Why Is Obesity a Growing Problem? Essay

Obesity does not discriminate against social status, sex, or race; it can take a person’s life and turn it upside down in the blink of an eye if they are not careful. Some people think of obesity as a worldwide killer because there is no outrunning it if it overtakes a person’s body. Every 1 in 3 adults are obese right here in America, that should give each and every individual some type of hint that there is a major problem occurring. The obesity epidemic is not something that has just caught the attention of people recently; it has been going on since the 1950’s! This epidemic is a major problem; over 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being obese or extremely overweight and over 40 million children were said to be obese in

     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.

Affecting over 36% of the population, obesity is a rising epidemic within the United States. An estimated 75% of adults over the age of twenty are classified as overweight or obese (Kolata, 2016). The disease affects women more significantly than men, with a greater prevalence within African American and Hispanic ethnic groups. Extreme obesity (BMI >40), affects six percent, and growing, of the American populace. This rise in obesity correlates not lonely with a lower life expectancy but also a rise in numerous other non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, pulmonary ailments, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health issues. Although the obesity epidemic is seen mostly within developed countries, such as the United States, the non-communicable disease is showing advancing prevalence and incidence rates worldwide, including low and middle income countries. The World Health Organization estimates one billion people are classified as overweight or obese (Kapil, 2016). In addition to the plethora of additional health care problems, obese patients are often hard to treat as the health care system does not yet have the equipment to detect, measure, or treat possible underlying problems. The treatment of obesity and related conditions is currently estimated to reach $100 billion within the United States (Kapil, 2016). Accounting for more than 100,000 premature deaths each year, the disease is the second highest noncommunicable and preventable disease

When you think of smoking a cigarette or any other Tabaco product what is the first thing that comes to mind? In all likely hood you are probably thinking about gunk, coughing, wheezy lungs, or even death. If I were to ask you that same question about having sex without a condom, what would come to mind? HIV, STD’s, nasty thoughts, and so on and so forth. Now what if I asked you about a milkshake? You’re probably thinking scrumptious, tasty, and very satisfying. The reality is consuming items in the same category as milkshakes (fried foods, fatty foods, high preservative concertations) in high volumes overtime can cause high blood pressure, hypertension, and even heat disease which is the number one killer of all human beings. There are numerous reasons why America is having an obesity crisis, in fact by the year 2030 it is expected that nearly 51% of all adults will not only be overweight but actually considered obese. This is not just an issue in the United States, but throughout the world obesity numbers are skyrocketing up the charts. The top 5 reasons for obesity rates are genetics/cultural practices, aggressive food based marketing, in adequate physical activity, age, and lack of easy access to healthy foods. Weight gain in America and throughout the world is at an all-time high, but before we can stop the issue we must first understand why it is happening.

It finally came! Ok, well, it was actually in the mailbox since yesterday and I hadn 't checked it until today... Nevertheless, it came! Yes folks, I have bought into this recently resurging fad, as I have with many trendy diets, and, as I 'm sure many of you reading this have, as well. We are always in search of that magic pill that flips a switch in us and makes us shed our flabby shells. This diet plan, strict as it may be, is selling itself as such; I plan to try and find out why. It seems HCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) is everywhere you turn lately; health food stores, magazine racks, your neighbors ' blog. If you enter it into the search engine the brand sponsored "top ten lists", the many hundreds of venders and the company funded "safety review" sites come flooding at you by the hundreds of thousands; making an already difficult decision spiral into chaos. For those of you who are of baby boomer and older age, you may recall this being popular when you were younger. Now, to answer a nagging, yet presumably distasteful, question: yes, this is that same diet you heard of when you were younger wherein pregnant women sold their urine to doctors so they could harvest the hormone. This derivative of prego-pee was then injected into hopeful masses of women looking to drop a sizeable amount of weight without having to stick their fingers down their throat or take "diet pills", which were then simply over-glorified, medically manufactured, fancy meth by prescription.

While most people generally know that fast food is not good for their health, they still eat it for various reasons. Most people that buy fast food are low income, uneducated, and/or are people just trying to save a couple of bucks. However, the people trying to save money by buying fast food will eventually end up spending more money from the cost of doctor 's visits, medicine, etc.

Fast food is responsible for the increase of obesity rates in Western nations. In order to curb obesity rates, government regulation from the local level is necessary. The fast food corporations are responsible for the obesity epidemic because they make false health claims about their food and market heavily to children. But critics of regulation state that individuals, along with their food choices are responsible for the obesity epidemic. But regulation proponents believe that fast food needs regulation because of high obesity rates in poor inner city neighborhoods. In order to curb current obesity rates, local governments must intervene by implementing fast food regulations.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that Americans are among the most overweight across the globe, this issue is constantly ignored. We hear about obesity being one of the most prevalent issues in America yet through the years this issue seems to worsen. Although Obesity may not be taken seriously by many, it is one of the leading health issues in America today.

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

More than 93 million Americans are affected by the disease of obesity (Obesity Action-Brochure). There are many ways to approach this disease, such as weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, or diet and exercise plans. Doctors and insurance companies have different requirements that the patient must meet in order for the surgery to take place. Obesity is a condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. There is a difference between being overweight and obese and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this is determined by a person’s body mass index. Being obese is defined as excessive generalized deposition and storage of fat with a BMI of over thirty. Being overweight is a condition where a person weighs more than what is considered normal for that height, age, and sex. Although I have never experienced obesity, I realize how hard the weight loss journey may be as patients have to meet many requirements before surgery is an option.

Obesity has become an epidemic in our over indulgent North American society. In addition to body image issues, obesity causes significant health issues. Society often views obesity to be a disease when it is actually a sign of a disorder, genetic or environmental. The percentage of our population that is growing overweight is increasing every year, and can become a very serious issue if it is not dealt with urgently. Problems relating to self-confidence, self-consciousness, and isolation can occur as a result.

We are conditioned at a young age to believe the only way to be normal is to be

American’s are suffering from an epidemic today called obesity. Contributors to the obesity problem are overly large portions of food served to Americans. Also, a lack of physical activity adds to obesity, spending hours in front of a television or computer. Advertisements contribute to Americans over-weight problems by pushing high-calorie high-fat foods. Major health problems caused by obesity are high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.

In the United States, seventeen percent of children have obesity. That percentage is approximately 12.7 million. Obesity is defined as being twenty percent above the estimated range based on height and age. Childhood obesity can be genetically, medically, or physically obtained. Obesity can cause many serious issues that can possibly be fatal. In order to overcome this issue children must lose weight and eat nutritious foods. This paper will explain the risk factors of obesity and how to achieve healthy weight loss.

The article reviews peer reviewed scientific U.S. based literature to examine the state laws and local policies and the impact of the public policy strategies on schools and other environments, individual activity and nutrition related behaviors and obesity and weight outcomes (Chriqui, 2013). However, the studies that were used and have been used, focus primarily on the school environment and the influence of physical education and physical activity policies as well as food and beverage policies. The author used several studies, to observe implementation and the influence of the policies stated