The United States is known world wide for being the land of opportunity. In the 'land of opportunity', why is it that the people are so overly concerned with everything in their lives that they apparently do not take care of their precious bodies? Why does the wealthiest country in the world act so carelessly when it comes to healthy eating and staying fit?
The United States of America has an obesity rate of 65%, which is 22% higher than the rest of the world (Jamison). This striking statistic is mainly due to the overall way of life of Americans compared to the less spoiled countries around the world. Americans desperately need to change their ways of life so the obesity rate can shrink and the people can become healthier.
Far too many Americans are becoming overweight or obese due to their diets and modern lifestyles. Obesity is defined by a person's body mass index (BMI). BMI is calculated by the weight of a person in kilograms divided by the square of the height of a person in meters (kg/m²). Obese, as defined by Dr James Geoff, is having a BMI of 30 kg/m².
Dr. Karle Jamison of the United States Department of Health and Human Services emphasizes that the United States? obesity rate is out of control. Since the early 1980?s, the United States has seen an 77% increase in the obese population. Not to mention, in the 1980?s obese was defined as having a BMI of 23 kg/m². If that definition still stood today, 80% of Americans would be considered obese (Jamison). These are very alarming figures that urgently need to be controlled.
Obesity is not as simple as it may seem. To most, obesity is just being extremely overweight, not that big of a deal. But they are wrong. Many things other than all that extra fat are attached to a person when they are obese. For these people, it is extremely difficult to get around. Joints like knees and ankles wear out much quicker due to extra stress (Krebs). It is even complex to get airline tickets because an obese person often does not fit in one seat. Most importantly, the chances of getting diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, many cancers, and even Alzheimer?s more than quadruples (Krebs).
There are quite a few main factors that commonly are associated with causing obesity. Many obese adults were obese children. These obese children are often quite lazy and are cou...
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... World Press. Ed. Jerry Greenle. www.worldpress.org/obese
Nezbitt, Mike. Personal interview, 21 Feb. 2005
Roberts, Matt, Jon Roberts. Fitness for Life. New York, New York: DK Pub., 2002.
Ryan, Joan. ?In Fat Race, U.S. Leads, World Gains.? San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2004, final ed.: A-13
I. Introduction
A. Hook- obesity questions
B. Thesis-- Americans desperately need to change their ways of life so the obesity rate can shrink and the people can become healthier
C. Intentions: to prove obesity a problem in U.S. and state how it should be solved.
II. Current Situation- Obesity Rates in US and World
A. Rates
B. Defintion
C. Comparison to past
III. Information on obesity
A. causes in children
1. physical education and school
2. parenting
B. Adults
1. job problems
2. lack of activity
IV. Diet and Nutrition
A. Fast food
B. Calories in Fast food
C. Comparison to rest of world
V. Conclusion
A. Restate thesis
B. how to solve obesity crisis
C. advice and pointers
D. closing by stating that body is most important part of a person
The blog post “Why are Americans Obese?’’, provides details on the classification of being considered obese through a body mass index chart (BMI). The source also, describes how Americans through increased food portions, confusing dieting, the lack of physical inactivity, have all played a major role in the epidemic obesity in Americans. The source concludes with ways to prevent obesity on a small scale through exercising, lowering calorie intake, eating smaller food portions, and asking for a medical professional’s opinion. The purpose of this source is to inform the audience of the epidemic issue that obesity is a real serious problem in America and that serious cardiovascular issues could lead to death. The source is not very useful, for reasons that the author of this post does not have the professional qualifications to know that all the information that was posted is accurate or reliable. Even though, the post was written recently, it was opinionated and biased to only certain forms of ways to deal with the subject matter. It only offered a few solutions out the many that are available to the public. In conclusion, the blog post provides general information about obesity and confirms that people don’t know the optimal way to prevent or treat obesity, but can only offer
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.
Throughout the past years and more here recently obesity has become a fast growing problem in the United States and around the world. Since this has become such a problem certain authors are starting to take a stand in how they think the solution should be fixed. The solutions are discussed in the following articles: How Junk Food Can End Obesity by David H. Freedman and What You Eat Is Your Business by Radley Balko. Both articles have clear and distinct arguments, but the argument by Balko entices his readers and has a clear purpose and tone that allowed his article to be more effective.
Obesity has affected the world in many ways: task forces have been formed to address the issue, people are suffering from health problems due to obesity, and others suffer from psychological and social issues. Nearly two-thirds of the United States population is overweight. There are several ways to determine if a person is obese or overweight. Experts say that a person’s body mass index is the best way to determine an adult’s weight in relation to their height. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2 is considered normal, adults with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 are considered overweight.
Obesity in America is a very serious problem affecting many Americans currently and is a problem that continues to grow each year. “Over the past 40 years, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in the United States” (Wimalawansa). This issue is known to many but believed not be an issue to care much about but this is not true. Obesity in America affects everyone regardless if they are obese or not. In order to resolve the problem, we can slaughter all the adults that are currently obese in America.
Goldstein, Hesh. Why There is an Obesity Epidemic. 16 Nov. 2009. 12 Nov. 2011 .
According to the American Heart Association, 23.9 million children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese. In addition to them, 154.7 million adults are pudgy. That means more than one-third of children and two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight (Pages 1-3). Many Americans know about the high rates of obesity in our country. Michelle Obama, along with several other politicians and health professionals, push for recognition of these facts. They believe too many citizens are overweight and something has to change. The statistics raise several questions and problems, but of these conflicts, which ones are worth solving?
There is a concerning 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, with rates more than doubling in children and quadrupling in adolescents over the past 30 years. According to Childhood Obesity Facts (2015), 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. When discussing obesity, it is important to define the term.
In 1990, obese adults made up less than 15 percent of the population in most U.S. states. By 2010, 36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher, and 12 of those had obesity rates of 30 percent or higher. (CDC) Today, nationwide, roughly two out of three U.S. ...
The obesity epidemic is one of the most pressing issues at this point in both American society and U.S. public policy initiatives. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention 35.9% of U.S. adults over the age of twenty are obese (CDC, 2013). The CDC further notes that 69.2% of U.S. adults twenty years of age and over are overweight (this percentage includes those who are obese). The obesity problem is not exclusive to the adults in the U.S. The CDC notes that 18.4% of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 are currently obese (CDC, 2013). These statistics illustrate the severity of the obesity epidemic in this country, but what can be done to address or even correct this problem? Many people have proposed solutions, but few are as radical as the proposal from Michael Bloomberg (the New York City Mayor) in 2012.
Obesity in the United States continues growing alarmingly. Approximately 66 % of adults and 33 % of children and teenagers in the US are overweight. Obesity is the result of fat accumulated over time due to the lack of a balanced diet and exercise. An adult with a BMI (body mass index) higher than thirty percent is considered obese (Whitney & Rolfes, 2011, pg. 271).
There are many reasons why obesity is such a big problem in the world today. Even though food looks good and tastes good, does not mean it is healthy for you. The book Overweight America concludes that obesity wouldn’t be such a problem if people would burn off the calories that they ate. Overweight America states that fewer calories are being burned then ever before, and bad eating habits are happening everywhere mostly because there is high-calorie food waiting to be sold and healthy food is more expensive. Access to healthy food is limited in some communities; for example, Africa. According to Obesity; opposing viewpoints obesity is way higher in lower class homes and communities then higher-class communities. Access to gyms, community centers or safe playgrounds can also have an effect on obesity. If there aren’t the resources people need to stay in shape it is harder to have to motivation to want to be in shape.
Obesity is a huge problem in the United States. Many people argue that it is not the government’s responsibility. But, since the government regulates most schools there are things that they should be doing to prevent childhood obesity. Children need to get the proper amount of physical exercise daily. They need to be provided with the healthy nutrients, and need to have knowledge about healthy foods. If children do not receive these necessities then obesity will have a negative impact on America. If they do receive these tools then the percentage of obese children in the United States will decrease significantly. In conclusion, the percentage of children that are obese in the United States will lower if children are taught about what they are eating, vending machines are abolished, and physical education classes are required at schools.
With a little help and determination America can solve the problem of obesity and prevent future health problems by: eating healthier, encouraging physical activity, and setting limits on the consumption fast food, to provide better nutrition for the people of America.
Over the course of the last few decades, the U.S. has seen a drastic rise in the spread of obesity. Through the rise of large-scale fast food corporations, the blame has shifted toward the mass consumerism of these global industries. It is, however, due to poor lifestyle choices that the U.S. population has seen a significant increase in the percentage of people afflicted with obesity. In 1990 the percentage of obese people in the United States was approximated at around 15%. In 2010, however, it is said that “36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher”(Millar). These rates have stayed consistent since 2003. The obesity problem in America is