Thesis Statement: Obesity in America has reached epidemic proportions, although diet and exercise is important in weight management it is not the only cause to obesity. 1. What is Obesity A. Obesity is a health condition where a person has an abnormal amount of body fat compared to their height 1. Probability of becoming obese, a person with a body mass index of over 30 is classified as obese 2. Nutrition and eating habits a.
What does it say about us that we act as though you can take the measure of a person by the size bathing suit they wear? What does it mean to be actually over weight or considered obese and what really causes obesity in America? Is it where we live? Or is it the government’s way of controlling our lives down to what we put on our plates? No matter what the cause of obesity the real question is how do we stop it?
II. Clincher A) Childhood obesity is on the risk and clearly, everyone is a risks from the effects. B) In America this is a unknown problem that needs our attention. Bibliography Tanner, Lindsey (April 6, 2009) Obesity: 4 year old in Ohio State – Temple University Study are Wildly overweight. Http://www.huffingtonpost.com Revised September 15, 2012 Katz, David L.(August 2012) Childhood Obesity.
The direct costs are associated with four main medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and some specific forms of cancer. In 2008/2009, the direct health costs associated with obesity-related medical conditions were determined to be $1.3 billion. The direct costs of obesity are identified as medical costs and treating the obesity-related conditions are borne by governments, private health insurers and individuals. The indirect costs are associated with the productivity losses that occur due to obesity. This is measured in terms of the impact of being absent (absenteeism) from work or being less productive at work that a healthy person (presenteeism), and loss of productivity due to premature mortality caused by obesity.
Heart attack, stroke and cancer are usually listed as leading cause of death in America. However, the leading actual causes of death are risk factors that can be modified. Obesity is epidemic associated with higher rate of hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Significant racial disparities in the prevalence of obesity have been reported. According to the Journal of Community Health, “the prevalence of obesity is significantly increased from 1985 to 2011 (8.6% vs. 22.8 %).
And it is not surprising that childhood obesity is a good indicator for the likelihood of obesity into adulthood. What is surprising, however, as Galvez (2003) points out, is that "studies on obesity consistently report a higher prevalence of obesity in African Americans and Mexican Americans compared with the white, non-Hispanic population" (p. A684). The etiology of childhood overweight is multifaceted, but is seemingly always tied to socioeconomic factors. Poor nutritional choices and a sedentary lifestyle cause obesity, but it is societal stressors that lead to these inadequate choices. Such stressors include increased exposure to television advertisements for unhealthy foods, unsafe neighborhoods which inhibit outdoor play and exercise, and limited availability of healthy, fresh foods in low socioeconomic residential areas (Galvez 2003).
Although being overweight appears to have an easy solution which is eat healthier and exercise more, there are still many other factors such as genetic, biological, psychosocial, sociocultural, and environmental influences that are combined to make this a complex problem. The United States has taken on many other major concerns with great success such as reducing tobacco use, improving automobile safety, including the enforcement of car seats and seatbelts to protect young passengers. Therefore, we must address the problem of obesity in the same fashion, making it a national priority which requires a comprehensive approach that is based on science and involves government, industry, communities, schools, and families. Such an approach is detailed in Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, issued by the Institute of Medicine in September 2004. The report offers promising solutions that when implemented together with the help of communities, will help keep the vast majority of the nation's children physically active and healthy.
What do most people imagine when they hear the word “obese”? Some may simply picture it as being chubby or fat. However, being obese actually means being so overweight that it can endanger one’s health. In fact, obesity was declared an epidemic for the past decade. While some argued that it is the fault of food industries, and for some, fault of consumers, it can easily be resolved with two words: self-responsibility.
While this is laudable it would be unwise to view these environmental factors in isolation from the biological factors that normally control body weight and composition and the compelling evidence that inter-individual differences in susceptibility to obesity have strong genetic determinants. We know that some people are genetically predisposed to risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and obesity. These problems do tend to run in families. But so do learned environmental factors like dietary habits and lifestyle choices. Our genetic makeup affects an extensive range of chemical functions in our body and may affect your weight in various ways including your metabolism, hormones and body fat disposition.
Genes and behavior may both be needed for a person to be overweight. In some cases multiple genes may increase one’s susceptibility for obesity and require outside factors; such as abundant food supply or little physical activity. It is now well established that overweight and the different forms of obesity are conditions tending to concentrate within a family. Obesity risk is two to eight times higher for a person with a family history as opposed to a person with no family history of obesity, and an even higher risk is observed in cases of severe obesity. Beside these rare cases, many individuals have a genetic predisposition that may lead to obesity.