Obesity Invasion An invasion is occurring right under America’s nose, it’s has spread like wildfire through the vast mountains of California. What is this invasion I speak of you may inquire? Well, it is expansion of the American’s waistlines that is soaring at such alarming rate it astounding. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention concedes that “obesity is affecting 1 out of every 3 adults and 1 in 4 children.” A study conducted by Ramon Martinez, a technical specialist in health metrics for the World Health Organization, compiled data that showed 188 countries ranked by the percentage of their population that is overweight or obese. The U.S is ranked 27th place with 66.3 percent of it’s population being obese or over weight. …show more content…
It can also effect one’s mental health by causing stigmatization, depression and anxiety. These health complications not only overwhelmed our healthcare system, but has placed a financial burden on the cost of healthcare in America. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention claims that “obesity related medical care cost in the United States are at an all time high, and in 2008 dollars, these cost were estimated to be 147 billion. The annual nationwide productive costs of obesity-related absenteeism range between $3.38 billion ($79 per obese individual) and $6.38 billion ($132 per obese individual),” according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. An analysis conducted by Emory University own healthcare economist Ken Thorpe, Ph.D. C, titled “The Future Cost of Obesity” estimates that the annual of cost of health care will sky rock by an estimated 344 billion dollars by 2018 or about $20.00 per every healthcare dollar spent in the U.S, providing a financial imperative for obesity prevention initiatives. The progress of obesity has developed over the course of four decades has many contributing factors that can not be ignored. Such as cultural beliefs, attitudes and personal preferences towards certain food
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
During the past 20 years, there has been a substantial increase in obesity in the United States and rates remain high. More than one-third of U.S.
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 is a disease that affects more than one-third of the U.S adult population (approximately 78.6 million Americans). The number of Americans with obesity had steadily increase since 1960, a trend that has slowed down in recent years but show no sign of reversing”.
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.
Obese- is becoming an “epidemic!” We have 44.3 million people that are either obese or over weight. In 1986, the numbers were at 1 in 2000, and they became 1 in 400 by the year 2000. Even our high school age students are at an all time high of 16% overweight and 10% obese. As that number keeps increasing, future projections for covering healthcare expenditures must figure in the obese-related
In the United States, there are several problems occurring, but people would rather go on with their lives as if everything is fine .Being unaware of distressing circumstances is less arduous than being aware. But being aware allows one to adjust,because if people are knowledgeable than they are able to prevent or control the situation.
Obesity in America is an epidemic people die from this deadly disease. As people of America, we first need to understand what does it really mean to be overweight and uncomfortable? Nutritionists classify people in today’s society as either underweight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese. Being obese is not just a cosmetic problem. It’s a health issue that needs to be solved. Excess body fat accumulated over a period of time is harmful and it hurts.imagine walking around holding a ten-pound weight every day, then a few weeks later that ten-pound weight turns into a 2o pound weight. That’s not a good feeling it’s very comfortable. Who wants to have shortness of breath heart problems, diabetes, wheelchair bound or bed bound? Let’s make a change for humanity and the next generations.
The ongoing controversy as to who is to blame for this unhealthy food/obesity epidemic is fiercer than ever. Fingers have been pointed in all sorts of directions and will continue to be pointed. The industries, personal responsibility, food culture, and parents have all taken heat for this rapid increase of obesity. But who is really the root of this ongoing problem? Though the industries affect the rapid increase of obesity and health problems correlating to this unhealthy food crisis, it is not fully their fault. If you sit down and think about it, the people who are to blame are none the less but the parents.
Welcome to the United States of America; where every citizen has the right to life, liberty, and an expanding waistline. Recent studies have shown that “1 out of every 3 Americans are considered obese or overweight”(Kelley); a major contributor for 100,000 to 400,000 weight related deaths yearly. As a cost of being one of the heaviest nations in the world, the U.S. designates around $190.2 billion dollars, or 21% of all medical spending every year, for treatment, preventative, and diagnostic services, in an effort to stop what is now referred to as ”an obesity epidemic”. As for individuals living with this chronic disease on a daily basis, a recent report from George
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.
Obesity is a very serious threat to the health of Americans and people all across the world. A plethora of studies have been done to confirm the adverse effects of obesity on an individual 's health. Obesity rates have been skyrocketing in the past 30 years. The year 2000 marked the first time in human history that the percentage of obesity in the human population rose over 50% (Obesity: A Cultural and Biocultural Perspective). Obesity, as well as childhood obesity, is more prevalent than ever. There has been little done by the American people and the U.S. government to reverse this trend. My research has shown that the problem of obesity is a much larger problem than most people believe it to be. Many Americans underestimate the
In 1999, the cost of child and adolescent hospital admissions and visits due to obesity and overweight was estimated to be $127 million (CDC). According to the Center of Disease Control, the total cost of obesity in the U.S. in 2000 was $117 billion, with one third of these costs attributed to cardiovascular complications (CDC).