Personal Responsibility: An Analysis of Obesity in American Adults

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

Obesity has been a growing problem in the U.S. for more than a decade. Various reasons and theories are thrown around as to the cause of this severe problem by psychologists, dietitians, and professors trying to pinpoint a single cause. Due to America’s vast supply of resources, luxurious living standards, and moral of the country, there is no one cause for obesity contrary to advertisements offering a quick-fix drug. America’s obesity problem is rooted much deeper than just cheap fast food and poor choices. Medical conditions, influence of genes, unhealthy lifestyles, and mental illnesses are all contributors towards obesity in any one person. Obesity is a serious problem in America with multiple contributors and one lone solution

“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”.

There are many people who believe that obesity is a matter of personal responsibility. Many people think it is Americans are the ones who to blame and not the fast food industry. Many people may say that it is easy to blame obesity on what Americans eat. However, these people do not realize that many Americans cannot afford healthy foods. So, since fast foods are cheap and affordable, it may be why many people choose them. In the article “Physical activity and childhood obesity” Green, Riley, and Hargrove explain “a greater percentage of adolescents from families living in poverty are obese (23%), compared with those from families of a higher socioeconomic status (14%)” (915). Additionally, this statement demonstrates that although obesity may be caused by genes or psychological influences, the environment is the most important factor. When families are in poverty, they are not looking for what is healthy and what is unhealthy. They are looking for food to survive, and so many times fast food is the only option. Following this future, there is indication that obesity, extremely affects certain minority youth populations. The National Health and Nutrition Examination survey found that African American and Hispanic adolescents ages 12-19 were more likely to be overweight at 21 and 23 percent, respectively, as compared to non-Hispanic White adolescents (14%) (915). Furthermore, these statistics show that there is a strong relationship among race or ethnicity, poverty, and

Today in America obesity has become a horrific epidemic and Americans are trying to find the cause and a solution for it. For the first time ever in America obesity has become such a big problem that is said to be big as the dealing of drugs in America. It seems that in America today obesity and overweight Americans have become the new normal.  Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in America and type 2 diabetes goes hand in hand with obesity. Obesity causes heart disease, cancer,and high blood pressure which are also some of the leading causes of death in America. Obesity doesn’t just happen to people it happens because of the unhealthy foods being eaten and the lack of exercise on top of that. This obesity epidemic is not only the fault

Obesity has been measured or defined in various ways. Many researchers have differing opinions on the origins and effects of obesity. The rapidly increasing rates of obesity are often linked to a high calorie diet and little to no physical activity. Although obesity is seen as a disease that affects a person’s weight, it actually affects a lot more than that. Obesity can affect individuals in both adolescence and adulthood, their families, and the healthcare system. From an outside viewpoint, obesity looks like a disease that careless, inactive people develop. Not always is this the case. Obesity is not a disease that affects solely the weight of a person. To be considered obese, your BMI (body mass index) would have to be 30 or higher. Almost 70 percent of Americans are either overweight or obese. Not only does obesity affect the weight of a person, it can also lead to increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, and many other things. Questions posed on this dreadful disease by many people are on the origin of the disease, the effects and exponential growth of the disease, and the actions that are being taken to help provide a healthier environment for Americans and to establish programs and preventative methods across the country to help fight the ever increasing obesity rate.

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 last decade has welcomed, with open arms, a new epidemic: obesity. Currently in the United States, more than one-third of adults, 35.7%, and approximately 17% of children and adolescents are obese. Obesity is not only a problem in the US but also worldwide with its prevalence doubling in high income and economically advanced countries and is also growing in under-developed areas. Its incidence rate is continually increasing with each successive generation and in each age group, including the elderly (Byles, 2009; Dorner and Rieder, 2011).

Obesity in the United States has been a serious problem affecting Americans and has been continually growing higher in numbers each year. American obesity has nearly doubled within the last 40 years and is now considered to be an epidemic that is affecting millions of people around the nation. According to the National institute of Diabetes and digestive and kidney Diseases, 31% of men and 35% of women are considered seriously overweight, along with 15% of children between the ages of six and nineteen are also overweight. The lack of physical inactivity and extreme poor dieting are catching up to almost the same threat as cigarettes and tobacco smoking. We as a nation are considered to be the fattest country in the world.

Despite that fact that obesity has begun to receive major attention in the past decade, there is a yawning gap between what is perceived and what is reality. In a North Carolina study, it was found that almost one-third of overweight Blue Cross Blue Shield members identified their weight as just right (Ward-Smith, 245). Clearly, people are unwilling to recognize that obesity has become a major problem in our country. Despite public service announcements and other methods of advertising the disease, the effects of this disease on overall health are continually underappreciated. As a result, obesity continues to be allowed to define our

The topic of obesity is a current American issue that is in the midst of being solved. Obesity, the condition of being overweight, was named a disease in 2013. Obesity has rapidly emerged as an American problem and poses as a serious health challenge. The cause of obesity has a lot to deal with America’s social dynamics. Today, advertisements are in all places promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. Considering the great expense of healthy foods, low income families can barely afford fruits and vegetables. These two ideas are greatly connected with the increasing obesity rate in the United States. Seventeen percent of American adolescents were considered obese from 2011 to 2014. This is double the amount of obese

Besides, studies have shown that “The obesity epidemic ranks among the leading causes”. (WHO, 1998) are “poor diet and physical inactivity were the second leading cause of death in the USA in 2000 and may soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of avoidable death” (Mokdad et al.,2004). “Obesity is a complex medical condition, which has social and psychological dimensions and some major economic aspects.” (WHO, 2000). “It affects people of all ages and socio-economic groups, and of both genders, and is not restricted to developed countries” (WHO, 2000). From

Obesity is a threat to the health of this nation and is the root of many life-threatening ailments, including coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and type 2 diabetes (“What are the Risks of Obesity and Overweight” 2012). These diseases severely decrease the the quality of life for those affected, with many of the victims suffering greatly until they are consumed by death. The treatment of these diseases is expensive and it does not cure the underlying cause nor does it ameliorate its grueling side effects. 17% of children aged between 2 and 19 are obese (“Prevalence of Childhood Obesity” 2015), creating a new generation of obese Americans. These children are being plagued by diseases that previously solely affected adults, namely diabetes and heart disease. Along with the children, the elderly and middle-aged are prone to obesity as well. 40.2% of Americans between the ages of 40 and 59 are classified as obese, along with 37% of people over 60 (Ogden et. al., 2015). The quality of life for these individuals is severely diminished, and it is

“If and when the public chooses to use government power to offset the factors that promote obesity, we can do so. A day may come when we decide to limit advertising of unhealthy food, strengthen lifestyle teaching in schools, and create stronger financial incentives to adhere to lifestyle recommendations. The more eager we the people are to fight the obesogenic environment, the more responsive and effective our governments will become” (Medscape General Medicine, vol. 9, no. 4, 2007).

Obesity has caused great dilemma in America. It was known as an adult disease. “Over two thirds of adults are over weight or obese.”(Obesity, Jerry R Ballenttne) these numbers are increasing rapidly. Obesity is not just a appearance