Obesity In Mississippi

On Dec 12, 2013 there were high rates of obesity and diabetes in a majority of Mississippi’s cities and counties which continues to make Mississippi the unhealthiest state in the country. This may be attributed to Mississippi’s a high poverty rate because poor people tend to eat less healthy. A lot of people in Mississippi has lack of physical activity so that could be another reason. Obesity in adults and children is a top health concern in Mississippi. In 2012 Mississippi had the highest obesity rate in the country. In 2011 it was reported that 44% of Mississippi’s kids were overweight or obese and 70% of the adults were and that it is most prevalent in the Mississippi Delta. Along with obesity go a slew of other health problems including diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Another cause of obesity in the Delta is the lack available fresh produce in places. In one store in the Mississippi Delta, bananas were starting to turn black in their only grocery store. If you really want quality fresh produce food or fruit you must drive 30 to 45 minutes to find a good grocery store.

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

Twenty one point seven percent of Mississippi’s ten to seventeen year old population is currently obese. Obesity in any area, regarding age, is a problem. Childhood obesity needs to be addressed first, because reducing the amount of obese residence in Mississippi would subtract from the adult obese rate. Obesity causes so many health problems that children should not be experiencing at a young age (“State of Obesity”). Childhood obesity has been casting a dark shadow over Mississippi for a very long time; taking lives and causing diagnoses every day, therefore childhood obesity is a problem that needs to be fixed.

The kids have no developed the needs to fast foods as they are seeing toys that come with the meals and they want something that is quick to receive and easy to pay for. Children of the age of 10 through to 17 years old are rated 18.6 percent obese in the state of Alabama as they are ranked number 11 of the 51 states and this group is rising alarmingly due to kids not eating school lunch and going to get food after school and these items that the y want need to be quick to receive and in large portions. These adolescents want something that is high with fat and allow them to get the consumption that is more than what they can bare. The highest levels of fast-food consumption were found in youngsters with higher household income levels, boys, older children, blacks and children living in the South. This is because being raised in the south there are a lot of fattening foods in which many people in Northern States would not dare eat in their lives. The new study results bolster evidence that fast food contributes to increased calorie intake and obesity risk in adolescents.

Obesity is a primary concern of the public health in the United States as a whole, as well as in the state of Texas. According to the Texas Medical Association (TMA), obesity and metabolic syndrome are listed as number two on their list of Public Health Priorities (Texas Medical Association, 2016). The three levels of government, national, state and local, are concerned with the high rates of obesity. All levels of government strive to work together to keep people as healthy as possible (“The Future of the Public’s Health in the 21st Century, 2003).

We as a state have a problem Mississippi is the state full of the most obese people in the country. It is recorded that 35.1% of the people living in Mississippi are overweight, that being said we have to make a change to our state in some way. I don’t entirely blame the people of Mississippi for being overweight; I think our state is to blame to. It is not our fault there is not much to do; the state needs to find more activities for kids and adults. I think that is why people in other states are not as obese as the people in Mississippi.

What measures should Governor Bryant take to reduce childhood obesity in the low-income population of Mississippi?

Obesity is a serious problem in this country, but especially in New Orleans. New Orleans is known for cajun, spicy, and fried food and the food portion are huge. It is importance to teach children early proper eating habits. Children learn from their parents, so parents have to set a good example. Nowaday children just sit inside and play video games and they do not get any physical activity.

Obesity, and more importantly childhood obesity, is drastically effecting the United States of America and other parts of the world, more and more each day. In the last 30 years, the amount of children who are six to eleven years old have doubled, and children who are twelve to nineteen years old have more than quadrupled. (“Facts”) The wild and wonderful state of West Virginia unfortunately has the title of the 2nd highest obesity rate in the United States at 35.7% as of 2014. The childhood obesity rate in West Virginia is 14.0% for two to four year olds, 18.5% for ten to seventeen year olds, and 15.6% for high school students in general. (“WV”) There was a census conducted in 2012 that showed that greater than one-third of children were overweight or obese too. (“Facts”) There is clearly a problem with West Virginia, the United States, and the world. Even though childhood obesity increases every year and is caused by many factors, it can be prevented.

The rate of childhood obesity has grown an enormous amount over the years with more than 40 million children being overweight! That number is astonishingly high and it is very obvious that something needs to be done about this. Studies had shown in 2008 that more than 40 million children were said to be overweight and the sad truth is that they are still increasing rapidly to this day; also every 1 in 4 teenagers is said to not reach the fitness guidelines (Tanner) according to an article by Lindsey Tanner. For this problem to be resolved not only do the parents of children need to make sure their kids are staying active but also, the schools they attend need to make sure they are getting a well-balanced meal and have some type of physical activity during their school day. Each state in America is given a percentage rate on the number of obese people in that particular state. The highest ranking state is Mississippi with a percentage of 34.9 and the state ranking the least is Connecticut with 24.5 percent. Different researches have shown that each day 850 lives are taken due to obesity and each year there are more than 300,000 people that die from obesity related illnesses. These are deaths that most likely could have been avoided if these individuals would have had the proper exercise and diet in their lives.

Nationally, about 17% of people under the age of 20, about 12.5 million are considered obese. School districts that serve students food that are high in calories and fat are to blame for the growing numbers of obese children. Although school lunches provide students food at minimal costs, the poor quality of food served delivers inadequate nutrition and is responsible for the rising numbers of obese minors in the United States. In order to combat this growing problem, school districts must limit student choices in the lunchroom and provide healthier food nationally. Although some school districts may argue this, it is necessary to do so as school districts in Pennsylvania and Mississippi and university studies support this claim.

With the advent of urbanisation and the rise in popularity of fast food, there have been accompanying issues with rising obesity rates – especially in developed countries like England and the USA. After providing a careful analysis of why obesity has risen so sharply in these countries, I shall suggest a number of ways in which the obesity epidemic can be ameliorated.

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%.

The “Shape It Up,” after-school fitness program is designed to encourage our youth to become physically active and help prevent the childhood obesity epidemic faced by our youth. In society today, there is an increased need for our youth to be involved in physical education activities and to support the battle against health problems resulting from obesity. In 2015, the American Heart Association reported that one in three teenagers in the United States of America is considered overweight and obese; childhood obesity has become one of the nation’s main concerns. In addition, there is an substantial need for more after-school programming in the state of Mississippi. According to the After-school Alliance, 88,960 students in the state arrive