Obesity : Better Policies For A Healthier America 2015

Being overweight, eating poorly, and not exercising are becoming an epidemic in America, especially among college students. Most of the research on it states the same things, however the first research article I found speaks more to the behavior and its current affects on college students’ health. A slew of doctors and Jesse S. Morrell wrote an article about “Risk Factors Among College Men and Women” in relationship to obesity. The opening of this article stated that “an estimated 300,000 deaths each year are attributable to obesity… and young adults have experienced dramatic increases in obesity rates,” (Morrell, 2012, pg. 82). This statistic is what really got the research going and helped the researchers focus specifically on college-aged individuals. Upon diving into their research, the authors found more alarming statistics and related diseases. This included a recognizable relationship between obesity in young people and chronic disease risk, especially diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Morrell, 2012, pg. 82). In fact, CVD was the second leading cause of death in the US in that college-age group showing that our generation is at a greater risk for health problems than ever before due to our lack of exercise and healthy diets. Researchers then took to college campuses to examine students and their habits and provide risk assessments to promote healthier lifestyles and hopefully decrease the probability of CVD and DM through the metabolic syndrome system,

Obesity is defined as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduce life expectancy and/or increased health problems. “The problem of obesity is increasing in the United States. Understanding the impact of social inequalities on health has become a public health priority in the new millennium. Social, political, and economic factors now are acknowledged to be "fundamental" causes of disease that affect behavior, beliefs, and biology.” (Goodman, 2003)  In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. Obesity has not always been seen as a medical

The definition of obesity is someone who is grossly overweight. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines obesity as: "...labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height" (Causes and Consequences 1). Almost one-third (35%) of America's population falls under the category of 'obese'. Colorado has the lowest statistics of obesity with less than 25% of its population registering as obese. This percentage in the U.S. has been rising steadily since 1986 when the obesity rate registered less than 10% nation wide. This data states that in less than thirty years, the obesity rate has exploded in North America and is still climbing. Many fear the rate might continue climbing to dangerous levels in the near future. A study conducted by the American College of Preventive Medicine (Obesity Forecasts Through 2030) reveals data predicting obesity rates to skyrocket past 50% nationwide by 2030 (Finkelstein 1). This quickly growing rate has many looking to the cause of this epidemic in an attempt to

Currently, the definition of obesity, determined by the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale, considers a child over the 95th percentile to be obese. Childhood obesity affects 17% of the children in the United States, and according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention, 12.7 million American children will have the prevalence of obesity. Roberto Ferdman argues in his article in The Washington Post that “American kids are still far more likely to be overweight than kids in most other countries.” Some children are more likely to become obese based on their race or gender. “The prevalence of obesity among non-Hispanic Asian youth (8.6%) was lower than among non-Hispanic white (14.7%), non-Hispanic black (19.5%), and Hispanic

How many times a week do you go out to McDonald 's or Taco Bell for dinner? If you go more than once or twice a week then you really need to look at your diet and how healthy your lifestyle is. America is having a huge obesity crisis, too many Americans just don’t care about how much they weigh or unhealthy their lifestyle is. From the advertisement of the fast food companies, to people not being able to afford healthier foods, and people just being plain lazy, America has an increasing population of morbidly obese people.

In the United States, a crisis is breaking out known as the Obesity epidemic. For the first time in history, it is possible for the children of this generation to have a lower life expectancy than their parents. Millions of Americans are exposed to ads that are luring them into eating the cheap, fast food of billion dollar companies such as McDonald’s. Obesity has established itself as the fastest growing disease in the nation and continues to make an impact on the general population. The issue of Obesity is directly related to todays technology through television, cell phones, video games and all of sorts of new gadgets.

The issue of obesity has been ongoing in the American society for over a decade and there is much that can be done to fix it. As the great businessman Richard Attias said, “Obesity is a problem that nearly every nation in the world is facing, but there is much that we can do to fix it” (Attais). With very little progress being made to stop or slow it down in the present time, the focus should be shifted towards the future. America’s younger generation should be taught about health, nutrition and preventing major weight gain. Adding lessons and classes to the American public school system that pertain to these subjects would greatly benefit our society in the future. Educating students about nutrition and physical activities will make them more aware about their health and staying healthy. This will cause students to be more proactive by eating healthier and exercising frequently. As a result, there will be a decrease in obesity in our society as the younger generation grows up.

States many facts that have occurred in our time related to childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period. In 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. The CDC defines being overweightas having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle,

America is facing a rigorous obesity plague that is endangering the health of millions. Moreover, we are passing our bad practices down to our children. Obesity is a stipulation in which anomalous or excessive fat buildup in adipose tissue that damages health. Obesity is defined in adults as a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 30 (kg/m). Obesity is one of the most discernible, but until recently, most deserted public health problems. The present high pervasiveness of obesity and the brisk increase in pervasiveness in the last twenty years has been referred to as an endemic (Johnson SJ, Birch LL. 1994). Children all through the U.S. are getting fatter and less fit, through potentially treacherous enduring consequences. The figure of

The prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States has greatly increased in the past two to three decades 1, while incidence of obesity has doubled worldwide since 1980 2. Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates over 170 million children and adolescents worldwide are overweight. Particularly in the United States, prevalence of obesity in children has increased from 13.9% in 1999 to 31.8% in 2010 3. After nearly two decades of increase, the rates have started to plateau 4. Thresholds of body-mass-index (BMI) have been used internationally to define underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity in adults and children1. In the U.S., a child is defined as overweight if BMI is between the 85th and 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex. A BMI at or above the 95th percentile is considered obese 5. Weight gain in children is a result of an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure 6. Therefore, a combination of overeating, increased caloric intake and decreased activity all contribute to an “energy gap” which ultimately result in children becoming overweight or obese. The obesity and overweight epidemic is influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors which may contribute to weight gain in children. In addition to these factors, there are health disparities such as: gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status putting populations at risk for becoming obese. However, recent research suggest the

Forty years ago in America childhood obesity was rarely a topic of conversation. A survey done in the early 1970s showed that 6.1% of children between the ages 12 and 19 were overweight. Eight years later the same survey was done and 17.4% were considered overweight (Iannelli). “Childhood obesity epidemic in America is now a confirmed fact since the number of overweight or obese children has more than tripled during the last 30 years” (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). “Over the last 20 years, the prevalence of obesity in children aged 6 to 11 years has tripled from 6.5% to 19.6%” (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). As a nation statistics should be alarming. Why are American children today so obese?

Obesity is a growing problem among U.S. children. In 1994, one in five children between the ages of 6 and 17 was overweight. This is double the rate of 30 years ago (National Center for Health Statistics, 1999). This adverse trend has potentially profound effects on children's health, including their long-term health. The terms "obese" and "overweight" often are used interchangeably. Technically, "obesity" is the upper end of "overweight." Obesity is clinically diagnosed as: greater than 90th percentile for weight for height; or greater than or equal to the 95th percentile Body Mass Index (BMI), age and sex specific. The gold standard is becoming the BMI, since this is also used

Over the past few decades the United States has seen a dramatic rise in the average weight of children and adolescents leading to an obesity epidemic. According to Up-to-Date, body mass index (BMI) is defined as the standard measure of obesity in individuals. It is the body height in kilograms divided by the body height in meters squared (Skeleton, 2016). Child obesity is based on a standardized growth scale and is defined as a body mass index (BMI) that surpasses the 95th percentile of a fixed distribution for a child’s age and gender. For elementary school age students, the cutoff is around a BMI of 20 (Schanzenbach, 2005). An increased obesity is due to a disproportion of increased caloric intake with inadequate energy expenditure throughout the day. In a recent comparison of 34 countries, Janssen et. al showed that “the two countries with the highest prevalence of overweight and obese youth were Malta (25.4% and 7.9%) and the United States (25.1% and 6.8%) while the two countries with the lowest prevalence were Lithuania (5.1% and 0.4%) and Latvia (5.9% and 0.5%)” (2005).

Obesity is defined as excess body weight that has a negative impact on self-esteem and also contributes to a spectrum of comorbidities, which include type II diabetes, hypertension, multiple cancers and cardiovascular diseases. The result of obesity is a diminished life expectancy and quality of life. Unfortunately, obesity costs have hurt our economy because the U.S. government spends billions of dollars in health care expenses annually, and the trouble does not stop there. In 2012, the CDC reported that more than one third of children in the United States were overweight or obese. With the costs of health care tanking the economy, this country cannot afford to have a population of children overweight or obese. Child who are obese grow to be obese adults and the health complications begin to increase at a much younger age. Therefore, the CDC has proposed a great change in obesity among children to be accomplished by the year 2020.

Obesity, or being overweight, is definitely a problem that many people face in this day and age. According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Weight that is higher than what is considered as a healthy weight for a given height is described as overweight or obese”(1). To determine what a healthy weight is, a tool called a Body Mass Index (BMI) is used. It indicates if a person is underweight, of normal weight, overweight, or obese by using the relationship between one’s height and weight in a given formula. In this formula, you divide one’s weight (in lbs.) by their height (in inches), then multiply by 703 to get their BMI. An individual is considered to overweight if their BMI number is between 25-29.9 and obese if it greater than and equal to 30. Over the last couple of decades in America, obesity has become more and more of a concern with more than one third of adults and about seventeen percent of children considered to obese today (CDC). While I was doing my research, there seems to be a debate on who is ultimately causing the sudden rise of the obesity in America. It has come to my attention that the debate has found itself stuck primarily between the food industry and individual’s responsibility for their own health, even though there are other contributing factors that play a part in this epidemic. Personally, I believe that the food industry is more to blame; however, both parties do contribute to the obesity epidemic in their own way.