Obesity results from excessive calorie intake that the body doesn’t need. Genetic, Environmental and behavioral factors have been linked to the onset of obesity. Moreover, the high body fat to lean body mass ratio makes obesity a major contributor to chronic illnesses. Obesity is caused by many factors, two of which are a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet. Obesity is on the rise and is reaching epidemic proportion. About 70 million Americans are obese-more than 1 in 3 of all adults and 1 in 5 children.[3] The 1999-2000 combined prevalence of overweight (Body mass Index [BMI] 25-29.9 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI>=30 kg/m2) was 64.5%, of which 30.5% were obese.(Flegal, Carroll et al. 2002) Since 1980 obesity rates for adults have doubled and …show more content…
The Healthy People 2010 initiative identified overweight and obesity as one of the leading health indicators to be addressed to improve the quality of life for Americans [6]. Pharmacists, being the most accessible health care professional can be a huge asset in addressing this concern. Due to their interaction with many patients, they are in the unique position of identifying and developing patient-centered care plans aim at facilitating medication optimization, weight loss and a healthy life style. Pharmacists can help reinforce lifestyle changes and provide education to these patients. A diet and weight management service (DWMS) should be offered to these patients. Pharmacists can identify 5 –10 obese patients based on their BMI (>=30) and whether they show one of the risk factors for obesity: such as hypertension or hyperlipidemia. The patient will be encouraged and empowered to take part in the wellness process. After identification and patient consent, assessment appointments are setup. Meeting can either be in the Pharmacy or at patient’s home. Patient’s home is preferable because it give Pharmacist the opportunity to develop trust with patient and meet family members. In the first assessment, the aim of care is explained to patient, patient is allowed to set reasonable expectations and discuss motivations as well as obstacles that may contribute to or hinder the achievement of the
Are Americans, where obesity is found to be a major struggle, in jeopardy with the various aspects that may cause obesity, such as poor eating habits, lack of physical activity, etc.? Poor eating habits such as eating processed foods is one reason for weight gain in children and adults. These eating habits are affordable, tasty, and an easy way out when an individual does not want to cook. Obesity is a personal issue that many have struggled with all their life. There are many risks that come along with being obese as well as ways to overcome it. In order to explain this the research report will ask: do individuals who are obese know the various health risks that come along with the constant weight gain and how to lose the weight
Obesity in America is real and profoundly alarming when you look at the major impact it has on our communities. Major health concerns like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure cases are at an all time high. Specifically, the disparity between low-income urban inner cities in regards to obesity as compared to more upper class wealthier communities makes you take pause. This relates to my professional goals of going back into my community as an activist and organizer of issues related to my environment, like health and education.
Obesity remains an extremely serious issue worldwide. Once considered a problem for wealthier counties, overweight and obesity are now dramatically increasing in low and middle income countries (WHO, 2011). In American, the rates of obesity continue to soar. CDC (2009) recognizes obesity as a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other health problems. According to NHANES over two-thirds of the US are overweight or obese, and over one-third are obese (CDC, 2009). Treatment for this illness varies; it may include the incorporation of diet, exercise, behavior modification, medication, and surgery. Since there is no single cause of all overweight and obesity, there is no single way to prevent or treat overweight
How would you feel if I told you that there is no one state with an obesity rate lower than 20%? Take this information and compare it to twenty years ago when every state had an obesity rate lower than 15%. Obesity has become not only the number one cause in death, but according to David Zinczenko, editor-in-chief of Men’s Health and author of “Don’t Blame the Eater”, it is the number one cost in health care with numbers rising well over 100 billion dollars a year (196). There are many people we could blame, such as the food industry or the government, but before we start pointing fingers elsewhere, individuals need to stand up and take personal responsibility for their own actions and health. Either way it is evident a
You don’t have a lot of money on you and you’re hungry so you grab a bite to eat at a nearby fast food restaurant. Without realizing what you are putting into your body you continue eating these inexpensive meals every night on your way home from work. Weeks turn into months and the next thing you know your cloths don’t fit the way they used you beginning to notice yourself gaining weight. Obesity among young Americans is a problem and can have serious effects if nothing is done about it.
Obesity is becoming an increasingly significant health concern in the United States, nearly to the point of epidemic proportions. To be considered obese, one’s body weight must be at least 20% over their ideal body weight; unfortunately with this definition, over 30% of all Americans are obese. Alarmingly, approximately
Adult overweight and obesity have become a worldwide issue that has very dangerous consequences on health. World Health Organization defines obesity as the “epidemic of the 21st Century”. WHO reports show that 1.9 billion people with 18 years age and older are overweight, and 600 million of them are obese. In the United States, obesity is a serious problem today that results from overconsumption of high-fat food and sugary food with lack of exercise. The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention reports show that the obesity rates are above 20 percent in all states. Overweight and obesity have become a major public health issue because of their high rates of mortality and morbidity. People who are considered overweight or obese are at increased
“This might be the first generation where kids are dying at a younger age than their parents and it’s related primarily to the obesity problem” (Judy Davis). Obesity in America has been a rising issue in the last few years. There have been a lot of different predications on to why the number is rising so much in American people. The food that people are eating and the lack of physical activity has a lot to do with this big rise. People aren’t exercising as much as they use to and the food surrounding the people in America isn’t as good as it used to be either. More and more food places go up every day and it isn’t good for the people in society. Fast food industries are the leading cause of obesity in America today. Reasons are fast food
Obesity is the net result of an excess of energy consumption over expenditure. Factors that must be considered as contributing to causation are: heredity, and altered metabolism of adipose tissue, the list goes on and on. Overeating is clearly a prominent contributor to obesity. Feeding behavior occurs in response to hunger and to appetite induced by the presence of food.
Obesity rates are soaring throughout North America (What Is Obesity?, 2013). With obesity reaching almost epidemic proportions in the United States, and the threat of a global epidemic, we must watch this alarming increase carefully ( Health Risks of Obesity, 2013). Obesity is defined as: "…an excess of adipose tissue…" (A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014). The two most common measures of obesity are Body Mass Index (BMI is a ratio of weight to height) and relative weight index, such as percent desirable weight (Body Mass Index , 2013). BMI is the most frequently used measure of obesity as it has a strong correlation with more direct measures of adiposity, such as underwater weighing (A Report of the Surgeon General, 2013). Some
Obesity, the condition of being severely overweight, is a serious issue in the United States that is gradually beginning to affect more and more citizens. In recent years, the number of Americans suffering from this chronic disease has significantly increased. Researchers have found that nearly one third of the U.S. population is considered overweight and, on average, three hundred thousand individuals die yearly as a result of obesity (Hollands et al. 2). When one participates in little to no physical activity and their diet consists mostly of high fat foods, chances are they will gain weight. If someone becomes obese, they may develop serious health related issues that, in some cases,
Obesity rates in the United States are alarming, with more than one-third of U.S. adults and 17% of children qualifying as obese with a Body Mass Index greater than 30.0 (Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2015). Even more frightening is the growth rate of this crippling health epidemic; between 1980 and 2014, obesity has doubled for adults and tripled for children (CDC, 2015). The physical consequences of rising obesity rates in our country include an abundance of physical ailments including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, arthritis, elevated cholesterol, and even some cancers. Additionally, obesity-related health care costs to our country are estimated at $147 billion annually, plus the costs of productivity lost at
It was merely a decade ago that the obesity epidemic was thought to only be a minor problem and had only alarmed a small number of endocrinologists interested by the size of the situation (James, 2008). However today, the problem of obesity is vast with more awareness of its presence by doctors and individuals alike. In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention states, “More than one-third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of U.S. adults are obese (CDC, 2014)”. These numbers are outrageous and eye opening, leaving millions looking for a solution to this troubling epidemic. Obesity is not simply a cosmetic flaw as some might think, but is actually a very dangerous state of being for any individual to sustain long-term. Mentioned further in
We need to communicate that a change in lifestyle is the biggest proponent of weight. In fact, studies have shown that “interventions that promote lifestyle changes…have shown better weight [loss and] maintenance than interventions that do not” (LeCheminant 348). Since ads will continue to showcase the opposite and provide examples, it falls to healthcare providers to amplify this message. Dieticians and nutritionists and even primary care physicians need to focus on explaining that putting in work is the only way for a person to lose weight in a healthy way. However, they cannot just preach this message and expect their patients to immediately comply. Doctors also need to have a background understanding of what a patient’s life includes, and meet them where they are. For example, a poor person who lives in a food desert and buys cheap, unhealthy food is going to have a harder time losing weight than a person who shops exclusively at whole foods. Miscommunication comes when there is no understanding of the everyday hardships a person faces that would prevent them for implementing healthy lifestyle changes a doctor
There are many serious health issues today in society. A few of them are anorexia nervosa, bulimia, diabetes, and obesity. Today, obesity is one of the most popular diseases around the world. Obesity typically means having a body mass index of thirty kilograms or more. If taken in more calories than burned, it leads to being overweight, and eventually obesity. Since the 1960s, people in the United States and other industrialized countries have become heavier on average. Excess weight is the cause of more illness than virtually any other medical condition. Most people still do not practice healthy behaviors that can prevent obesity. Obesity is mostly caused by poor eating habits. People do not eat healthy foods, have larger portions than