Obesity in America

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Americans are becoming more obese due to the challenges of the economy because healthy food is overpriced, fast food restaurants at every corner, and not enough motivation to exercise. If we are going to make a change, we need to take baby steps. A healthy world is a happy world. Did you know, that obesity and overweight account for nearly one of every 10 American deaths, and they also drain our society of $223 billion a year? This simply means that obesity is the cause of most deaths in America. In order to understand obesity and the harm it causes those who have it, we must understand its causes as stated by Harvard Health Publications. Since there has been a change in the way we eat, leisure time activities, and in nature of work, these make the biggest contribution to obesity in America. Some scientists are still struggling to understand. Did you know that people with less than a high school degree have the highest obesity rate of 32.9%? Also that Non-Hispanic black people have the highest obesity rate of 36.8%. Hispanics have an obesity rate of 30.7%. Non-Hispanic white people have an obesity rate of 25.2%. Asians have the lowest obesity rate of 16.7%. Obesity is expensive to treat. All these facts came from Business Insider. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, “More than 1/3 of U.S. adults are obese.” With the rates this high, it shows that Non-Hispanic blacks are more influenced by the economies set up for food. How can someone choose healthy food over junk food if healthy food is overpriced? I know that most teenagers prefer soda over a protein shake to carry them through the day because of course the soda is cheaper and taste better. If healthy food was less expensive, you’d see a change in the value. Ther... ... middle of paper ... ... America, there has to be a change. We not only have to make a change in the person, but also there needs to be a change in the economy. Let’s make a change for the future generations to come. Works Cited http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/obesity-in-america-whats-driving-the-epidemic-1 healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/obesity-in-america-whats-driving-the-epidemic-1 http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2013/12/05/healthy-eating-costs-you-1-50-more-a-day/ http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2013/12/05/healthy-eating-costs-you-1-50-more-a-day/  http://www.nber.org/papers/w14721" "_blank" http://www.nber.org/papers/w14721  http://www.businessinsider.com/shocking-facts-obesity-america-2010-12?op=1" www.businessinsider.com/shocking-facts-obesity-america-2010-12?op=1 http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html" www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

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