Health Education and the Obesity Epidemic

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Obesity is a growing problem in the United States. Not only is the ‘average’ person growing larger in size, but the number of overweight individuals is increasing at an alarming rate. Many researchers discuss the issue of obesity providing statistics and lists of causes, but fail to give an adequate solution that works for the long term. For the most part, it is easy for one to gain weight; however it is very difficult to lose the extra pounds. There are many pieces to the obesity puzzle – diet, exercise, stress, and others (Guarino, 2013). This paper will discuss the main factors of obesity and health problems associated, and then proposed solutions will be examined in detail.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2013 that 66 percent of Americans are overweight and 32 percent of those are obese (Guarino, 2013). The terms ‘overweight’ and ‘obesity’ were developed to categorize approximately how much extra weight/body fat one may have. The terms are classified by calculating what is called the body mass index (BMI). The BMI calculates a person’s weight versus height. A BMI over 24 is considered overweight, whereas a BMI over 30 is considered obese. Over the past two decades the percentage of overweight and obese Americans has more than doubled. Guarino (2013) also states that if this problem is not dealt with urgently the financial and economic costs to America could be unrecoverable.

To focus the program more locally, Nebraska is the 24th most obese state in America with an obesity rate of 27.6 percent in the overall population. This percentage may sound low, but take into consideration that obesity has increased more than 80 percent in Nebraska over the last two decades. Nebraska a...

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...vances in Management, (6)7, 3-6.

National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC). (2010). The Health

Education Specialist: A Companion Guide for Professional Excellence (6th ed.). Whitehall, PA: National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

Nebraska Medical Association. (n.d.) The Childhood Obesity Epidemic. Retrieved from

http://www.nebmed.org/Template.aspx?id=1434

Pro-Tec. (n.d.) Breaking News … World First UV Powered Starpath. Retrieved from

http://www.pro-teqsurfacing.com/pressrelease.html

Trust for America’s Health. (7 July 2011). New Report: Nebraska is 24th Most Obese State in

the Nation. Retrieved from http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2011/ release.php?stateid=NE

United Health Foundation. (2013). Take Action. Retrieved from

http://www.americashealthrankings.org/TakeAction?measure=Obesity

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