 billion adults overweight- at least 300 million of them clinically obese” and “an estimated 17.6 million children under five are estimated to be overweight worldwide” (“Obesity and Overweight” 2). Without proper and consistent exercise along with healthy eating habits, becoming overweight is more likely to affect you. Those that are overweight have increased health risks. The quantity of obese children is on the rise with food deserts and fast foods joints becoming more popular for better or worse. Being aware of the growing epidemic allows for preventative actions to be taken to slim the numbers back down. Health risks typically include, but are not limited to morbidity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, coronary heart disease, and different types of cancer (“NHLBI

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