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Causes of obesity and its effects
Causes of obesity and its effects
Causes of obesity and its effects
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Obesity has become an epidemic that has evaded the proper public informing. It is a lifestyle choice not a disease. It has become a huge issue in America and is one of the most difficult public health problems the United States has ever faced. It is unlike any classic disease or plague that is caused by a deadly viruses or bacteria chain. It cannot simply be treated by a vaccine and there are not many promising medical treatments that have become known to the public that can help deal with this issue. While it is blamed on genetics in most part or other health problems it seems that obesity will never be faced or stepped up to as a general problem because it is something that can be prevented, with motivation people can control what they decide to put into their mouths and when they should get up and exercise. Though society has made it a point to make obesity seem like a social norm, it is plaguing people with an unhealthy lifestyle ideal. It is not a disease or a deadly plague, but mainly just a public health problem being labeled as a deadly epidemic that can be the cause of many other health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, and kidney failure. If these are not reasons enoguht to change an unhealthy lifestyle choice, what is?
South Park is a show that has brought a, sarcastic twist to political and social topics that happen in everyday life. In the episode titled "Raising the Bar," they shine a light on the cosmic epidemic of obesity and how it has become a social norm and is now be excepted as just "human nature," if you will. In the episode reality tv is also given some limelight, such as the tv series of Here comes Honey Boo Boo, which features and overweight todler and her over weight family who not only are olay wit...
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...Bayer, “Stigma and the Ethics of Public Health: Not Can We, But Should We?” Social Science and Medicine 69 (2008): 463-73.
M. Nitka, “Programs to Reduce Childhood Obesity Seem to Work, Say Cochrane Reviewers,” Journal of the Ameri- can Medical Association 307, no. 5 (2012): 444-45.
T.A. Wadden et al., “A Two-Year Randomized Trial of Obesity Treatment in Primary Care Practice,” New England Jour- nal of Medicine 365 (2011): 1969-79; L. Appel et al., “Comparative Effectiveness of Weight Loss Intervention in Clinical Prac- tice,” New England Journal of Medicine 365 (2011): 1959-68; J. Hill and R. Wing, “The National Weight Control Registry,” Perma- nente Journal 7, no. 3 (2003): 34-37.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, “Screening for Obesity in Adults,” Annals of Internal Medicine 139, no. 11 (2003): 930-32, at http://annals.org/article. aspx?articleid=716966.
Obesity is a huge problem that needs to be resolved because it affects all people, unlike most issues. People of every gender, every age, and every race are at risk of being obese. Obesity rates in America have nearly doubled within the last twenty years. Something must be done not only to prevent obesity rates continuous rising, but also to dramatically increase the percentage of obese people in America altogether.
Hellmich, Nanci, “Report maps out solutions to child obesity.” USA Today n.d.: MAS ULTRA-School Edition. Web. 6 May 2012.
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 and obesity that will help everyone (CDC, 2009).
National Institute of Clinical Health and Excellence. (2006) Obesity: The prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children [online]. Available from: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG43 [Accessed on 19/03/2011].
Interest in the social aspects of obesity is nothing new. Jeffrey Sobal has written extensively about the social and psychological consequences of obesity , including the stigmatisation and discrimination of obese and even overweight individuals (Sobal 2004).
"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).
Mayo Clinic. "Treating Obesity Vital For Public Health, Physicians Say." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 December 2006. .
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Rhor, Monica. “Schools Programs Lead Fight Against Childhood Obesity”. Houston Chronicle. 21. May. 2012. 14. Oct. 2013. http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/School-programs-lead-fight-against-childhood-3575144.php
White, D. "Treatment of mild, moderate, and severe obesity in children." Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne. 27.3 (1986): 262-274. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
Put that burger down? Obesity is a public epidemic because it is rising by the day. Some people are so quick to blame the fast food industry like McDonalds, Burger King, and other firms claiming that these industry aide in creating a society in which it is encouraged to eat unhealthy food. So who really is to blame? While we are busy pointing our sticky finger at restaurants, grocery stores, farmers, or government policies, we need to focus on our individual self as the main cause of this increasing epidemic.
Society should consider the physical and emotional problems of obesity in our nation. “Obesity is defined as an excess proportion of total body fat (Mayo Clinic).” American society has become increasingly obese, “characterized by environments that promote increased food intake, unhealthy foods, and physical inactivity (cdcinfo@cdc.gov).” Our nation increasingly has become consumers of a fast food diet. It is so simple to just pick up food on the go and not deal with the hassle of cooking and cleaning up afterwards. What are nation needs to acknowledge is the health risks they will obtain if they do not acquire a healthy life style.