Obesity is a national epidemic with wide consequences and cost to America’s health and

Obesity has become an epidemic in adults and children in the United States. Moreover, children are at risk of obesity because they do not eat enough fruits and vegetables and do not obtain enough physical activity. Also, children have a higher chance of developing health diseases related to obesity such as hypertension, high cholesterol, stroke, heart disease, diabetes and pulmonary disease. In addition, obesity in children from ages one to seventeen is an issue in Texas, since children are not aware of the serious consequences of being obese. Therefore, Texas should find ways to prevent obesity by authorizing healthier school lunches and allowing a school program to help obese children lose weight. Also, television advertisements are

Childhood obesity has reared itself as a hot-button issue in the United States – perhaps among them most salient public health challenges of our generation. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years (CDC), and in only rare exceptions does the evidence point to any foreseeable decline in such an aggressive trend. In terms of policy perspective, childhood obesity features three important characteristics of worthwhile analysis – market failure, government failure, and tangible cost-benefit calculations for various alternatives of addressing the problem. Market failures abound in public health and specifically childhood obesity, first and foremost with the

Obesity has become an epidemic across the United States. Americans have continued to gain weight, increasing the amount of people that are considered obese by millions every few years. More and more experts have come to a consensus: weight needs to be addressed and changed in America. Many experts, however, have not found a way to completely solve this problem at large. In the article, “Rethinking Weight”, senior writer Amanda Spake directs attention to the barriers our society has built for obesity treatment. Through this attention, it becomes evident these barriers have developed from the changing ideals in our society. Roberta Seid, a lecturer at the University of Southern California, argues in “Too “Close to the Bone”: The Historical Context for Women’s Obsession with Slenderness” how our body ideals have changed the way our society views obesity. Both authors emphasize the problem our society faces with obesity becoming an epidemic, and how that needs to be changed so our society can live happier and healthier lives. Although both authors are achieving the same point, Spake concludes that obesity has stemmed from pharmaceutical problems and biological factors, while Seid holds that obesity has come from the changing fashion and body ideals in our society. By reading both articles in conjunction, it becomes clear that the root of this problem is our societal issues, obesity has become an epidemic because of the way our society neglects obesity from all aspects.

Children with obesity may experience trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, early puberty, flat feet, and constipation (Knowlden & Sharma, 2013). Obesity is closely related to mental health as well. Negative perceptions of body image associated with obesity place children at a higher risk of low self-esteem, depression, and poor performance at school (Knowlden & Sharma, 2013). When obesity continues into adulthood, it is associated with several health concerns, such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, pulmonary diseases, diabetes mellitus, and

The United States is facing an obesity epidemic. Obesity rates have more than doubled in adults and children since the 1970’s (National Center for Health Statistics, 2009). While recent estimates suggest that the overall rates of obesity have plateaued or even declined among some groups, obesity is widespread and continues to be a leading public health problem in the U.S. (Ogden et al., 2014; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012; Wen et al., 2012). More than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, and about a quarter of 2-5 year olds and one-third of school-age children (including adolescents) are overweight or obese in the U.S. (Ogden et al., 2014). Health critics and those alike are placing a lot of blame and pressure on food companies as enablers to this matter. There are several factors that influence this complex condition to include, genetic, behavioral, social, cultural, and environmental influences (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2001). Critics say that factors that

Obesity is a growing problem in America, a problem the government can help fix. In the graphic by (Fletcher) it shows Uncle Sam on a poster telling an overweight person eating an ice cream and paying no attention to the poster labeled U.S obesity that he wants him to slim down. This indicates how the government wants you to be healthy but it's also in the people's hands to take care of their diet. The government can is able to provide diet regulations but the people have to take it in their responsibility to change.

Obesity is increasing throughout the world and is a combination of poor food choices and physical inactivity. It is the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States and is responsible for nearly 300,000 deaths per year. An obese human body consists of it carrying an excess amount of adipose tissue. Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ that secretes many products such as metabolites, cytokines, lipids, and coagulation factors. The human body needs some body fat for insulation, storing energy, and shock absorption, however obesity causes increased levels of circulating fatty acids and inflammation. Being obese can cause numerous problematic disease such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. According to a research article by Eric Ravussin, PhD., “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 has steadily increased since 1960, a trend that has slowed in recent years but shows no sign of reversing. Today, 69 percent of U.S. adults are categorized as being affected by obesity or having excess weight.” (Obesity Society) Obesity continues to significantly impact our health-care costs in the United States. The cost of health-care for obese adults is close to two-hundred billion dollars a year.

Adolescent obesity has been associated with major health issues in children. Health professionals have identified the serious medical issues such as high blood pressure, adverse lipoprotein, diabetes, Heart disease, and several more. Studies have shown that adolescent obesity dramatically increase the risk of adult obesity. According to (Young 2002) 400,000 deaths annually have been associated with the rise of obesity. The rate of adolescent obesity has doubled over the past 30 years(Young. et al. 2002). (Stice 2010) suggests the increase of the rapid increase in childhood obesity indicates there are some psychological

Obesity’s presence has reached much larger magnitudes than ever before in human history. 33% of adults and above 20% of children in the U.S. are classified as obese as concluded by Duke University (“Over a Lifetime”). Although obesity appears to be strictly a medical problem, many new studies are showing that obesity is linked to numerous factors such as society, technology, politics, and economics. As a result of multifarious fields, reducing childhood obesity in the U.S. is not a simple task; rather, the solutions to reduce obesity must tackle many different fronts. One of the greatest contributing factors towards the growing rate of childhood obesity is economics. Although childhood obesity is a growingly

It is no secret that the food industry in the United States has many flaws and problems that need to be addressed. Among the worst offenders is the obesity problem that the American public faces due to our highly processed food industry. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately seventeen percent of children 2 – 19 years of age have obesity (“Childhood Obesity Facts”). This statistic gets worse as you look at the adult population of which about thirty five percent are considered obese (“Adult Obesity Facts”).

There is no denying that childhood obesity is a growing problem and something needs to be done. Many people fall on different sides of the argument on whether schools should ban junk food from being sold on campus. Junk food often gets the blame for the epidemic of childhood obesity when in fact it is not the only culprit. The government is taking a misguided approach to solve this problem. Junk food should not be banned in school because it causes schools to lose money, junk food is so widely popular that kids aren’t going to want to eat anything else, and school is not the only place junk food is available.

Recent data has shown an inclusive increase in the volume of obese children in the United States. Obesity is not something that just affects adults, it can has been seen in children as young as 18 months. This increase is highly prevalent with the increasing growth of fast food chains and government funding for school lunches. The growth of large business cooperation’s has spiked a growth of processed foods over non processed, organic foods, as well as an increased portion size. Obesity is not something that just affects adults, it can has been seen in children as young as 18 months. In earlier years people believed obesity was something a child would grow out of, but this is

Public health officials, pediatricians, nutritionists, and policymakers are increasingly targeting sugar-sweetened beverage consumption as a major contributor to childhood obesity. As of 2014, 1 in 3 American children (aged 2-19 years) were overweight. By reducing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption can lower children’s weight and blood pressure, decrease risks of heart disease, lessen tooth erosion, and improve cognitive functioning. Policymakers have a strong incentive to place a higher tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in order to decrease its consumption in order to ultimately lower childhood obesity. In conclusion, over

Only 2% of children in the U.S. eat a healthy diet (“Facts about Childhood Obesity” 1). Junk food is a leading factor in the growing obesity epidemic in America. To help stop the epidemic a high tax must be placed on junk food. The “fat tax” would be added to items considered to be unhealthy. There are a plethora of potentially taxable items such as sugar, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, even salt. The “fat tax” will help deter consumers from purchasing these items in an effort to improve the overall health and nutrition of American’s. There are a plethora of ideas to help and prevent obesity as well as other health issues.

It seems like a larger number of children are being diagnosed with obesity everyday, yet most of today’s community is trying nothing to change the unsettling fate of these children. The laziness in adults is an inexcusable reason to potentially ruin or risk one's life. Over the past 30 years the percentage of obese children have dramatically increased by more than double it was in the 80s. Thousands of nonprofit organizations, communities, and school have taken part and begin to try and dig down to the root of the problem and slowly reverse that damage that has been done. Obesity, defined: Is a person who is grossly overweight. The difference between being overweight and obese, is when a person who is overweight is just above the recommended weight for their age and height; being obese, is when the Body Mass Index (BMI) of a person is at the 95th percentile. Childhood obesity is becoming a highly controversial epidemic, which makes people wonder what kind of obesogenic foods they are feeding their children and why there have not been any interventions to subvert from these habits. Just like every other food there are certain ingredients people knowingly ingest. In the case of junk and fast food, there is no way to know exactly what the food is laden with. If these food corporations don't start taxing food and lowering the calorie counts on their products, the people of this country will continue to watch more and more children crave fast food and become obese.