Obesity Among City Dwellers Is Becoming One Of The Major National Health Concerns

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.

Obesity in America is real and profoundly alarming when you look at the major impact it has on our communities. Major health concerns like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure cases are at an all time high. Specifically, the disparity between low-income urban inner cities in regards to obesity as compared to more upper class wealthier communities makes you take pause. This relates to my professional goals of going back into my community as an activist and organizer of issues related to my environment, like health and education.

One of the more serious problems that the Southeast Queens Community is facing is obesity. Obesity has led to many other health concerns in this community such as Type 2 diabetes , heart disease, stroke, and even certain cancers. This presentation looks into who is at risk, and why? And what can be done to help this community.

The objectives for the Healthy People 2020 program include desired progress in nutrition and weight issues, and there are few communities in the country that do not need to pay a significant amount of attention to these problems (Healthy People, 2012). New Jersey is actually faring better than many states across many indicators, including overall obesity, however overweight and obesity as well as the behaviors that place people at risk for developing obesity are still major problems for adults and for children in communities across the state (CDC, 2012; Manalapan Board of Health; New Jersey Department of Education, 2010). Addressing childhood obesity in a manner that corrects problems from the outset and that teaches preventative methods in a proactive attempt to reduce both childhood and adult obesity levels is a key concern of Manalapan Township, specifically, and this issue is examined further in the following pages.

Obesity has become a major problem here in America. Although millions of American’s are affected by it, from all levels of society, the biggest problem seems to be focused with low-income families.

With obesity rates among children quickly becoming a national epidemic, efforts are underway to identify the disparities that exist within the populations of society affected by childhood obesity and plans to end the epidemic and its far reaching implications are underway. As an ongoing problem within the United States, childhood obesity has impacted millions of children and young adults over the past decade and the numbers continue to climb. The population of children affected by high obesity rates is directly related to children coming from families within poor socioeconomic status which draws directly to the level of their parent’s education, and racial background, thereby pointing to the origin of the health disparity among children and young adults, all contributing substantially to childhood obesity rates. As one of the factors weighing heavily among the disparities in children’s health, poor socioeconomic position within racial and ethnic minorities presents as the leading factor due to underserved and underrepresented communities having a shortage of access to health facilities, gyms, and exercise services within the communities they reside in. In addition inability to obtain and afford healthier food options is oftentimes out of reach for those in the poor

There is a new epidemic that is hitting America by storm in this day and age. It is a serious concern that can lead to serious health problems, social ostracism and, if left untreated, fatality. This disease is obesity, more specially child and teenage obesity in America which statistics show has reached an alarming 2.5 million for children ranging from 2 to 19. This teeming number is continually increasing and as a result, children are at an increased risk for diseases traditionally correlated with adults such as heart disease and Type II diabetes. Sadly enough, this can and will shorten the life span of children if measures are not taken. Now, there are many unknowns as to the actual causes of teen obesity and not just gluttony or

The data has shown that there is an ongoing problem with obesity in DeSoto County and many counties in Florida. The State of Obesity, reports that Florida 's adult obesity rate is 26.4 percent, up from 20.7 percent in 2004 and from 11.4 percent in 1990("Florida", 2014). In 2011 for DeSoto County, the percentage of obese females was in the worst 25% of all counties at 44%, while the percentage of obese males was in the middle 50% of all counties at 38.2%. The national average in 2011 was 36.1% for females and 33.8% for males. Excess weight is considered to be one of the major causes and determinates of future health problems. These problems include diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease among others. These issues cut across race, gender and age. If you are a black person aged 45-64 you are more likely to either have one of the diseases attributed to obesity or have the highest risk of developing one of these diseases. There is some good news among the data when it comes to children, the CDC reports that between 2008 and 2011 Florida 's rate fell from 14.1% to 13.1%, a statistically significant decrease according to the CDC analysis. The goal is to continue in this same direction by focusing on the education and intervention of children so they do not become a member of this statistical population and eventually fall into

The trends of adult overweight and obesity are also going up rapidly in the United States which makes it a major concern for public health agencies. Adults obesity rates in the state of New York have been increased from 9.3% in 1990 to 25% in 2015. NYC department of health reports show that more than 50% of New Yorkers are overweight or obese which makes obesity as an epidemic problem. In Flatlands and Canarsie, obesity rates are higher than the citywide rates which makes it a serious problem in those districts. This paper will focus on exploring the problem of high obesity rates in Flatlands and Canarsie and what reasons and evidence that prove that obesity is a public health issue in these neighborhoods as well as what some factors that might have led to this

The information that the health expert new to the community needs to gather about the existence of childhood overweight and obesity in this community is the statistical data that reflect the local childhood overweight issue, explore the local community culture and diversity. A systematic method should be used for data collection and recording. The expert should observe the natural (i.e. the local climate) and social (i.e. local poverty level) and built environment (i.e. sidewalks, community parks) within the community (Bell & Krumwiede, 2016). The health expert should also gather information from

Overweight is often misinterpreted as obesity, but it has been proven that individuals such as bodybuilders and professional athletes can be overweight yet they do not suffer from obesity. Obesity refers to just excessive body fat whereas overweight refers to excessive body weight including water, bone, fat, and muscle. A certain amount of fat is needed to store energy, heat insulation, shock absorption, and other functions, but when men reach more than twenty-five percent body fat, and women reach more than thirty percent they are considered obese. A person’s body mass index (BMI) is measured by dividing body weight in kilograms by the square of body height in meters (Wilmore, et al., 2008).

Obesity should not be confused with its counterpart “overweight”. Someone could be considered overweight, but not obese. An obese person on the other hand, is considered overweight and obese. It is like how a square is considered a rectangle, but a rectangle is not necessarily a square. Being overweight can put you at a higher risk of becoming obese, but it is not the same thing as being obese. Although there are some commonalities between the two, there is a huge difference when

Obesity occurs when the body takes in more calories than it burns. If a parent is obese than there is a 50 percent chance that their child will be obese. Obesity occurs in childhood because of poor eating habits, over eating, lack of exercise, and a family history of obesity. If you are a person who

Obesity has been an issue that is been pathologized in the Samoan community.. I am not entirely sure if the blame is on fast-food industries or it has something to do with our unique genes. I grew up in American Samoa, a small island southwest of Hawaii, and health is not a priority in my community. One health challenge that I have witnessed while growing up in Samoa is the growing rate of obesity among the community. According to the World Health Organization records, 95% of the populations are overweight. Most Samoans depend heavily on western food such as burgers, hot dogs, pizzas, and other fried food that has been introduced to people’s diet. Some people cannot afford organic foods or vegetables because it is too expensive so they turn to fast-food chains since they offer a cheap and convenient alternative. Being obese in Samoa is “normal” since more than half of the population fall under this category. However, that view has changed once western culture become heavily involved in the Samoan community in regards to cultural and social beliefs.

Obesity is a growing disease within our ever quickening, largely sedentary society. The American Obesity Treatment Organization reported the current obesity problem in the US as 72 million people dealing with this disease and associated risk factors. Obesity is a disease that affects both adults and children. The CDC lists related risk factors of this disease as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, Type-2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and stroke ("Adult Obesity Facts"). Obesity is highly prevalent in Florida with rates as high as 25-30% (“Obesity Prevalence Maps”). As a nation, the goal set by Healthy People 2020 is to reduce the rate of obesity to less than 15% and as the data and statistics clearly show Florida is nowhere