Obesity Persuasive Research Paper

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

The question that has been debated for years is who is responsible for the children’s weight. In the articles that where researched during this paper the parents were responsible. The reason that they were responsible was because the decisions that parent make about their family and the lifestyle that they live affects their child’s health and it can also affect their health in the future. When you move out of your parent’s house you tend to mimic things that they did such as if they always bought Tide as their laundry soap when you got out on your own you probably bought Tide. Now when you were in a pinch one time you may have tried another brand because it was cheaper but for the most part you revert back to what you know. As a parent you should want your children to be as healthy as they can be a lot of parents that where talked to while researching the subject of childhood obesity seemed to just not have the knowledge about obesity.

This article explains the obesity of African Americans children is due to lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating habits and poor nutrition. These entire factors have direct correlation between obesity and chronic diseases. Public health intervention “Mission Thrive Summer” (MTS) was developed in low income African American community in Maryland about health education, promotion of physical activity and yoga. Mixed methods research study design was used. Quantitative measures included accelerometer

Despite the well-publicized health and emotional consequences of obesity, a successful weight-loss industry, and a high rate of voluntary dieting, the prevalence of obesity in African American women continues to increase. For the most part, African American women are aware of the serious health risks related to obesity. Honest attempts to diet and exercise properly usually resulted in gaining of the weight loss and additional pounds in the process. A limited number of studies suggest that African American women maybe less motivated to control their weight because of culturally determined, permissive attitudes toward obesity (Kumanyika & Guilford-Davis, 1993). In fact a select few of obese African

With obesity rates among children quickly becoming a national epidemic, efforts are underway to identify the disparities that exist within the populations of society affected by childhood obesity and plans to end the epidemic and its far reaching implications are underway. As an ongoing problem within the United States, childhood obesity has impacted millions of children and young adults over the past decade and the numbers continue to climb. The population of children affected by high obesity rates is directly related to children coming from families within poor socioeconomic status which draws directly to the level of their parent’s education, and racial background, thereby pointing to the origin of the health disparity among children and young adults, all contributing substantially to childhood obesity rates. As one of the factors weighing heavily among the disparities in children’s health, poor socioeconomic position within racial and ethnic minorities presents as the leading factor due to underserved and underrepresented communities having a shortage of access to health facilities, gyms, and exercise services within the communities they reside in. In addition inability to obtain and afford healthier food options is oftentimes out of reach for those in the poor

Abstract: African American people have a high percentage of obesity compared to other ethnic groups. Social determinants of obesity in African American people include low socioeconomic status, limited access to affordable and healthy food, dietary behavior and food culture, lack of nutrition knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, higher exposure of marketing of less nutritious food and limited access to safe places to physically active. This research was done to see how these social determinants affect the obesity rate in African American people. Different researches were reviewed. The effects of above mentioned social determinants were observed and some recommendations are given in order to minimize the health disparities in low income African

Unfortunately, childhood overweight and obesity rates in America have tripled the last three decades and tend to be much higher amongst African Americans. According to research done by UC Davis, “Nearly 40% of African American children are overweight or obese.”

Childhood obesity has increased dramatically during the past decade (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). Although the rise in obesity cuts across all of age groups, both genders, and all cultural and racial groups; statistics have demonstrated that Hispanic children are more likely to become obese than White or Black children in the United States. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (2011), childhood obesity is more prevalent among Hispanic children than in other ethnic groups, and the United States problem has been steadily increasing over the past decade. Lack of physical activity and poor nutritional habits could be the leading causes of the rise in obesity among this vulnerable population. The consequences of obesity are not trivial. Obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, serious conditions such as type II diabetes mellitus and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and psychosocial problems such as low self-esteem (Strauss, 2000). Early intervention is imperative to address the implications of childhood obesity in the United States.

This study was designed to investigate the problem of childhood obesity among African-American and Hispanic-American families in a rural school district in southeast Texas.

These factors or social determinants of health can be behavioral, social, psychological, technological, environmental, economical, and cultural, operating at all levels from the individual to the family to society as a whole. The circumstances are different from person to person even when the society is the same. Therefore, it is hard to constrain and minimize the factors to a small number. However, this paper provided two evidence based approaches (socioeconomic and cultural) as causal associations for childhood obesity among African Americans in Louisville, Kentucky. (Figure

Despite the well-publicized health and emotional consequences of obesity, a successful weight-loss industry, and a high rate of voluntary dieting, the prevalence of obesity in African American women continued to increase. For the most part, African American women are aware of the serious health risks related to obesity. Honest attempts to diet and exercise properly usually resulted in gaining of the weight loss and additional pounds in the process. A limited number of studies suggest that African American women maybe less motivated to control their weight because of culturally determined, permissive attitudes toward obesity (Kumanyika & Guilford-Davis, 1993). In fact a select few of obese

Environmental influences on childhood obesity is a socio-cultural environment. Highlighted data section the aspects of socio-cultural environments of U.S. ethnic groups favor obesity development. Overweight may be viewed as a problem only when it is clearly linked to health problems. These types of attitudes about large body size may apply to any population where excess fat is only seen. The observation that childhood obesity is more prevalent in ethnic minority populations is likely to reflect differences in combination of factors. (Kumanyika 61-70)

Childhood obesity is a consequential medical condition that effects the youth and adolescence of society. This disorder creates health problems that were once only seen in adults, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Although childhood obesity is a world wide issue, the percentage of overweight children differs, especially throughout the United States. Today, the greatest population suffering from this disease are African American children who reside in the southern part of the country. Parents, as well as children, continue to support unhealthy lifestyles even though they are well aware of the life-threatening diseases caused by obesity.

Obesity is a world wide problem, however for this paper I will focus on Obesity in America and from my previous paper focus on obesity in my family, other families and what causes people to become obese, whether is financial reasons, environmental reason and genes passed on by family members. I found an article written by Ellen Granberg, she earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Vanderbilt University in 2001. She wrote an article about obesity and weight gain, I chose her article because she doesn’t only focus on Obesity and weight gain but she also talks about African Americans and I consider myself an African American as I am from Africa an to read about obesity as it relates to African American it gives me a better understanding of why most of African Americans are obese.

But, this increased access will not help us if our citizens never utilize it. They will need to commit to a healthier lifestyle and limit their daily calorie intake. An exercise plan would also help in implementing a healthy lifestyle in our community. All it takes is an hour of physical activity (outside) each day instead of sitting inside on the couch eating potato chips. If we can commit to an hour of exercise each day, then we will be very successful in fulfilling a healthy lifestyle in our communities. With those steps completed, surely our percentages and ranks will drop to a more reasonable level. Our ultimate goal is for our citizens to live a healthy lifestyle, and with this plan we believe that it can happen.