Obesity Epidemic Paper

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.

"Though I have never heard of the obesity crisis, it is obvious that obesity is an issue". This is the opening statement of the paper I wrote at the beginning of the semester, which is unbelievable now. I have learned so much about the obesity crisis: when it began, what lead to it, how it affects the country, how obesity effects an individual, what contributes to it, what other countries have done and are doing to battle the issue and what we can do in America to combat it, along with the process of reliable research and how important it is to question what might seem obvious. Maybe the popular opinion is the truth, but maybe, such as in the case of the obesity crisis, it is as far off as it can get. In just a few months, I have gone from

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.

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 remains an extremely serious issue worldwide. Once considered a problem for wealthier counties, overweight and obesity are now dramatically increasing in low and middle income countries (WHO, 2011). In American, the rates of obesity continue to soar. CDC (2009) recognizes obesity as a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other health problems. According to NHANES over two-thirds of the US are overweight or obese, and over one-third are obese (CDC, 2009). Treatment for this illness varies; it may include the incorporation of diet, exercise, behavior modification, medication, and surgery. Since there is no single cause of all overweight and obesity, there is no single way to prevent or treat overweight

A common theme among the concerns of today’s American citizens is that of obesity. Obesity, identifiable by abnormal fat accumulation, can be defined in absolute terms by one who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30. It is estimated that over 30 percent of American adults are clinically obese. This number has shown a dramatic increase from the 15 percent of American adults suffering from obesity in 1980. Globally, 400 million adults are obese, while predictions place this number at 700 million by 2015. The major issue confronting this adiposity is the health conditions that accompany states of extreme obesity. These include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis among others. The escalating number of obese and

According to countyhealthrankings.org, (2017), the percentage of adult obesity in Brooklyn alone is high, with 23%, compared to the entire NYC with 25%. From my observation of the community, about a quarter of the adult population are either obese or overweight. During my assessment of the community, I noticed that there are lots of fast food restaurants, Chinese take-out/eat-in, pizzerias, Burger kings, McDonalds, Footprints, Dunkin Donuts, Jamaican restaurants and food trucks situated on almost every block. To my amazement, people of all ages, both adults and youths are seen coming in and out of these amenities. I observed only two of the holistic food stores, and each one is surrounded by multiple unhealthy food restaurants and remotely distant from each other. According to countyhealthrankings.org, (2017), about 32% of children in the community are living in poverty and have an income inequality of 6.4% which supports their decision of poor food choices because healthy food choices are too expensive and unaffordable (usda.gov, 2017). Additionally, about 26% of the community residents are physically inactive, which is associated directly with their unhealthy lifestyle (countyhealthrankings.org, 2017), and it is emphasized by www.nih.gov, that people with inactive sedimentary lifestyle are likely to gain weight due to their inability to burn calories accumulated during meal consumption and lack of physical

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.

In recent years, information about how our food choices affect our health has started to emerge in popular society. The outrageous percentage of people suffering with diseases such as obesity, diabetes and asthma has people asking questions and looking for causes (and solutions). Television shows such as Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, in which one ambitious English chef sets out to make the most obese city in America healthier, explains just how serious these problems have become. The scenic city of Huntington, WV has been the key driving force of his movement. This city is only a few miles from where I live. The most obese city in America. The state of West Virginia, has been the most obese state in the United States from 2010 through 2012. “Overall, obesity in the U.S. has increased from 26.2 percent in 2012 to 27.1 percent in 2013; the obesity rate was 25.5 percent in 2008” (Huffington post, 2014). This continuously increasing current global issue effects our society, our landscape and our cities. As designers it is our responsibility to understand our environment’s current problems and develop solutions to improve the lives of everyday people. To find solutions to this global issue “Architecture is now part of the national discussion on the obesity and chronic disease epidemic in the United States” (AIA, Fit Nation, 2013). “It’s not just ‘walk more, weigh less,” Friedman says. “This is about

In New York City, 34% of adults are overweight and with 22% are obese (CDC, 2014). Obesity can

The obesity epidemic proves to be an issue in America and continues to grow with time. In simple terms, obesity is a disorder where the subject has increasing amounts of fat, leading to health problems in the future. This epidemic has steadily increased in American bodies for decades and researchers have tried to find the root causes of this problem. Though there is controversy as to what is the primary cause of this rising epidemic, it is clear that there are many factors that contribute to the fluctuating weight gain among many American citizens. With these factors, there are multiple perspectives of the epidemic. One of the primary perspectives is that an unhealthy diet contributes to obesity in Americans; with the popularity, convenience and cheap prices of fast food, statistics have shown direct relations of increasing obesity rates with an unhealthy diet. A secondary factor of rising obesity rates is the lack of exercise or activity in the body. Without a way to burn off excess calories, they sit in your stomach and there is not a good alternative to burn them off like in a workout. Additionally, with the strong presence media plays in society, there is an idea that women have to be stick-thin as the norm. As a result, there is a new perspective that being overweight is due to societal standards of skinny figures and the increasing media, creating weight bias. These different perspectives all provide a basis for researchers to explore this issue and find ways to

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene currently reports more than half of adults which is 34 percent are overweight or 22 percent of them are obese. As we know obesity increases the risk of many chronic conditions such as cardiac diseases, stroke and high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Which ultimately increase the health care cost paid by Medicare. Root cause of the obesity epidemic is intake of all the unhealthy sugary sweet beverages, high sodium content processed food and lack of knowledge of nutrition values and diet (nyc.gov). New York State spends about $6.1 billion annually to fight diet related diseases (New

Obesity is defined as the excessive body fat accumulation that negatively impacts adult health conditions. Overweight and obese BMI is between 25 and 30 and >30. In 2010, obesity is a major public health issue that affects one million overweight adults and 400 million obese worldwide. Obesity is associated with risk factors such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obstructive sleep apnea etc. (Fock & Khow, 2013). “ According to World Health Organization (2010), obesity is caused by excess calorie intake, genetics, lack of physical activity, and high cost in food prices. Despite the fact that obese adults do not have ample time to cook meals due to their busy schedule (Specchia et al, 2014). In addition, lifestyle and diet play an important role in adult obesity. The cost of obesity would be beneficial to solve the social and economic impact on public health policy.

Obesity among city dwellers is becoming one of the major national health concerns. In fact, it became a crisis. Nationally, “$147 billion is spent yearly for obesity-related care, including 77% greater spending on medications for the obese than for non-obese individuals” (Marchiondo 2014, P. 156). According to the CDC, among Maryland adults over 18 years old 65.4% were overweight, with a Body Mass Index of 25 or greater. Also, 27.1% were obese, with a Body Mass Index of 30 or greater (CDC - Obesity - Facts - Adolescent and School Health, 2012). Among Maryland’s adolescents between grade 9 and 12, 15.6 percent are overweight and 12.2 percent are obese (Obesity and Overweight for Professionals: State Programs: Funded States: Maryland - DNPAO - CDC, 2012). This problem places residents on a critical risk for several co-morbidities especial cardiovascular issues. Community health assessment about the problem of obesity in the city of Greenbelt is performed. The city of Greenbelt is found in PG County. According to the US census 2010, the city is home for 23, 068 people. It is a diverse city with African Americans being the majority of the population. The purpose of this paper is to make a detailed community assessment and recommendations to reduce the risk and incidence of obesity in this community.

Obesity has caused great dilemma in America. It was known as an adult disease. “Over two thirds of adults are over weight or obese.”(Obesity, Jerry R Ballenttne) these numbers are increasing rapidly. Obesity is not just a appearance