Research Paper: Emotional Eating

As per Healthy People 2020 most Americans do not consume healthy diets and are not physically active at levels needed to maintain proper health. As a result of these behaviors the nation has experienced a dramatic increase in obesity in the U.S with 1 in 3 adults (34.0%) and 1 and 6 children and adolescents (16.2%) are obese. In addition to grave health consequences of being overweight and obese. It significantly raises medical cost and causes a great burden on the U.S medical care delivery system ("Healthy People 2020," 2014, p. 1).

Obesity is a growing problem and concern in American households today. However it cannot be narrowed down to one main problem. The most prominent underlying issues are psychological and environmental. These issues in turn create deteriorating health and economic problems degrading one’s self-esteem.

As seen during the eighteenth century, the presence of excess body fat was envied and very rare; seen only in kings, the rich, and the wealthy as a sign of power and prosperity. Once food shortage was no longer relevant, the 20th century re-assessed this “sign of power” as a sign of ill health, and was then documented in medical practices as the chronic disease known as obesity. As we look at the roots of obesity today, causes of the disease cannot be attributed to a single origin. However, there are many daily influences that justify our nations expanding waistlines; the most obvious being an unhealthy diet. The role of food in our society has altered the way Americans perceive nutrition. Meal times are advertised as social events; an instance of mindless eating, with little awareness on stopping when you’re full, and overeating as a result. Portion sizes are much larger than nutritionally necessary, and lack in substantial protein, causing you to

the most common form of malnutrition in the Western world, it also affects sixty-four percent of

Obesity will affect more than 1.3 billion people globally by 2030. Americans need to see how being over weight can have various health issues on ones body. However, we see obese and overweight people every day in our lives and who is to blame? Ourselves or the food industry? The choice one makes in their dietary plan affects their weight and overall well-being. Obesity among Americans remains whist although it is still on the rise. Recognizing the perception of being over weight in the United States has now become a new norm, as a result; Americans should incorporate that being overweight comes with consequences.

Obesity is an increasing epidemic affecting the United States in an alarming and negative way. In the past centuries it was rare for Americans to be obese. Today they’re numerous factors contributing to the epidemic but they can be reversed with awareness of the severity of the issue, it’s affect on health, and a willingness to make changes in their daily life.

Obesity remains an extremely serious problem worldwide. Once considered a problem for wealthier counties, overweight and obesity are now rapidly increasing in low and middle income countries (WHO, 2011). In American, the rates of obesity continues to rise. NIH (2012) recognizes obesity as a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other health problems. According IFT over two-thirds of the US are overweight or obese, and over one-third are obese (Fast food restaurants ‘not to blame’ for American obesity 2012). IFT.org (2012) in September it was predicated that 75% of Americans would be overweight in 2020. The problem is thought to cause Americans $150-170 billion in annual medical costs. Many people argue that the

Increasingly high obesity rates among the U.S. population have both personal and societal ramifications. For the individual, increased body mass has been linked to a myriad of health issues including heart disease, Type II diabetes, high cholesterol, cancer, strokes, kidney & liver disease, and hypertension. (Wilmore, et al., 2008) On a societal level, the Center for Disease Control estimates that obesity related medical care costs reached a staggering $147 billion in 2008 with obese patients costing $1,400 more per patient than those that fell into a "normal" weight rage (CDC). Obesity-related diseases may also contribute to millions of lost workdays and higher insurance premiums (CNBC).

the rates of obesity continue to rise at alarming rates in the U.S. Yet the causes of obesity are more than just a net sum of biological and dietary factors. Indeed, a complex nexus of social relationships and normative social cues moderate the association between obesity and the risk factors of obesity (Weinsier et al. 1998; Bloomgarden 2002). Research points toward an individuals’ social environment affecting one’s health behaviors (Berkman and Kawachi 2000). Therefore, it is increasingly necessary to use widen the understanding of what shapes a social environment, to examine critically the environments in which people live (MacIntyre and Ellaway 2003). For instance, Boardman et al. (2012) found that schools policies and context matter significantly for how school-aged children assess their own objective BMI. Denney, Krueger, Rogers, and Boardman (2004) found that BMI varies across sex and racial

In 2006, Dr. Schwartz, director of the Rudd center of food policy and obesity examined the influence of obesity on a non-selective study cases health and social life. Schwartz proposed an online free survey to obtain statistics about obesity and its major effects. “The present study examined the strength and limits of anti-fat bias among a large community-based online sample that represented a wide range of body weights.” Out of 4283 participants from different ages, sex and races, only 1500 weren’t obese. The study also showed that obese people are more likely to be unemployed, they are also more likely to have heart problems and diabetes. Another research, sponsored by The New England Journal of Medicine,

Obesity is a chronic disease that can lead to other serious illness. Maxfield briefly touches that obesity can be a factor when it comes to “heart disease, diabetes, and cancer” (Maxfield). Gaines provides a deeper understanding of how dangerous obesity can be. In 2013,

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 can cause a plethora of health issues. When BMI rates rise so does the rate of disease and disorders. Obesity can lead to health ailments like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and various types of cancer. Obesity caused ailments are preventable. Around 300,000 deaths occur each year from obesity related issues. This makes in one of the top causes of preventable death in the United States. In 2010 estimated cost of obesity was 190.2 billion and accounted for nearly 21% of the annual

Obesity has become the silent killer in American society. It is a risk factor for numerous chronic diseases including the four leading causes of death. Obesity can be linked to stroke, heart disease, cancer and diabetes, all serious health problems that can be fatal. Obesity is linked to 300,000 deaths annually in the industrial world (Flamholz, 2001). Often in society and in the medical community there exists a lack of understanding that obesity is in fact a disease and needs attention, otherwise the rates of many diseases will continue to climb.

Do you know what’s the number one cause of death in America? Well the number one cause of death is heart related diseases. Many of these heart related diseases are caused by obesity. Obesity is “the condition of being grossly fat or overweight.” It is not just being thick boned, or even hereditary. Obesity has become a growing epidemic around the world! A very colossal problem here in the untied states of America; What is sad is that it is a disease one has caused due to their own choice of life style.