Kyle Andrade Dr. Perrino June 23, 2015 The Obesity Epidemic 1. Epidemiology and Public Health Significance 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 …show more content…
The relationship between obesity and socioeconomic status differs by sex, race and ethnic group. Among women, and specifically non-Hispanic white women, obesity prevalence is inversely proportional to income, while among non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American men obesity prevalence decreases as income decreases.9 Although the prevalence of obesity among women with income below 130% of the poverty level is higher than among those with higher incomes, the majority of obese women do not have incomes below 130% of the poverty level.9 Among men and women with a college degree, the prevalence of obesity is less than among those with some college education.9 College educated women are less likely to be obese compared with those with less than a high school diploma.9 Obesity is also associated with increased risk for numerous chronic diseases, including diabetes, and heart disease. Obesity is also linked to several digestive diseases.5 Due to the increased risk of death and the increased risk of costly chronic diseases associated with obesity, the
Obesity is becoming an increasingly significant health concern in the United States, nearly to the point of epidemic proportions. To be considered obese, one’s body weight must be at least 20% over their ideal body weight; unfortunately with this definition, over 30% of all Americans are obese. Alarmingly, approximately
One in three Americans are at risk for more than 30 chronic illnesses due to obesity. It is the biggest driver of healthcare, costing the country millions of dollars each year. Poor eating habits are the main cause of this disease and could all be changed beginning with the youth of the nation. 20 million children under the age of five are now considered overweight or obese in America (Dyer). What was once a rare disease, has now become an epidemic. Few health topics have initiated as much debate and controversy as obesity has within the past 15 years. The hope of new treatments progresses as obesity becomes the norm of our society and continues to change America every day.
In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous burden on both the health and healthcare of those affected. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. According to the Centers of Disease Control, as of 2013, 34.9% of our population is considered overweight or obese. America is the richest yet the fattest nation in the world, and our obese backsides are the butt of jokes in every other country (Klein, 1994).
Obesity has been on the rise in America and is reaching all time heights. Obesity in America is at 27.7 percent and 1 in 5 children in America are obese currently and many will have to deal with it throughout their lifetime. With almost a third of our population struggling with this problem, the increasing obesity rates are becoming a major concern. Even though there isn’t a single answer to why obesity has become so prevalent, there are many contributing factors such as socio-economic status, the rise in technology, fast food, car culture, politics, socio-economic status, stress, and biology.
An estimated 97 million adults in the United States are overweight or obese (Klein 2000). “"Affecting one in five Americans – or more than 22 percent of the U.S. population – obesity is one of the most pervasive health problems in our nation right now," said George L. Blackburn, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of surgery and associate director of the Division of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. "We need to implement steps to slow the progression of this national epidemic” (NAASO 1999). But the problem of obesity does not only affect the United States. "We now know that the growing prevalence of obesity is creating major health problems worldwide," said Dr. James O. Hill, president of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) and Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Obesity was once regarded as unique to Americans, but it is now seen as a global health risk affecting developing and underdeveloped countries (AOA 2000). Obesity is increasing at an epidemic rate in the United States - 1.3% a year for women over 20. Rates of obesity among minority populations, including African-Americans and Hispanic Americans are especially high (AOA 2000). There is also a marked increase in obesity among children.
Affecting over 36% of the population, obesity is a rising epidemic within the United States. An estimated 75% of adults over the age of twenty are classified as overweight or obese (Kolata, 2016). The disease affects women more significantly than men, with a greater prevalence within African American and Hispanic ethnic groups. Extreme obesity (BMI >40), affects six percent, and growing, of the American populace. This rise in obesity correlates not lonely with a lower life expectancy but also a rise in numerous other non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, pulmonary ailments, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health issues. Although the obesity epidemic is seen mostly within developed countries, such as the United States, the non-communicable disease is showing advancing prevalence and incidence rates worldwide, including low and middle income countries. The World Health Organization estimates one billion people are classified as overweight or obese (Kapil, 2016). In addition to the plethora of additional health care problems, obese patients are often hard to treat as the health care system does not yet have the equipment to detect, measure, or treat possible underlying problems. The treatment of obesity and related conditions is currently estimated to reach $100 billion within the United States (Kapil, 2016). Accounting for more than 100,000 premature deaths each year, the disease is the second highest noncommunicable and preventable disease
America’s Obesity rate has dramatically increased throughout the years. The United States of America obesity rate is ranked in the top 10 countries in the whole universe. This is outrageous, and there must be something done in order to decrease it. Many Americans don’t even know what obesity means and how it targets millions in the nation. Obesity is when an individual is overweight, this can be classified with your BMI. Many reasons that obesity can attack you is through great amounts of calories we intake daily, and our lack of exercise,
Obesity in the United States has been a serious problem affecting Americans and has been continually growing higher in numbers each year. American obesity has nearly doubled within the last 40 years and is now considered to be an epidemic that is affecting millions of people around the nation. According to the National institute of Diabetes and digestive and kidney Diseases, 31% of men and 35% of women are considered seriously overweight, along with 15% of children between the ages of six and nineteen are also overweight. The lack of physical inactivity and extreme poor dieting are catching up to almost the same threat as cigarettes and tobacco smoking. We as a nation are considered to be the fattest country in the world.
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.
Adult overweight and obesity have become a worldwide issue that has very dangerous consequences on health. World Health Organization defines obesity as the “epidemic of the 21st Century”. WHO reports show that 1.9 billion people with 18 years age and older are overweight, and 600 million of them are obese. In the United States, obesity is a serious problem today that results from overconsumption of high-fat food and sugary food with lack of exercise. The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention reports show that the obesity rates are above 20 percent in all states. Overweight and obesity have become a major public health issue because of their high rates of mortality and morbidity. People who are considered overweight or obese are at increased
“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”.
Obesity is an important public health problem in the united states and the rest of the developed world. The prevalence is also increasing quickly in many developing nations worldwide. This growing incidence represents a pandemic that needs urgent attention if the potential morbidity, and economic tolls that will be left in its wake are to be avoided
The United States Department of Health and Human Services conducted a recent study on the population of obese adults. The adults were defined as obese because they had an excessive amount of body fat. Adults who were overweight had an average Body Mass Index or BMI of 18.5 to 29.9 per cent. Obese adults had a Body Mass Index of over 30 per cent. The study shows that more than two in three adults are considered to be overweight or obese (“Overweight and Obesity Statistics” #).
From media outlets to individuals, from researchers to government agents, the consistent communication about weight in America demonstrates the severity of the phenomenon. There are over 170 million Americans who are severely obese, obese, or overweight including women, men, and children (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2012). Additionally, 22.9% of adult Americans suffer from metabolic syndrome, a medical condition in people who appear to be of a healthy weight but have dangerously high levels of fat inside their body (Beltrán-Sánchez, Harhay, Harhay, & McElligott, 2013). The causes behind the epidemic are complex but are often examined as an excess of caloric intake and a lack of sufficient activity (Tukuitonga & Keller, 2005). As mentioned previously, the obesity epidemic is a complex phenomenon with socio-economical, geographical, and
Obesity is an elaborately negative condition with behavioral, social, cultural, and environmental influences. The United States is know for being “one of the fattest nations on the planet, with a third of the country considered dangerously overweight.”