Obesity is defined as being grossly fat or overweight. Many things can be blamed for America’s modern obesity epidemic. Weather you think increased portion sizes are to blame, poor education of our children due to parents passing down their unhealthy, and potentially lethal habits, or the cheap prices assigned to high-calorie, low nutrient foods it’s hard to deny it’s presence. However, whatever you believe to be at fault, obesity is a serious health problem that should not be treated lightly. Twenty years ago, no state in the United States had an obesity rate over 15 percent. Today there are 41 states with an obesity rate over 25 percent (according to the Trust for America’s Health).
The health impact of obesity on Americans is unfortunately not hard to see. Over 75 percent of hypertension cases are directly linked to obesity, and around two-thirds of adults in the United States that have type two diabetes are overweight or obese. As harmful as diabetes is, it doesn’t stop there. Over 60 chronic diseases are linked to obesity including but not limited to heart disease, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, gout, breathing problems (sleep apnea) and many more. Knowing those obesity related
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Annual health costs related to obesity in the United States is nearly 150-200 billion, which is about 21 percent of medical costs. With more and more health care professionals needed and hospitals often being understaffed, obesity is not helping. Not only do people suffering from obesity substantially raise our health care costs, they miss an estimated 450 million additional days of work each year compared to healthy workers, causing a productivity loss of more than 150 billion. Adults of an obese weight spend 40 percent more on direct healthcare costs than adults with a health weight. Emergency room visits due to chest pain are also much higher among obese adults, resulting in even more money spent on