...Obesity: A Modern Day Epidemic Penny Upton July 11, 2010 HCA 240 Axia College Bruce Gould In today’s society individuals have been brought up to place blame on other people, things, or situations for many of our personal issues including obesity. Instead of taking responsibility for our own actions, society finds it easier to point the finger elsewhere. This frame of mind can be partially, to blame for the epidemic of obesity in the United States. Nearly two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight and 30.5 percent are considered obese (Healthy Youth, 2008). The eating and exercise habits that contribute to this epidemic, generally, begin in childhood (Childhood Obesity, 2010). Therefore, society must change the habits taught to our children in order to change the increasing trend of obesity in our country. To put the seriousness of this epidemic in perspective one should first look at the meaning of epidemic. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary an epidemic is “an unexpectedly large number of cases of disease in a particular population for a particular period of time” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). The rate increase in the number of obese Americans has risen steadily in the past several years. The alarming truth is nearly one out of every three Americans are considered obese. This means that nearly 59 million people living in the United States alone is obese (Childhood Obesity, 2010). This staggering number is unacceptable and unnecessary. A person...
Words: 1623 - Pages: 7
...Childhood Obesity in the U.S. : A Growing Epidemic Unfortunately, for various reasons many U.S. parents find it difficult to acknowledge that their children are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity is becoming a growing epidemic in the United States; according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity among children has more than doubled over the past 20 years, generating numerous physical, social and psychological problems for the children. "Obesity is a condition resulting from excessive storage of fat in the body. Obesity has been defined as a weight more than 20% above what is considered normal according to standard age, height, and weight tables, or by a complex formula known as the body mass index." Dictionary.com, LLC, (2009). The causes of childhood obesity are multiple and the consequences of this growing epidemic endanger the child's well-being. Happily, childhood obesity can be treated; physical activity, diet management, and behavior modification can bring an obese child to its normal body weight, returning them their physical and psychological health. What are the differences from THEN to NOW? When I say THEN, I am referring to a much simpler time; the time around the 1950’s. At that time children walked to school while now they usually ride a bus or are driven by a parent. Then family meals were eaten at a table while these days’ meals are most often fast food, eaten in cars on the way from one place or activity to another...
Words: 2402 - Pages: 10
...Name: Ariagna Briceno Date: 01/23/2012 CIS110 Smartlipo Smartlipo Laser Body Sculpting is a revolutionary, minimally invasive treatment that does something, no fitness routine in the world can: permanently destroy fat cells. Since your body has only a finite amount of these cells, no new fat cells come back. You can finally have that body you have always wanted. How does Laser Body Sculpting work? This laser-assisted lipolysis procedure is performed using a one millimeter cannula (or tube) inserted into the skin. A laserfiber inside of the cannula delivers energy directly to fat cells, causing them to rupture and drain away as liquid. Simultaneously, tissue around the area coagulates, resulting in overall tighter skin tissue. What areas of the body can be treated? Laser Body Sculpting is ideal for the neck, jaw line, arms, breasts, bra fat, abdomen, inner and outer thighs and knees. Who is a good candidate? A perfect candidate is in good health and of normal body weight. How does Laser Body Sculpting compare to conventional liposuction? Convention liposuction is meant to remove greater amounts of fat. However, since this can leave behind unsightly pockets of skin. Is there a recovery period? Laser Body Sculpting is a minimally invasive procedure which usually requires only local anesthesia. Some light trauma can occur, but you will be able to return to work in a couple of days and resume exercise after 2 weeks. How...
Words: 263 - Pages: 2
...UNDERSTANDING PATHOS OF PATHOLOGY September 19, 2011 Instructor: DEBRA SALYERS Cardiovascular Disease Cardiovascular disease is an abnormal function of the heart or blood vessels. This disease can cause a heart attack, heart failure, sudden death, stroke and cardiac rhythm problems, thus resulting in decreased quality of life and decreased life expectancy. In America many people suffer from heart disease some knowingly and some are unaware. This disease is a sudden death disease which means a person can die unexpectedly from cardiovascular disease. Causes of cardiovascular disease are: * Structural defects, to * Infection * Inflammation, * Environment and genetics * Smoking * Fatty Foods * Stress * Obesity * High Cholesterol * High Blood Pressure * Diabetes Any one of put a person at risk for cardiovascular disease it is up to the individual to take control of his/her heart. One can prevent cardiovascular disease if it is not contributed from a structural defect, infection, or genetics. I have learned that we are our bodies own enemy and we have control over what we do to keep our body healthy. We as people know and understand that smoking is bad for our health not only do it contribute to heart disease but smoking also contribute to many other diseases such as cancer. We tend to stress over things that is out of our control it is important to take a breather, take a walk, meditate, or take a run less stress keeps your heart...
Words: 369 - Pages: 2
...Definition of workplace stress can be described as the physical and emotional outcomes that occur when there is disparity between the demands of the job and the amount of control the individual has in meeting those demands. anytime stress occurs, it is an indication that the demands placed upon the person have exceeded the persons personal resources, whether these resources are physical, emotional, economic, social, or spiritual. When an elderly loses the capacity to guide his or her own care, decision-making becomes the legal and moral domain of the family. Elder prefer this arrangement and traditionally, families expect to become caregivers and decision-makers for aging parents. The family surrogates described their decision-making as a process based in the families’ stories and as extension of the elders’ identities’. At times family members must balance the elders’ freedom and best interest, self-determination and dependence on others, or individual choice and collective pressure. The most common element surrounding ALL Eating Disorders is the inherent presence of a low self esteem Having an Eating Disorder is much more than just being on a diet. An Eating Disorder is an illness that permeates all aspects of each sufferer's life, is caused by a variety of emotional factors and influences, and has profound effects on the people suffering and their loved ones. Dieting is about losing a little bit of weight in a healthy way. Eating Disorders are about trying to make...
Words: 1334 - Pages: 6
...Analysis of Research Report Results Analysis of Research Report Results In a nation where over two-thirds of adults are overweight and over one-third are obese, many Americans turn to commercial diet and weight loss programs in an attempt to shed the extra pounds and incorporate a healthy lifestyle (National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Diseases, 2011). According to Gardner, Kiazand, Alhassan, Kim, Stafford, Balise, Kraemer, and King, (2007) the health benefits of weight loss, have been well established. However, the debate regarding the effectiveness of low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets versus low-carbohydrate diets continues and very limited evidence is available to evaluate other diets (Gardner, et. al 2007). In a study published in JAMA in 2007, 4 weight loss diets ranging from low to high carbohydrate intake were compared for their effects on weight loss and metabolic variables (Gardner, et.al, 2007). The study was conducted for a period of twelve months and consisted of over 300 premenopausal women 40 years old on average who were either overweight or obese. The women were randomly assigned to one of the following diets, Atkins, Zone, LEARN, or Ornish and participants received instructions weekly for 2 months and then again at a 10-month follow-up. When analyzing data, statistical procedures are used to make inferences about the population being studied. In the A to Z weight loss study the following statistical procedures were used, analysis of variance...
Words: 934 - Pages: 4
...having a stroke at 26 years of age? What about having the medicine cabinet of a senior citizen at the age of 20? Can this happen to anyone you ask, the answer to this question is yes and it has happened to a Valerie Moore of Holmes County, Mississippi. Valerie unfortunately lives in one of Mississippi’s poorest areas. Valerie weighs 241 lbs. and contributes her weight gain to eating unhealthy foods. Obesity is a major public health problem in the U.S. While all segments of population are affected, low-income and food insecure people are more vulnerable due to risks associated with poverty. In Valerie’s case that is what happened. Since having the stroke Valerie has lost 70lbs but says it’s a struggle to provide whole nutritious meals if you have only $5.00 and you need to stretch it to feed yourself and 2 children. (Elliot, 2011). Obesity occurs in many households in America due to a lack of resources such as income, affordable foods and opportunity for physical activity. According to Center for Disease Control over the past 20 years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. More than one-third of Adults and 17% of children in the U.S are obese. Americans find it easier and cheaper to provide filler foods loaded with high fructose corn syrup and other additives for their family so they can be full. In America 14.5 percent of people are struggling to put food on the table. (Coleman-Jensen, Nord, Andrews & Carlson, 2011). Food insecurity is a condition...
Words: 2016 - Pages: 9
...PREVENTING OBESITY IN CHILDREN Preventing Obesity in Children Kindra Henderson Kristen Scott English Comp. PREVENTING OBESITY IN CHILDREN Obesity is a recent health epidemic that has dire consequences for America’s health, especially for its children. The causes contributing to this epidemic include sedentary life styles, caloric intake, and major changes in the eating patterns of American families. Among these changes in eating habits is the amount of food Americans consume, how often they consume those foods, and the types of foods themselves. Preventing Obesity in Children: Americans are the fattest people on the planet and continue to expand. According to a survey of adult men and women in the United States during 1999-2000, published in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 30.5% of Americans are obese, up from 22.9% ten years earlier, and nearly two-thirds (64.5%) are overweight (Flegal, Ogden, & Johnson, 2002). Excess weight isn’t just a matter of looks. Obesity magnifies the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other ailments thus overtaking tobacco as the leading cause of chronic illness (Brownell & Horgen, 2004, p. 4). An especially disturbing aspect of this trend is that children are increasingly obese. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2002) reports that the percentage of obese children aged 6 to 11 almost quadrupled from 4% in 1974 to 15% in 2000, and the percentage of obese children...
Words: 1335 - Pages: 6
...TASTEBUDZZ * Chocolates nourishing life We conducted a primary research study (survey questionnaire) in and around Trichy. The survey results indicate a growing inclination towards chocolate consumption. * 28% of respondents stated that the consumption has increased drastically while 42% indicated that their consumption has increased significantly. * 48% of respondents are willing to sacrifice sweets to consume chocolates There seems to be enough evidence to support the results obtained from the survey. According to a report1 from Datamonitor, the Indian confectionery market was ranked 25th globally in value terms in 2009 and it grew at a compounded annual rate of 10.5 per cent during 2004–09, placing it among the fastest growing confectionery markets. By 2014, it is expected that India would be ranked 14th growing at an even faster rate of over 12%, the report said. The report said per capita chocolate consumption in India is approx. 300gm which is meager when compared to 1.9kg in developed market. Indian chocolate market is estimated to be around 1500 cr. and the margins in the industry vary from 15-25%. NUTRITIONAL ASPECT: There has been a consistent per capita decline in the intake of nutritional products. Also, the nutritional intakes of high and low income groups have been found to be lesser than that of Low income groups. Refer tables2 given below Our Point of differentiation is that we offer chocolates with nutritious ingredients like oats...
Words: 516 - Pages: 3
...Thanks for having me, Geo. Well, to go back a little, I have been heavily involved in fitness and sports for about 17 years now, ever since I was a teenager. Being involved in sports in high school got me interested in strength training and conditioning. At that point, once I started feeling more energetic, getting stronger, and looking better, I was instantly hooked for life. I'm 33 now and still addicted to the way living a healthy and fit lifestyle makes me feel energetic, confident, strong, and youthful on a daily basis. I decided earlier in my 20's that I wanted to make the commitment to help other people experience the excitement of being fit and getting in the best shape of their lives, especially since we've reached an epidemic of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, etc. That's why I became a fitness professional. It just gives me so much satisfaction to help others, who have struggled for years to get in good shape, and show them that it can be done, and it can be fun in the process. I've expanded over the years from just reaching local individuals with personal training, into being able to help people all over the globe achieve their...
Words: 3894 - Pages: 16
...SCI228 OBESITY! A MAJOR PROBLEM IN MODERN AMERICA WHAT’S ON THE PLATE? Good evening, my name is Obesity and I’ll be your waiter today. So, you want to know what the special of the day is. It’s obesity! There have been several concerns, questions and arguments presented by GMA and in homes across the country regarding the obesity epidemic in modern America. Adding more water and using less salt doesn’t make this bowl of soup healthier nor putting a pad lock on the candy bar, especially if no one is willing to step up and accept the responsibility or understand what solid ingredients are used to make the soup of Obesity an epidemic in Modern America. The menu is out, and you can either choose your meal or allow me to choose for you, which raise the concerns. Who is accountable for the current obesity problem? APPETIZER For starters, what’s on the menu and what you put on your plate provided GMA the opportunity to speak and testify before the House Committee on Education on the issue of overweight and obesity. They argue that the rise in obesity rate in adults and children can lead to many physical and mental conditions such as depression, excessive overweight, hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. GMA contend that other complex factors such as the economy, social and cultural environment, lack of education and too few activities and calorie-rich foods, have contributed increase in obesity (GMA, 2004). In addition in our social society, CDC found that obesity was...
Words: 1283 - Pages: 6
...Childhood Obesity Tyffny Riordan ENG 122 Jason Romero 18 Aug 12 Childhood Obesity Children Obesity is a sensitive subject that many have delved into trying to find its root cause. It seems like we have more and more children that are obese compared to previous years. There are several opinions out there as to why children are obese. “Obesity now affects 17 percent of all children and adolescents in the United States - triple the rate from just one generation ago” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). The numbers are even higher in African American and Hispanic communities, where nearly 40% of the children are overweight or obese. If we don't solve this problem, one third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives. Many others will face chronic obesity-related health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma. Times have changed drastically over the years (Learn the facts, 2012, para. 1). As the CDC (2012) indicates, the dietary and physical activity behaviors of children and adolescents are influenced by many sectors of society, including families, communities, schools, child care settings, medical care providers, faith-based institutions, government agencies, the media, and the food and beverage industries and entertainment industries. Children no longer run around outside for hours on end, they don’t walk to school, they eat a lot more, parents are busier, there are fewer...
Words: 1963 - Pages: 8
...television has on society: the general decline of societal health. Certainly this premise is controversial, and many think that TV’s advantages enrich society more than the medium harms us. The term “societal health” and even the word “health” have many implications and mean different things to different people; I will focus on the physical health and mental health of our population, as they are commonly defined. Surely there will be some overlap when speaking of the sub-effects of these two areas. The first area of TV’s effects on society that I will discuss is human physical health. There is, undoubtedly, ample evidence that TV has made society less physically healthy in general. Since the inception of television in the 1940s, obesity rates have increased dramatically in America, especially among children. (Hicks, 1) While TV is not solely to blame, it is a major factor in our lifestyles which lead to poor health. TV-watching is, by nature, a sedentary activity. The vast majority of TV shows are consumed Bermudez 2 in a sitting or lying position; time spent watching TV replaces time spent exercising, being active, or playing outdoors. To make matters worse, people are more likely to eat junk food when watching -- and more of it. TV causes the viewer to lose track of how much he is snacking, making it easier to overeat. The abundance of junk-food advertisements, which seem to...
Words: 1452 - Pages: 6
...and medical issues are some of the most common issues of obesity. McLaughlin, Doctor at Centre for Military and Veterans’ Health, and Wittert, discipline of medicine at University of Adelaide in Australia, states that “data from the Global Burden of Disease Study suggest that excess body weight is the sixth most important risk factor contributing to the total worldwide disease burden” (693). Some people do not realize that it can impact a facet of life that many Americans take for grant it every day, national security. National security usually thought to be foreign terrorist or a nuclear attack, but decisions on the type of food given to children and the different options available have an impact that may not be noticeable. Obesity is affecting the military, even though it may not be noticeable now due to withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan. The people eligible to be recruited has been hugely affected due to the rising epidemic of obesity. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the Department of Defense must recruit approximately 184,000 new military personnel every year to replace those who leave the service because of retirement or other reasons (Cawley 1349). There are fast food chains it seems like on every corner in most places. A lot of times there are multiples of the same fast food restaurants in the same small town, making more and more convenient for people to eat themselves to obesity. The urban community is impacted more prevalently than other...
Words: 1328 - Pages: 6
...Karmen Chavis MHA 610- Intro to Biostatistics “Obesity in African American & Other Minority Communities in the United States” Professor: Saran Tucker 11/21 /2011 Obesity in African American and Other Minority Communities in the United States” Obesity in the African American and other minority communities has increasingly and rapidly become an epidemic, affecting many people in the United States. During the past 20 years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity that plagues the United States of America (www.cdc/gov). Although there are many underlying factors, lack of nutrition and healthier food choices, lack of exercise, lack of knowledge, and emotional/ psychological problems are the most prevalent causes of obesity. According to research by Silja J.A. Talvi,: (2006) “In the United States, rates of obesity is highest in poor communities of color”; statistics and research has proved. What is Obesity? Obesity and overweight are both labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height (www.cdc.gov/obesity/defining.html). According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using weight and height to calculate a number called the “body mass index” (BMI); BMI ranges for children and teens are defined so that they take into account normal differences in body fat between boys and girls and differences in body fat at various ages” (www...
Words: 1874 - Pages: 8