Obesity In America

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,

America is getting fat. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), obesity rates in America have tripled in the last 30 years; currently one-third of the population is considered obese (Albritton 94-95). Modern Americans have found themselves salivating at the drive thru window of one of the top fast food chains that rule this world, devouring foods that do not promote a positive well-being. Kelly Brownell, an economist and professor at Yale University, first suggested the concept of implementing a higher tax on unhealthy foods, therefore encouraging consumers to pursue a more positive route within their diet (Badilas 257). According to a general survey, the people of America are also beginning to have a change of heart,

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third, 34.9% (78.6 million) of adults in the United States are obese (Adult Obesity Facts). In 2008, the annual medical cost of obesity was $147 billion dollars, and the people who were obese had medical costs that were $1,429 higher than those at normal weight. The National Census Bureau of the United States reveals that the overall percentage of all ages with a body mass index of over 30 (obese) has increased from 20% of the population in 1998 to 33% in 2008. The amount of adults who are physically inactive has increased in that same time period from 28.9% to 36.2% of the population. Non-Hispanic blacks have the highest age-adjusted rates of obesity of 47.8%, followed by Hispanics at 42.5%, non-Hispanic whites at 32.6%, and non-Hispanic Asians at 10.8%. The prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States in 2011-2012 was approximately 17% or 12.7 million of children aged 2-19 years old.12 There are significant racial disparities in children as well. Obesity prevalence was higher among Hispanics at 22.4% and non-Hispanic black youth at 20.2% than non-Hispanic white youth at 14.1%. The lowest prevalence of obesity was non-Hispanic Asian youth at

The United States of America is the fattest country in the world. Obesity in America has reach epidemic proportions. Obesity and weight gain has become major concern of public health in the United States. In every state, at least twenty percent of adults are obese, and in twelve of these states the obesity rate is above thirty percent. Mississippi currently holds the highest rate of obesity with 34.9 percent of its residents being obese. On the contrary, Colorado has the lowest rate of obesity with 20.7 percent. CNN estimated that annual medical care costs due to obesity reached $147 billion, but the Institute of Medicine estimates it is closer to $190 billion.

Obesity in America is a continually growing problem and even worse our own children are sharing in this problem. A commentary in the Washington Times reports that sixty million Americans are obese. What really is the meaning of obese? Obese is having a body mass index of thirty percent or more. In recent years, the percentage of obese Americans has risen. In the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, the percentage of obese Americans rose from 22.9 in 1984-1994 to 32.2 in 2003 and 2004. The study also says if you throw in the number of "over weight" Americans (body mass index of 25 to 29.9) the total jumps to 66.3

In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. A study done by the Centers of Disease Control showed that since 1980, one third of our adult population has become overweight. America is the richest but also the fattest nation in the world and our obese backsides are the butt of jokes in every other country (Klein 28). The 1980s were a time when Americans suddenly started going crazy over dieting, jumping onto the treadmills, and buying prepackaged non-fat foods. However, while all of that was going on, the number of obese Americans began to increase. According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 58 million

Obesity in America is literally a growing problem, affecting every age group. Children are the most venerable group because they have no control over where they have dinner or how often they have fast food. Parents and guardians make decisions about food and are responsible for the health of children. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in the last twenty years. This is concerning because Type Two diabetes is a horrible, crippling disease that is affecting children and teens dramatically whereas the disease was primarily seen in adults. Children are said to have a shorter life span than their parents for the first time ever. In the United States sixty-six percent of adults are overweight and one in

In America childhood obesity statistics show that almost 60 percent of children are obese. This statistic continues to grow at an alarming rate. 70 percent of obese adolescence become obese adults. This means when these children grow into adults they will have more health problems than they already do and their quality of life will decrease. The amount of children who are obese between ages 6-11 years old has risen from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 19.6 percent, in 2008. In adolescents ages 12-19 years old the obesity rates risen from 5.0 percent in 1960 to 18.1 percent in 2008. Last year the United States government stated that obesity and type 2 diabetes have become a national epidemic.

When discussing the issue of obesity in America, it seems to be that there is plenty of blame to go around and most of that blame falls on fast food companies. When searching for a concrete answer to the question used as my title, you will find none because there isn’t one. When asked this simple question, it is easy to blame the obesity problem on fast food considering 8 out of 10 Americans consume fast food according to a report done by the Huffington Post. But after doing more research you will notice that this isn’t necessarily the case. American obesity can be blamed on a variety of things; lifestyle, accessibility of fast food, and what we are taught about food growing up. However, when the only options you are provided with by the food industry are all unhealthy, obesity cannot be avoided.

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).

Today, in our fast-paced world of modern America, the availability of inexpensive, cheap processed food and drink is overwhelming. We have quickly become the most obese nation on the planet by simply allowing companies to lower nutritional value, raise sugar quantity, and increase fat and calorie percentages to an astounding amount. We as a nation buy into these consessions because of three main reasons: low price, convenience, and massive availability. Because of this, eating healthy is seen to be expensive, time consuming, and daunting. This is the opposite of what we need here in America. Big name companies spend billions upon advertising their sugary, fat-gushing products. When in reality, we should restrict the abundance of adverts, plastered all over major cities, social media, and television. We need to start taking a

Good news! We’re Number 2! As declared by a 2013 report from the U.N., America has only the second highest obesity rate in the world at 31.8%, second to Mexico with an obesity rate of 32.8%. America has held on to the title of most obese country for over 60 years. From 13% obesity in 1962, estimates have steadily increased right up to 2013’s 32.8%.

In the last 10 years, 12.7 million of adolescents in the United States aged between 12 to 19 years old are obese. Obesity is generally caused by eating too much and moving too little. When teenagers consume high amounts of energy from their diet, through fats and sugars, but do not burn off the energy through exercise and physical activity, much of the surplus energy is then stored by the body as fat. An obese person has accumulated so much body fat that it might have an adverse effect on their health. If a person's body mass is at least 20% higher than it should be, the person is considered obese. Many teenagers in the United States have gained weight for a variety of reasons, some have accumulated so much body fat that it might have a negative

There are many health risks when a child is obese. Some physical health problems include: heart disease, type 2 diabetes,

We know that childhood and adolescent obesity can have some harmful effect on children’s life. It is believed that most kids who are obese will more than likely become obese adults and this can lead to “psychosocial problems and cardiovascular