...Michael Tjuatjadarma ESL 5/ Mrs. Goodwin Research Paper/ Essay #3 03/30/2012 Obesity in the U.S.A. Thirty years ago, most of the people in United States lived healthy and almost everyone managed to keep their ideal weight. Children got their selves to school on foot, played and ran around during break time, participated in gym classes, and did after school activities like playing sports or joining clubs. Their parents cooked homemade meals for them with substantial portions of fruits and vegetables. These meals did not contain artificially hydrogenated oils, or any other of the processed chemicals you find in the food today. They rarely ate fast food or snacked between meals. Today, kids have a very dissimilar lifestyle experience. Their parents drop them off at school by car. Gym classes, after school sports, and clubs have been significantly cut. After school, they are playing video games, surfing the Internet, and watching television. Parents do not have time to cook, so they often buy fast food. Kids are snacking around three times a day, which could add hundreds, even thousands of calories to their diet. The portions of the meals are two to five times bigger as compared to thirty years ago. As far as beverages go, they are now becoming more and more sweetened. According to Michelle Obama’s website http:// www.letsmove.gov/, studies show that, “we are eating 31 percent more calories than compared to thirty years ago; including 56 percent more fats and oils, and 14...
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...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...
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...nation. The crisis is obesity. It’s the fastest growing cause of death in America.” According to a government reports, 60 percent of Americans are overweight, and 25 percent are grossly overweight and at medical risk in this country. This condition contributes to approximately 400,000 deaths each year, drains U.S. economy of billions of dollars in direct and indirect medical expenses, disability, and lost productivity. The American culture of obesity is not just a societal trend. It also has strong cultural and economic roots. The economic interests that drive US cultural practices are rarely explained in the media, which makes solving the obesity problem especially difficult. US government officials have become aware of the huge health costs related to diabetes and hypertension, first on individuals, then on the society as whole, through lost productivity and through costs associated with expanding healthcare facilities to serve the increasing number of people with diet-related medical problems. But simple awareness is not enough. Now, when obesity has increasingly becoming a major threat to society and the biggest burden on economy, active government intervention is needed to combat this crisis. Government must develop new economic incentives for businesses and individuals to promote and implement a healthier lifestyle. Obesity is unique in that it is viewed as chronic disease. It is increasing at rates previously only seen with infectious diseases. Obesity is a leading cause...
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...Childhood Obesity ENG 122 Childhood Obesity Obesity is a serious medical condition that is defined as an abnormal constant accumulation of excess body fat that are usually twenty percent or more of a persons average body weight, according to PubMed Health (Obesity in Children) September 2011. Children are the biggest targets of this deadly disease of being overweight. In the U.S. childhood obesity has been on an alarming high rate, which has been impacting the health of American people. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2004, childhood obesity is one of the most significant health issues in the American Society and the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. Childhood obesity is a very serious disease that impacts many children and should not be taken lightly, its time that people put forth the effort to take preventive measures in the cure of the deadly disease. More focus is needed to help prevent childhood obesity from everyone parents, guardians and the government. People need to be aware of the risk and consequences of being obese and overweight in children before it is to late and their children become one of those statistics. Therefore, everyone toward fighting this deadly disease of childhood obesity needs a greater attention to put this to the forefront of government issues. According to PEW Research Centers 2011, children and teenagers are developing diseases that have been linked to adults...
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...Megan Lawson Professor Watson English 1301 4 December 2015 Obesity “Would you like to make that a larger!” the lady screamed through the intercom at the women in the drive through. Have you ever wondered why such a high percentage of people are obese? The answer might be simple but in the world today half of the population in the U.S struggle with obesity. Including there are 3 million U.S cases per year being recorded on obesity, why? You ask. Partially because the amount of fast food restaurants in the U.S is an over load. Every corner that you may turn there is a guaranteed to have a Sonic, Taco Bell, Jack in the box, and the most famous McDonalds. There are many cause and effects to obesity not just the fast food restaurants. There are many ways to prevent obesity being that it such an unhealthy world. Obesity is a disorder involving excessive body fat that increases the risk of health problems. People may think there are many causes of obesity such as genetics, but at the most those are just risk factors. With having these risk factors it only increases a person’s chance of becoming obese, it doesn’t necessarily make you obese. The causes of obesity can vary, but the main cause is very simple. It is mostly when a person consumes more calories from food then he or she is able to burn or consume. For example if you are at McDonalds and you order a Big Mac, with you eating the whole burger getting extremely full, feeling like you are about to explode; you are eating...
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...Some of the Causes of Obesity Nantelle Watson Everest College Some of the Causes of Obesity Why is obesity spreading all over the U.S.? People cannot blame the food because the food doesn’t walk into our mouths. There are so many foods that are claimed to taste unbelievably good, they can’t be avoided. It is the foods that are unhealthy for our bodies that we choose to eat. Americans want to eat what we want then at the end of the day complain about how it made us gain weight or become obese. Obesity affects both adults and young children all over the U.S. and it’s become a huge problem over the years. People choose not to eat unhealthy after they find out they’re having heart trouble or breathing problems caused by obesity. Why wait until the last minute or until you’ve reached your last breath? To overcome obesity diet changes have to take place. Government data shows that in 2012 about 34.9% of the adults in the U.S. country were obese, which is about 35 pounds over a healthy weight. The obese percentage was about the same in 2010. Since 1960 the obesity rates are continuing to grow as decades go by. If nothing is done about obesity more death causes will happen each year because of obesity. There are ways to lose weight. Most people just refuse to take action. Exercising is the number one way to produce weight lost. Some believe you have to go to the gym to lose weight, but you don’t you can simply take walks each day and shed pounds. Setting a weight loss goal would...
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...Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects our children and adolescent. This topic has become an all so familiar topic of discussion among health organizations in the United States. Obesity is an increase in body weight resulting from excessive accumulation of body fat relative to lean body mass (Hockenberry, 2008). Childhood obesity, by either definition, has become an epidemic that every community is currently facing and should be correcting. The American Academy of Pediatrics defines a child at or above the 95th percentile as obese (Harper, 2006). Childhood obesity can lead to death, which is a devastating thing that can occur. This disease can also be defined as a genetic disorder. Looking at the historical significance and natural life history it is not a surprise that childhood is addressed as one of Health People’s 2010’s objectives (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). Primary, secondary and tertiary interventions can be done by agencies, the community and especially the community health nurse to reduce childhood obesity. The first step in the effort is to correct the problem and look at the historical significance. Primary interventions are interventions that prevent the problem. (Nies and McEwen, 2007). Increase in physical activity and education on health food choices in required health education classes are primary interventions for childhood obesity. An increase in physical activity can truly...
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...In the past decade, it has become clearer that obesity is a rising reality in the United States. Researchers attribute it to a variety of social, economic, and environmental factors, but essentially everything we eat has to do with agriculture. Therefore farming and its governmental implications has a large impact on obesity, or the increasing levels of body mass index of citizens in the U.S. A number of characteristics associated with the nature of agriculture are inevitable, i.e. once a crop is planted, relatively little can be done to adjust production. Also farmers cannot vary influence prices because of weather and pests. Therefore they are continually seeking to reduce unit costs, hence taking advantage of government subsidies. This leads...
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...Obesity in America Tamaneka Brown HCS/535 June 10, 2013 Sally Kohls Obesity in America Obesity in America is a growing health care issue and concern among health care officials. Today’s family setting and society in general is so fast pace that individuals find fast and easy ways to of getting a bit to eat. Poor eating habits and little to no physical activity are just a few contributors to the prevalence of obesity. Obesity affects individuals of all ethnical backgrounds, both male and female, and individuals of all ages. It is time that this nation takes control of creating a healthier America by encouraging healthy habits and lifestyles. An individual having a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 to 29.9 is considered to be overweight and obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30.0 or higher (Flegal, Carroll, Ogden, & Curtin, 2010 ). BMI measures the amount of body fat that a person has in comparison to their age and height. A person begins to gain weight when their calorie intake is more than their physical activity (CDC, 2012). Lack of exercise and poor dieting are known causes of obesity, but the lack of sleep and exposure to air conditioning are also thought to be contributing factors (Causes of obesity, 2006). Other suggested factors that may contribute to the rising rates of obesity are endocrine disruptors, smoking, and certain pharmaceuticals (Causes of...
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...Obesity in America Columbia Southern University Obesity in America Even with an abundance of evidence of the benefits of sustaining a healthy weight and a physically active lifestyle, we continue to eat greater portion sizes than we need and remain less physically active than we should be. Many Americans are fatter than medical science recommends, and weights are still growing. While many other countries have experienced significant increases in obesity, no other developed country is quite as overweight as the United States. Obesity is referred to a person who is overweight; medically based on the ranges of weight that is higher than what is typically considered for their appropriate height to be healthy. Many healthcare...
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...Childhood Obesity: A Growing Problem With all the junk food that kids have available today, it is really easy for our children to become overweight. Being obese while at such a young age can cause health problems now and when they become older and older. Obesity is caused by excessive body adipose tissue. There are many children in the United States that are at risk or already are overweight. Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the U.S. because being overweight is a major issue for proper growth and development. Obesity has affected more than a billion people worldwide. This is a growing number that has not yet stopped. Obesity in the U. S. has risen in children and youth. The pasted 30 years the number of overweight children (BMI greater 85th percentile) has tripled.(Miller, 2014) In the U.S. more than 30 percent of children are obese or overweight. (Miller, 2014) In the US obesity has reportedly increased in over 31 states and Washington DC is one of the highest.(La Rocca, 2009) This is not only just happening here in the U.S. According to the International Obesity Task Force, 22 million of the world children under 5 years old are also overweight or obese. (Miller, 2014) More than two thirds of obese children that are ten years and older will become obese as adults. (Miller, 2014) There are more medical complications tied with how severe the child obesity is. Some problems are impaired glucose tolerance, heart disease reduction...
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...That is a whopping 7.6 million Americans. Obesity-related consequences include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. These are some of the leading causes of preventable death. The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008. The medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight. If Americans do not change their poor eating habits by 2030 forty-two percent of American adults will be obese which could put our economy further into debt. According to ABC News This article states that by the year 2030 over fifty percent of Americans will be obese. According to the model published in The Lancet last year estimates that if adult obesity rates continue at its current rate all 50 states rates could rise above 44 percent. Thirty-nine states could have rates over 50 percent and 13 states obesity...
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...In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. Obesity is one of the greatest health threats to the U.S. Overweight and obesity result from an energy imbalance and involves eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activity. It contributes significantly to a variety of serious diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and certain cancers as well as poor general health. Among Adult Americans age 20 and older, 154.7 million are overweight or obese (Adult overweight and obesity). The United States is one of the fattest countries in the world and the community should be aware of this epidemic and how dangerous it can be. Number in adult obesity statistics should decrease for the sake of our community and well being of family, friends, but most importantly ones self. Many years ago people didn’t have access to food 24/7 like we today, especially the type of foods we have access to now. When agriculture began it made it easier on society to get access to food, but they still had to put lots of energy into obtaining their somewhat balanced meals. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, obesity rates have more than doubled in adults and children since the 1970’s. Today our society is constantly surrounded by fast paced lives and busy schedules that the food industries feed on these everyday struggles of busy working men and women by taking the initiative to make their lives easier with unhealthy fast foods at a very low...
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...Introduction: A. Attention-getter: Every year America’s health gets worse. About two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. B. Link-to-Audience: Fast food is becoming really popular amongst Americans. We should be concerned about our everyday health and what we are eating versus what we really need in our bodies for our health. C. Thesis: Obesity in America has a lot of history, causes, and effects. II. Transition, Main Point 1: To begin with, the history of obesity wasn’t as bad as it is now. A. Obesity – condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. (Definition, Merriam-webster.com) B. Being fat was a mark of wealth and health before the 1900’s because it indicated you had the resources to get lots of food. (Example, livestrong.com) C. More than one billion adults across the globe are overweight. (Statistic, www.voxeu.org) D. 34% of Americans are obese compared to 24% of Canadians. (Comparison, huffingtonpost.com) III. Transition, Main Point 2: Secondly, there are a variety of causes of obesity in the U.S. A. Certain aspects of society and food production are known to play a role in the increase in obesity over the past decades. (fact, livestrong.com) B. According to the national Institutes of Health, obesity and overweight together are the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. (Statistic, wvdhhr.org) C. We are enormously addicted to an enormous array of garbage...
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...Analysis of Childhood Obesity Obesity is the accumulation and storage of excessive fat in the body. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Obesity is any weight that is bigger than what is typically considered healthy for a given height. (CDC, 2009). The imbalance between caloric consumption and expenditure is what causes obesity in children and adults. There are factors that affect obesity. Such factors are biological, behavioral, and environmental in nature. When more calories than the body is required are taken, the body stores the excess calorie in form of fat resulting in obesity. The analysis that was researched will focus on a span of about 50 years (1963-2010) with childhood obesity being the dependent variable influenced by the independent variables of age, family median household income, and gender, which will show the correlation to childhood obesity. There were eleven samples of years used in the analysis. The years were inclusive of two or more so an average of the years was used for the data in the eleven observations. The most important variable in this research is how the parent’s income level has been a factor in child obesity, because from research, children from lower income families showed a relation to cause of obesity. The two research...
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