Obesity in America

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Introduction This essay will discuss obesity in America and the statistical data found surrounding the subject. This is an interesting and personal topic and something very interesting to learn about. The essay will cover different vantage points of obesity including obesity’s relationship to poverty in the U.S., parents’ fight for more physical activity in schools to combat childhood obesity, statistical data about America’s obese population and even a spurious correlation between obesity and sleep duration in children. The relationship between obesity and health has been a major factor in drawing national attention to the growing prevalence of obesity. As the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States, obesity claims approximately 300,000 lives each year (Salinsky & Scott, 2003). Obesity is strongly associated with multiple chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, type 2diabetes, and with some forms of cancer, such as uterine, gall bladder, breast, colon, and kidney. Other conditions, such as sleep apnea, asthma, arthritis, reproductive complications, and psychological disorders such as depression, can be attributed to obesity as well. Obese individuals have a 50 percent to 100 percent increased risk of death from all causes, compared with normal-weight individuals. Most of the increased risk is due to cardiovascular issues. According to Salinsky & Scott, almost 80 percent of obese adults have diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, high blood cholesterol levels, or osteoarthritis. High blood pressure is one of the most common health conditions related to obesity in men and women. Obese men and women are more than twice as likely to hav... ... middle of paper ... ...have an appreciable effect in reversing this deadly trend. Given that the obesity epidemic is associated with deeply ingrained societal structures, policymaking on this issue is not likely to be limited to a single piece of legislation or a single program. Rather, it will involve multiple congressional committees and federal agencies addressing a variety of policy spheres, including health, education, transportation, taxation, agriculture, and social welfare. The final paper will bring light to a heavy issue in America. It will show statistical data which will help prove the seriousness of the matter. Obesity is not just a matter of being fat, overweight or above a certain BMI; it also can cause other fatal comorbidities such as diabetes, heart failure and other diseases. Bringing awareness to the issue is the first step in creating a solution for the problem.

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