Overeating and obesity

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Why do Americans overeat to the point of becoming obese and what are the effects on the body? As the world looks at society today, clearly Americans have an issue with being overweight and becoming obese especially compared with other countries. “Approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese,” and “more than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese” (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 2013, Data and Statistics).
History suggests that overeating is a choice, an addition similar to smoking cigarettes caused by lack of will power, boredom or simple gluttony. With new research, society is beginning to learn there is more behind obesity than just a choice or addition. For instance, a genetic predisposition and/or environmental influences can also be a cause. Overeating suggests becoming obese is not a choice but a problem for which the individual needs to seek medical and psychological help. If a parent is obese, there is a higher chance of the child becoming obese. “Only ten percent of children who do not have obese parents become obese themselves, whereas forty percent of children who have obese parents become obese, and seventy percent of children who have two obese parents become obese” (Psychology Essentials, 2005, p. 321). With that said, parents should motivate themselves as well as encourage the children to be active and if necessary, seek professional help.
Overeating can also be a comforting mechanism or even a pattern. Getting stressed out can result in grabbing that yummy chocolate candy bar. Studies show that overeating produces a physical and psychological effect. The physical changes to the body include an expanding waist line manifests to stretch marks, difficult...

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... Facts. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html (17 Nov. 2013).
RONI CARYN RABIN. (2010, June 16). Exploring the Links Between Depression and Weight Gain with Dr. Needham. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/exploring-the-links-between-depression-and-weight-gain/?_r=0 (2 December 2013).
Rowan, Cris. The Huffington Post. (2013, May 29). The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/technology-children-negative-impact_b_3343245.html (2 December 2013).
Santrock, J. W. (2005) Psychology Essentials 2. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
The Huffington Post. (2013, September 13). Why Do We Overeat? Harvard Researchers Address Obesity And The Toxic Food Environment. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/13/why-we-overeat_n_3919317.html (17 Nov. 2013).

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