The Health Benefits of Exercise

Today in the United States, more than seventeen percent of all children are obese (Marcus). Obesity in children is an epidemic that has been rising for the past decade. In 1999 and 2000, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “an estimated fifteen percent of American children were overweight, more than three times the amount there were in 1990” (D, Andrew). Many factors play a pivotal role in the rise of obesity, such as environment, lifestyle, and genetics. So many children are obese today because of over consumption of calories and reduced physical activity.

There are many issues facing Americans today, but I believe that the most pressing issue is obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of overweight American children and teens has more than doubled in the past decade (Ward-Smith). Two-thirds of the adults are either overweight or obese, and at least 300,000 Americans die each year from obesity related diseases (“America’s Obesity Crisis”). Type II diabetes is already reaching epidemic proportions among our youth, and we will soon have the first generation of Americans who are less healthy than their parents (Davis 2). Obesity has been officially recognized as a disease by the American Medical Association.

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.

"Adult Obesity Facts." CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

In the past few years obesity among children has increased and has now become a major issue in this nation. Over twelve million children in the United States are obese and seven percent of those children are at risk of having type 2 diabetes. Obesity has become a burden to the United States economy and it is costing America $147 billion dollars a year. Are parents to blame for obese and overweight children or is society at fault? Obesity has been around for many years but has always been known to be an adult issue.

As of 2010, more than one third of all Americans were overweight and that number continues to climb at an alarming rate. In 2012 , there was an estimated twenty billion dollars in revenue for any and all diet books, diet drugs, and surgeries (1). Capitalism has a say so clearly, one aspect of the money is pushing the mentally weak toward fatty foods, the other form is racking in twenty billion on improper self discipline and fitness fads of those trying to be the opposite. Even with the increasing numbers of diets and obesity prevention programs, American obesity remains an instable issue. In our society obesity has become a primary link to heart diseases and other preventable lifestyle illnesses that can lead to early death.

Within the past three years obesity among children has tripled. Childhood obesity is considered the number one health threat in America. Childhood obesity has become a major issue facing America. And today over “nine million” (Selicia 4, May) United States children are overweight and obese. Sadly “2 million” (Tanner 2005) of these children are at risk for type 2 diabetes.

Guidelines show that children over two years old should at least get sixty minutes of vigorous activity a day ("Overweight and obesity,"2009). The average family is busier today than ever, which causes parents to rush meals and not take the time to plan nutritious hom... ... middle of paper ... ...hier eating habits; and Improved health literacy. Many suffer from this disease, and the simple act of living becomes a task. The writer hopes that if an individual agreed with being obese before reading this essay has opened their eyes and has became motivated to make a change. At the accomplishment of achieving these goals, many deaths and illnesses can be prevented in America.

Many are based off of lifestyles and peer pressure in schools and in households. “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2004), over 16 percent of children and adolescents from 6 to 19 years of age are overweight and/or obese” (Green 915). This reveals that obesity is a serious disease that is affecting many young people nationwide. It was not until 2003 that obesity was recognized as a disease in the United States and before then a lot of insurance companies did not reimburse people paying out of pocket for their extreme over weight medical problems. “In July 2004, Medicare, recognizing that obesity is a critical public health issue today, changed its policy on addressing obesity”(Henry).

Childhood Obesity Statement of Problem Childhood and adolescent obesity is a problem of significant concern. Whether obese or at risk, excessive fat is based on the ratio of weight to height, age, and gender of the individual (Ul-Haq, Mackay, Fenwick, & Pell, 2013). Today’s youth are considered the most inactive generation in history thus, childhood and adolescent obesity is more prevalent than ever before. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) documents the obesity rate in children ages 6-11 in 2012 at 18% (an increase from seven percent in 1980), and adolescents at 21% (an increase from five percent in 1980). The obesity rate in children has more than doubled and quadrupled in adolescents over a 30-year period (CDC, n.d).