Why Weight?

1771 Words4 Pages

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. It’s considered an epidemic in the United States. More than 30 percent of adult Americans are overweight, compared with 25 percent a decade ago (Greenblatt). It’s easy to see why. The U.S. food industry continuously markets high-fat, high-sugar, super-sized foods. Modern communities encourage driving rather than walking. Schools are dropping physical education classes even as fattening snack foods are being brought to schools. Plus, children are spending more time playing computer games than sports. Modern families are always on the go, so they are stuck eating unhealthy fast food. Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults, unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise.

But unlike other public health challenges such as tobacco use and seatbelts, there is no single cause or solution to turn to. There are many individual, environmental, and community factors, as well as state and federal policies that contribute to obesity. Many people do not believe there is a problem with be...

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Ward-Smith, Peggy. "Obesity -- America's Health Crisis." Urologic Nursing 30.4 (2010): 242-245.Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 1 Dec. 2010.

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