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Obesity and the american diet
The problem of obesity among the American population
Obesity and the american diet
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Gen Ed Assignment
McKenzie Godbout
Professor Hagan
November 10th, 2015
Women’s Health 215
Topic: Obesity and Overweight Issues
1. http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/Pages/overweight-obesity-statistics.aspx
2. This topic is a very important topic to be discussing right now. America is at its largest. People are becoming more informed but the foods that people put in their bodies are still horrible. As well as the amount of foods people put in their body is also horrible. As soon as you come to the obesity page on NIH’s website you see many statistics. In 2009-2010, the National Health and Examination survey was conducted and what this found is astonishing. It states, “More than 2 in 3 adults are considered
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Something interesting this website does provide is a difference over time with obesity, “Since the early 1960s, the prevalence of obesity among adults more than doubled, increasing from 13.4 to 35.7 percent in U.S. adults age 20 and older,” (WIN, n.d.). This percent jump is very drastic and clearly shows that Americans have made a change in their diet and exercise routines that is not good. Looking at the provided chart you can see that there was barely anyone with extreme obesity, however you can see that in 2010 there was a higher percentage of people with extreme obesity. Physical activity is also discussed on this website. If a person is more active is decreases their risk in getting certain diseases and heart issues. On this website you can find guidelines made by the government on activity levels. These activity levels vary from 75-150 minutes a week for adults and at least 60 minutes a day for …show more content…
The WIN organization provides valid scientific data that has been reviewed before it was released to the public. The author does not use “buzz words” in this fact sheet on obesity. The information found on this website about obesity is similar to all the other information I have seen on Obesity and overweight issues. However, WIN goes into much more depth. The information is not all-inclusive. It clearly states that individuals vary. It also is stated that they provide this information solely to educate the public and that there is no one treatment for obesity and overweight people. The author uses credible references. All of the references are from studies performed by health professionals and experts. The author is not trying to make a profit off of the information presented. NIH is a government-funded organization. They educated the public because it is their job. It is also important to know information on health for yourself and your loved ones. The information is clearly presented and laid out. It is organized very clearly and easy to find specific on the
Goldstein, Hesh. Why There is an Obesity Epidemic. 16 Nov. 2009. 12 Nov. 2011 .
Caballero, Benjamin. "The Global Epidemic of Obesity: An Overview." Johns Hopkins Bloomberg school of Public Health. 13 May 2007: 1-5. Epidemiologic Reviews. Web. 21 September 2015. http://epirev.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/1/1.full.pdf+html
Ogden, C.L., Carroll, M.D., Kit, B.K., & Flegal, K. M., (2012). Prevalence of obesity and
Obesity has increasingly become a significant public health concern in the United States. In the past four decades, the numbers of overweight children, adolescents, and adults has shot to high margins, and the rise cut cross all ages, races, and ethnicities for both males and females. A recent analysis by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 30% of the American adult aged over the ages of twenty, which is a representation of over 60 million adults, was obese. Still the same survey indicated 16% of those between the ages of 16years and 19 years, which is over 9 million children and teenagers, were obese. This has come with its share of repe...
Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., Ogden, C. L., & Curtin, L. R. (2010). Prevalence and trends in obesity among U.S. adults, 1999-2008. Journal of Medical Association. 303, 235-241.
Obesity has been accepted in the American society as a norm. According to the U.S. office of the Surgeon General, in 1999, 6 in 10 American adults were classified as obese or overweight (McMurray, par. 5). In order for one to be classified as obese they’re body mass index (BMI) must be 30 or greater. The number of obese in America has continued to increase. It has been estimated by The World Health Organization that 300 million people will be obese by 2025 (Bailey 3). Since obesity comes with many health risks, many feel it should be treated as a disease.
The healthcare community defines obesity as being 20 percent or more over a person?s ideal body weight, which is based on their height (?U.S. Health Professionals?? np). Usually this is 100 pounds or more over their ideal body weight. Researchers found that the two main causes of obesity are the overabundance of food and people?s sedentary lifestyles (?U.S. Health Professionals?? np). Other causes include genetics, lifestyle choices and environmental factors. These alarming statistics have prompted many to seek a solution for a problem that is clearly not going to go away by itself.
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).
As a health care professional it is our position statement that obesity should be considered as a disease. Overweight and obese adults are considered at risk for developing diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension, high blood cholesterol, coronary heart disease, and certain type of cancers. An average of 300,000 deaths is associated with obesity and the total economic cost of obesity in U.S. was about $ 117 billion in 2000. As health care professionals it is our responsibility to increase public awareness of health consequences of over weight and obesity. Obesity as a disease: Obesity fits all the definitions of ‘disease’, that is, interruption in bodily function.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC,) there were 90.6 million obese individuals in 2010 (Ogden, Carroll, and et al). This represents approximately 36% of the total population. In 2010, it was determined that out of the 36% of obese person...
Metcalf, T., & Metcalf, G. (Eds.). (2008). Perspectives on Diseases and Disorders: Obesity. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Cengage Learning
According to the Endocrine Society, obesity is a complex disease that is associated with a number of comorbidities, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010 reports that more than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be overweight or obese. More than 1 in 3 adults are considered to be obese. More than 1 in 20 adults are considered to have extreme obesity. About one-third of children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 are considered to be overweight or obese. More than 1 in 6 children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 are considered to be obese. Adults 20 years of age or older having a BMI of 25 and higher are considered to be overweight, higher than 30 considered obese.
Obesity is a physiological condition characterised by an excessive accumulation of body fat, specifically the build-up of adipose tissue beneath the skin. In recent years, the number of people diagnosed with clinical obesity has increased dramatically, with governments desperately trying to tackle the obesity epidemic and its associated consequences (McLannahan and Clifton, 2008). Studies have found that the prevalence of obesity once stood at an estimated 9.8% (Kelly, Yang, Chen, Reynolds & He, 2008), a considerable figure representing almost 400 million individuals worldwide. Even though obesity has now been recognised as a major problem the number of people affected is increasing rapidly, with almost 300,000 deaths attributable to obesity in the USA each year (Allison, Fontaine, Manson, Stevens, & VanItallie, 1999). Excessive amounts of fat can prove dangerous as the condition has a very high comorbidity rate with other long term health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and cancer (Pi-Sunyer, 1993). Numerous examples of media, medical journals and educational literature concerning obesity refer to the condition as a disease, with an increasing use of the word ‘Epidemic’ to describe the somewhat recent surge of obesity cases in western societies (Boero, 2007), however there is little material available that offers evidence for obesity meeting specification for disease. Instead it has been proposed that obesity is alternatively a risk factor for developing other potentially harmful diseases, influenced by a variety of other factors i.e. genetics, cultural ideals and biological impairments.
America is one of the most obese countries in the world, and the reasons are quite obvious. Take a look around. Fast food chains on every block, more and more technology to make our lives easier, and high amount of stress are just a few factors to weight gain in our country. There are many different views on obesity and how the people think it should be resolved, whether it's government making the change or the people taking care of themselves. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Are we doing enough to bring these statistics down? No. In the last 40 years, there has been a growth to more than 160,000 fast food restaurants in America (“Adolescent and School Health”). Restaurants (such as Wendy's, McDonald's etc.) serve more than 50 million people per day, generating about 65 million in sales annually. Only since obesity has become a national epidemic have fast food restaurants changed their ways. But we need to do more than just change the kind of oil the french fries are fried in. Better yet, why don't we remove, or intensely decrease the number of the unhealthy fast food chains, and spread more healthy fast food chains, such as Subway? Is it something government could take act in? Should the United States government take measures to fight the rise of obesity in the country, or are choices concerning diet and nutrition better left to the individuals, free of government interference?
When promoting plus sizes and television shows, are self-esteem or heart disease also being promoted? People throughout the world struggle with being anorexic, bulimic, overweight, or obese. TLC’s now popular reality TV show, My 600 Pound Life, displays the daily struggles of morbidly obese people. While encouraging women to love their body is appealing, there are many dangers in the fondness of obesity. Glorifying obesity can lead to being morbidly unhealthy, as demonstrated by Dominique Lanoise, a woman who died from morbid obesity.