Ending Obesity in America

In a study from 2010, the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) found that the number one cause of death, killing 597,689 people each year, is heart disease. A major cause of heart disease is obesity, meaning that obesity kills many people in the united states each year. “In 1999-2000, 27.5% of men were obese, and by 2009-2010 the prevalence had increased to 35.5%” (Ogden, et al. 4). It is obvious that obesity is on the rise in our country. “the most recent national data on obesity prevalence among U.S. adults, adolescents, and children show that more than one third of adults and almost 17% of children and adolescents were obese in 2009-2010.” (Ogden, et al. 6). If the trends continue, obesity will become an epidemic, killing thousands of people. The CDC defines obesity as having a BMI (body mass index) of 30 or higher. In some instances, this can be misleading. For some people, say athletes that have plenty of muscle and not much body fat, their BMI can indicate they are overweight. Nevertheless, it is still a good indicator for the general public. And studies have shown, using the BMI system, that obesity in America is on the rise.
One of the major reasons for such high rates of obesity is in the workplace. Many people have little time to spare for healthy habits because of work. Having a lunch hour means that for some people, the fastest, easiest way to get lunch is to go to a fast food restaurant. And then most people wake up fairly early to go to work, then are exhausted when they get home, meaning they won’t take the time to exercise or cook a healthy meal. They wind up going home to sit on the couch and watch TV, which is partly what they did at work all day. Many people are sitting down all day. They don’t have...

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...ome healthier, namely be encouraging them to join after school sports, like swimming or soccer, and joining after school clubs, like Boy Scouts. In a sport, you learn how to work out and exercise as well as blow off steam and work towards a goal. And then in Boy Scouts and other organizations, you learn how to eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle. These and other programs, such as Michelle Obamas intent to get healthier food in school lunches. The main thing that needs to be done now is for older teens and adults to encourage children to exercise and eat healthy, which will limit the amount of obese children.
Obesity needs to be overcome before it becomes and epidemic. It is a daunting task and at times can seem insurmountable, but it can be dealt with by supporting others and working hard. In the end, conquering obesity is as easy as taking candy from a baby.