Factors In Decreasing The Risk Of Obesity

Over the past few decades, cases of obesity have become more prevalent in the United States, causing the US to be the leading county in obesity percentages. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death (Defining Overweight).

As we all probably know, obesity is a very large problem in America. Over 70% of all adults in America are overweight or obese and about 33% of children in America are overweight or obese. This means that over 70% of adults in America have a higher blood cholesterol, increased blood pressure, have a higher

Health has become a very popular topic in today’s society; how to lose weight, healthy body mass index, proper foods to eat to give your body nutrition, certain exercises to help lose weight here or gain muscle there, lower prices for a gym memberships, it seems to be a topic we are hearing about all the time now. However, there seems to lack of conversation about the health of the younger generation. Obesity among children is a growing problem in today’s society (Ogden, Carroll, Lawman, Fryar, Kruszon-Moran, Kit 2015).

As per Healthy People 2020 most Americans do not consume healthy diets and are not physically active at levels needed to maintain proper health. As a result of these behaviors the nation has experienced a dramatic increase in obesity in the U.S with 1 in 3 adults (34.0%) and 1 and 6 children and adolescents (16.2%) are obese. In addition to grave health consequences of being overweight and obese. It significantly raises medical cost and causes a great burden on the U.S medical care delivery system ("Healthy People 2020," 2014, p. 1).

Obesity is a problem in different areas throughout the world; obesity is a major problem in the United States of America. The food industry in the U.S. has changed. Food is cheaper and easier to access, but food is lower in quality and is massively produced (Kenner, 2008). Food is no longer as hard to come by as it once was and is not as expensive, but healthy food is more expensive and, most of the time, requires trips to the grocery store. In American society today, American are busy and have minimal time to exercise, cooking, or even go to the grocery store. The lower socioeconomic classes are notably affected as a result of individuals and families of lower socioeconomic classes often can’t afford healthy food from local grocery stores

Adult obesity rates have rapidly increased since 1960, with at least one-third of the population classified as obese today. It is believed that 60-70% of the risk factors for developing obesity are genetic and are genes that are generally considered to dictate food intake. The environment also significantly affects an individual’s risk for obesity, and poverty level is a huge factor as well. Of the ten states with the highest obesity rates, nine of them among the nation’s poorest states.

There are a variety of factors that can cause an individual to accumulate such high stores of fat (Wright & Aronne, 2012). Early researchers of obesity argued that the most common cause of obesity is a high caloric intake, or the consumption of high-calorie foods, that outstrips calories burnt via exercise (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). In other words, people accumulate excess body fat when they eat more calories than they burn, meaning obesity is caused primarily by the consumption of foods that are high in calories but low in nutritional value, and a sedentary lifestyle (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). More recently, however, researchers are recognizing the complex array of variables that interact to cause obesity, including environmental, social, and political factors known collectively as the social determinants of health (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). For example, research finds that our lived environments have been restructured in recent years to promote a culture of overeating: today, high-calorie fast foods are often more affordable than nutritious options, and are made conveniently accessible in the form of food trucks, pubs, and vending machines strategically placed on school grounds, college campuses, and near apartment buildings (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). Often, these foods are served in excessively large portions intended to promote the very over-eating that causes obesity (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). Moreover, the low priced, processed, ready-to-eat meals available in grocery stores tend to appeal to low-income families who cannot afford to purchase more expensive produce or take the time away from their work to prepare home cooked meals (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). Thus, recent research suggests that the

Obesity has been a problem in America for multiple years. Obesity rates in the United States are going to increase 37% in the next twenty-five years (Pomeranz 2009). According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 68.8% of adults are overweight or obese, one in every 20 people or 6.3% of adults have extreme obesity and 3 in every 4 males or 74% of males are obese (Overweight and Obesity 2009). Once someone comes to the realization that they are obese, it can be hard to turn their life around and lose some of that weight that is making them obese. Obesity can be the cause of multiple health related issues that Americans face. For example, obesity can cause type two diabetes, cardio metabolic disease,

According to Healthy People 2020 (HP 2020) (2014), nutrition, physical activity, and Obesity are one of the leading indicators ranking high-priority health issues. There are determinants that affect an individual’s to eat healthy, to be physically active, and maintain a healthy weight. The community setting has an essential effect on actions that impact health. For instance, there are communities that access to fresh fruits and vegetables is not available, and places for physical activities may not be available to motivate individuals to exercise or play. As well, gender, race, ethnicity, education level, and socioeconomic position determine the individual’s perception on healthy eating, physical activity, and obesity (HP 2020, 2014). Furthermore,

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services unhealthy eating and physical inactivity are the leading causes of death in the United States. Every year, 300,000 to 600,000 deaths result from unhealthy eating and inactivity (CSPI). Health risk behaviors are the main contributors to the nation’s rising premature death rate in the last twenty-five years. Heath related diseases have begun to span across several generations and is no longer limited to adults. The rise in obesity and malnutrition has resulted in children suffering from diseases that were once considered “adult” diseases. Many children are dying sooner then expected, and this generation of children is projected to “be the first generation of children who live

The lack of nutritious food has many negative effects on the human brain, and body. In the United States, obesity rates amongst children under the age of 11 have been rapidly increasing. Obesity in children is likely to lead into adulthood, due to habitually poor eating patterns as well as the absence of resources to change poor habits. Adults with obesity are far more likely to experience a number of serious health conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. While the rise

In the US, there are tremendous disparities in health outcomes across different racial and ethnic groups. Non-Hispanic, African American adults, in particular, are known to “bear a disproportionate burden of disease, injury, death, and disability” when compared to the rest of the population. Many factors contribute to these disparities. According to the CDC, among the contributors are “socioeconomic factors (e.g., education, employment, and income), lifestyle behaviors (e.g., physical activity and alcohol intake), social environment (e.g., educational and economic opportunities, racial/ethnic discrimination, and neighborhood and work conditions), and access to preventive health-care services (e.g., cancer screening and vaccination).”

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.

One of the most dangerous health problems plaguing Americans today is Obesity. In fact, America has the highest rate of obesity compared to other countries in the world. Approximately 32% of the United States population is considered obese and, as a result, almost 365,000 Americans die each year from some type of complication due to obesity. There are many complications and illnesses which can negatively affect a person's health.

The average percent of people getting obese is increasing daily. Jay Zagorsky, a scientist at Ohio State University writes that the rate of obesity in USA increased from 13% in the 1960s to 35% (Vanderkam). The people who are getting obese are different genders, but Jay Zagorsky stated that women who receives public assistance have a higher possibility of getting obese than who don’t (Vanderkam). Research from Health Policy Tracking Service, 2008, emphasizes that “A greater percentage of adolescents from families living in poverty are obese (23%), compared with those from families of a higher socioeconomic status (14%)” (Green et al.). Obesity relates to the socioeconomic status because unhealthy food is cheaper than healthy food, high availability of fast foods in the crowded neighborhoods, and lack of physical activities.