Obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass. Genetics, nutrition, physical activity, and family routines are all leading causes of the increase in American obesity. If one parent is obese, there is a 50% chance that the child will be obese, this study shows how obesity is carried down, being the reason obesity is increasing
(National Heart, Lungs, and Blood Institute, Health Risk 1). Day to day money is directly spent on medical care and prescription drugs related to obesity. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, obesity is becoming a national epidemic, with the Center for Disease
Control, noting that around 15% of children and adolescents are now overweight. In the last forty years, the percentage of Americans who are overweight has doubled, meaning that an abundance of people have been affected negatively by these following health issues: diabetes, sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease and joint problems (1).
Diabetes is a drastic effect of obesity. Statistically, overweight people are twice as likely to develop type II diabetes as people who are not overweight. Metabolic Syndrome is the name given to a group of risk factors that raise the risk for both diabetes and stroke. There are six major components of Metabolic Syndrome, which include abdominal obesity, elevated blood cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance with or without glucose intolerance, elevated of certain clotting factors in the blood. According to “The National
Cholesterol Education Program”, Metabolic Syndrome has the complex risk factor for cardiovascular disease (Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Health Effects of Obesity 1). Ischemic stro... ... middle of paper ...
... Whether a person is trying to lose or maintain their weight you are still helping your overall health
(Everyday Health, Obesity Dangers 1).
Works Cited
Stewart, Kristen. "The Dangers of Obesity." EverydayHealth.com. Everyday Health
Media, 4 Aug. 2009. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
"Obesity Information." Obesity Information. American Heart Association, Feb. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
Mayo Clinic Staff. "Obesity." Definition. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
"Health Effects of Obesity." Stanford Hospital & Clinics. Stanford Hospital & Clinics, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
"What Are the Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity?" - NHLBI, NIH. National Institute of Health, 13 July 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
"Health Risks." Obesity Prevention Source. The President and Fellows of Harvard College, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Obesity is on the rise, and it is becoming more and more of a national health concern. It effects more than 1/3 of the population, and an additional 1/3 is overweight. With obesity becoming more and more of a problem each year, the American population is going to suffer from a catastrophic health emergency.
Obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths1. The prevalence of overweight, obesity, and extreme obesity has been increasing worldwide in the last decades, not only adults but starting as early as in childhood and adolescence1,2,3. More recent estimates suggest that body weight gain will continue to increase, particularly in the younger people4.
"Treating Obesity Vital For Public Health, Physicians Say." Science Daily. 2006. Web. 10 May 2014. .
Obesity has been identified as one of the risk factors affecting directly and indirectly the health outcome of the population. Even though many approaches and programs have been conducted in order to reduce the obesity rate, this health issue is still a big headache and keeps being put on the table. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overweight and obesity rate have been increasing significantly in the past two decades in the United States with more than 35.7% of adults and almost 17% of children and adolescents from 2-19 years olds being obese ("Overweight and obesity," 2013). As Healthy People 2020 indicated, in the period from 1988-1994 to 2009-2010, the age adjusted obesity rate among U.S adults aged 20 and over increased from 22.8% to 35.7%, which means increased by 57% while the obesity rate among children and teenagers from 2 to 19 years old increased from 10% to approximately 17%, witnessing the increase of 69% ("Nutrition, physical activity," 2013). Obesity has impact both on economic and health of the nation. Obesity is the risk factor of serious chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, certain kinds of cancer, and other leading causes of preventable deaths ("Overweight and obesity," 2013). Moreover, obesity continues to be economic burden in terms of medical costs for either public or private payers up to $147 billion per year which increased from 6.5% to 9.1% (Finkelstein et al, 2009). In 2008, medical spending per capita for the obese or obesity related health issues is $1,429 per year, as 42% higher than “those of normal weight” (Finkelstein et al, 2009, p.8).
There is an alarming rise in childhood obesity throughout the United States, making it an epidemic in our country. Obesity has become a threat to the health of many children. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period.(Childhood Obesity Facts, 2015)
Understanding how obesity is affecting American adults and American children, will help prevent future problems with obesity.
Although many individuals are uncertain about the increasing statistics associated with obesity, more than seventy percent of men and virtually sixty-two percent of women within the United States adult population are overweight or obese (Wilmore, Costill, & Kenney). Obesity refers to the condition of having an excessive amount of body fat. If an individual’s amount of body fat becomes too excessive, he/she is at a much greater risk of developing life-altering diseases such as heart failure, hypertension, type II diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, etc. (Wilmore, et al., 2008).
Obesity is a growing health problem and leading cause of preventable deaths in U.S. As a health care professional it is our position statement that obesity should be considered as a disease. Over weight along with obese are also at risk for many diseases. However, it is our recommendation that expenses related to weight reduction program should only be paid to cure a specific obesity related disease. Medicare and insurance companies should not make payment for treatment of obesity unrelated to a medical condition such as improving a person’s general appearance and well being. As treatment in this context has not been determined to be reasonable and necessary. Various kinds of programs such as nutrition education and importance of physical activity must be offered to over weight individuals. Also we must adapt a sensitive approach to change our national perspective of obesity and over weight from an issue of appearance to an issue of health concern.
Childhood obesity is a serious problem among American children. Some doctors are even calling childhood obesity an epidemic because of the large percentage of children being diagnosed each year as either overweight or obese. “According to DASH sixteen to thirty-three percent of American children each year is being told they are obese.” (Childhood Obesity) There is only a small percentage, approximately one percent, of those children who are obese due to physical or health related issues; although, a condition that is this serious, like obesity, could have been prevented. With close monitoring and choosing a healthier lifestyle there would be no reason to have such a high obesity rate in the United States (Caryn). Unfortunately, for these children that are now considered to be obese, they could possibly be facing some serious health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancers. All of these diseases have been linked to obesity through research. These children never asked for this to happen to them; however, it has happened, and now they will either live their entire life being obese, or they will be forced to reverse what has already been done (Childhood Obesity).
The present public health problem has become a great public concern and the future of these children and future adults has also been brought to attention. For example, "as obese children are more than likely to become obese adults, they are at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and several cancers" (Gollust, 2014). Research has also indicated that the current generation of children are on track to have shorter lives than their parents because of increasing rates of obesity (Gollust, 2014).
“Obesity Information.” American Heart Association Obesity Information. American heart Association, 27 February 2014. Web. 04 Apr. 2014
Obesity is a physiological condition characterised by an excessive accumulation of body fat, specifically the build-up of adipose tissue beneath the skin. In recent years, the number of people diagnosed with clinical obesity has increased dramatically, with governments desperately trying to tackle the obesity epidemic and its associated consequences (McLannahan and Clifton, 2008). Studies have found that the prevalence of obesity once stood at an estimated 9.8% (Kelly, Yang, Chen, Reynolds & He, 2008), a considerable figure representing almost 400 million individuals worldwide. Even though obesity has now been recognised as a major problem the number of people affected is increasing rapidly, with almost 300,000 deaths attributable to obesity in the USA each year (Allison, Fontaine, Manson, Stevens, & VanItallie, 1999). Excessive amounts of fat can prove dangerous as the condition has a very high comorbidity rate with other long term health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and cancer (Pi-Sunyer, 1993). Numerous examples of media, medical journals and educational literature concerning obesity refer to the condition as a disease, with an increasing use of the word ‘Epidemic’ to describe the somewhat recent surge of obesity cases in western societies (Boero, 2007), however there is little material available that offers evidence for obesity meeting specification for disease. Instead it has been proposed that obesity is alternatively a risk factor for developing other potentially harmful diseases, influenced by a variety of other factors i.e. genetics, cultural ideals and biological impairments.
When one hears the word obesity thoughts that may come to mind are overweight, big, or even unhealthy. "Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 30" (Obesity).
Obesity occurs in all countries and it is one of the gravest problems in modern society. Obesity problems have become one matter of concern for individuals all around the world. What is more is that Obesity rates continue to rise all around the world. One of the chief causes is unhealthy diets. Obesity is also due to lack of exercise and lack of education and awareness. Therefore obesity has various effects including the risk of suffering from a range of health conditions, increased expenditure on health care and lack of self-esteem.
The statistics showed that around 31% of women are obese compared to around 18% men.7 Women are more affected by obesity due to lifestyles. The inaccessibility of safe side walks, cultural and social factors, taking care of kids are some of the reasons that play a vital part...