Obesity Satire

Americans need to accept that obesity is a disease, a disease that nearly 40 percent of all American adults have. Obesity is not simply an issue of being overweight, obesity is an issue of killing your body slowly, your organs, your lungs and all other bodily functions suffer when you develop obesity. When we encourage a climate in America where obesity is seen as the norm we encourage a toxic environment of allowing a disease to run rampid. And, In 2018 obesity has become an epidemic in America. An epidemic that American schools and the government should be addressing, as well as the American public as a whole.

Many people believe that obesity is a certain body shape, the way you eat or your weight, but medically obesity is decided by your

BMI (Body-Mass Index) which is a combination of your height, weight and gender. The formula for BMI is BMI= (Your Weight in Pounds) / (Your Height in Inches)2 X 703. “Obesity is medically defined as having a body-mass index of more than 30” (NBC News Source 1). Obesity is now considered a disease as it’s [obesities] effects impair your life and bodily function such as being unable to walk without help, as well as respiratory problems like restricted breathing due to excess weight pushing on the lungs. It was only recently that obesity was considered a disease and not just a problem caused by lifestyle choices. The American Medical Association decided on the decision in August of 2013. Dr. Patrice Harris, a member of the AMA said "Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans" (Medical News Today Source 2). Now that obesity is medically considered a disease it will help to aide in the fight against obesity-related diseases, such and heart disease as well as type 2 diabetes, and will improve funding for scientific research for obesity drugs and surgeries. The fact that obesity is now classified as a disease is a huge leap in the right direction to begin to combat widespread obesity. It also solidifies feelings around obesity as a medical issue for doctors and medical professionals to treat.
The number of people diagnosed with obesity has hit an all time high in the United States. “...40 percent of American adults and nearly 20 percent of adolescents are obese — the highest rates ever recorded for the U.S.” (NBC News Source 1). It is important that we look at obesity as a disease, and not just brushing obesity off into other categories such as “just being fat.” When you look at the number of people in America who are obese whether they are adults or children it is horrifying. “A National Institutes of Health report showed that from 1962 until 2006, obesity in adults age 20-74 more than doubled, increasing from 13.4 percent to 35.1 percent. The average adult weighs more than 26 pounds more than they did in the 1950’s, according to the CDC”( American Heart Association). Obesity is a disease that often slowly takes life away from its victims, which is the saddest when you think about how preventable it is. When we look at obesity rates in children we should be extremely worried, “One in five adolescents, ages 12–19; one in five kids, ages 6–11, and one in ten preschoolers, ages 2–5 are considered obese, not just overweight (NBC News Source 1).” Children who are even simply overweight can end up developing obesity later in life if the problem of being overweight is not curbed at a younger age. Childhood obesity can affect your body by leading to high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are risk factors for heart disease, increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, such as asthma and sleep apnea, joint problems and musculoskeletal discomfort, fatty liver disease, gallstones, and heartburn. Psychologically childhood obesity is also related to psychological problems such as anxiety and depression, low self-esteem and lower self-reported quality of life. As well as social problems such as bullying and stigma, leading to problems in school environments. When the children of America are the future that we look to, it is important that we work hard to keep them healthy and disease free.
If the American population wants to help or eradicate the obesity epidemic it is important that the American government recognizes the issue and makes a real effort to help. When we look at the government recognizing the obesity epidemic it is important to see that organizations like the United States National Library of Medicine that is operated by the United States government has recognized obesity as an issue, and has published many articles on it. Yet an organization like this is unable to directly make policies to implement change. The government does provide some services in public schools and early child care settings such as, requiring physical education classes which makes children and teenagers exercise, having healthier foods in cafeterias, and teaching nutrition in health classes. The Affordable Care Act also provides financial incentives to states that cover certain preventive services such as obesity screening and counseling for children. They also promote state public education campaigns about the obesity prevention services available to Medicaid recipients and provide funding for the Childhood Obesity Demonstration Project.
When people think about obesity as being a problem they might just think “well it’s a problem but it’s not like it effects me.” But it does, obesity affects every single tax paying American whether they realize it or not.

Every single state and community in America is impacted by the cost of obesity, and severe obesity alone costs state Medicaid programs between $5 million in Wyoming and $1.3 billion in California each year. Overall obesity related healthcare costs $768 per person every single year in Oregon. The obesity crisis costs our nation more than $150 billion in healthcare costs annually. This does not mean that it is not important to spend money on obesity related health care, but obesity is a highly preventable disease. Although there can be a slight genetic predisposition for obesity, that is more often than not caused by family culture, and some other health issues like a thyroid problem can lead to weight gain it will never lead to a weight problem that cannot be managed. Unlike other diseases like cancer or Alzheimer's disease that you are virtually unable to control, obesity is a long and slow process that takes many years and can be stopped and reversed at any time. Obesity is manageable like no other disease, especially with technology like Lap Band surgery and dietician approved nutrition and exercise programs now being free thanks to the internet. There is no understandable reason for obesity to have to continue to put a burden on American taxpayers when losing weight is as simple as burning more calories than you’re

eating.
It may be simple to look at numbers and realize that America has an extreme obesity problem yet many people are still in denial. It is time to stop being sensitive and choose science and the opinions of doctors over the feelings of a group of people who are slowly killing their bodies. Obesity is a preventable disease creating a burden on tax paying citizens, and taking precious Medicaid money away from people who have ailments that cannot simply be cured by eating less and exercising more. It is time for all of us, including the American Government to step up and make a change towards a healthier future that does not include rampid obesity.