Fast Food and the Obesity Epidemic in America

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Obesity is an epidemic in America, greatly impacting youth, the health care system, and economically vulnerable populations. Among all of the high-income countries in the world, obesity rates remain the highest in the US. According to Harvard, US obesity rates have more than doubled since 1980, although they have remained the same since 2003. (Harvard School of Public Health) Approximately 31.9% of children and adolescents from the ages of 2 to 19 are obese or overweight (NPLAN), while roughly 69% of adults fall into the category of overweight or obese. (Harvard School of Public Health) With obesity rates this high, America is facing a huge crisis that could become greater in the future. In order to understand the issue of Obesity in America it is important to evaluate the extent to which the problem effects large populations of children and adults and how the fast food industry has served as one of the major causes of this epidemic. About nine million children are obese among those who are more than six years of age. (Alderman, Jess, et al.) In order to diagnose a child with obesity, one must calculate the child’s body mass index(BMI). The child’s BMI, which is factored by weight and height, is compared with children of the same sex and age across the country on a specific chart. A child is considered obese if they have a BMI higher than 95% of the population. Since 1980, the amount of overweight children has multiplied, and among adolescents, the number has nearly tripled which will most surely increase the likelihood of health problems leading in adolescents and into adulthood. Children are "gaining weight to a dangerous degree and at an alarming rate" regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status, or geographic location... ... middle of paper ... ... Web. 11 Mar. 2014. Harvard School of Public Health. "Adult Obesity." Harvard School of Public Health. President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2014. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (NPLAN). "Model Healthy Food Zone Ordinance." NPLAN. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. NBC News Dateline. "Dirty Dining?" NBC News. NBC News, 2014. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. Trust for America's Health, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "Fast Facts: Economic Costs of Obesity." F as in Fat. Trust for America's Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. Trust for America's Health, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation "Interactive: Adult Obesity in the United States, 1990-2012." F as in Fat. Trust for America's Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

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