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Obesity In America Essay

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What causes obesity in Americans?

Some people believe that being overweight is the same as being obese, but lets be clear that this is not the case. To determine the difference between overweight and obesity there is a formula called “body mass index”. This formula calculates a person’s body fat by dividing their weight (lb.) by their height (in.) squared and then multiplying that number by 703. The formula states that if a person’s body mass index is between 25 to 29.9 then that person is considered overweight but if that person's body mass is over 30 then they are considered to be obese. Over the years the rate of obesity in Americans has tripled from what it used to be around the mid 1960s and to be honest this is quite alarming. Americans all over the nation are becoming obese …show more content…

Studies show that there are higher obesity rates in communities where the residents are low-income groups of people. The United States Census Bureau showed a chart of average median household incomes from high to low. High income being in Maryland, down the middle Montana, Utah, and California. Among the low incomes there was West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi with an average household income of 39,000- 42,000. An obesity prevalence map from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the percentage of obesity rates per state. The map shows that West Virginia and Mississippi have the highest rates than any other state for the year of 2013. About 35% of their population was considered to be obese. Right under them with a rate of about 30% was Kentucky, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The mentioned statistics demonstrate that there is a higher obesity rate in low-income areas. One of the reasons why there are higher obesity rates in low-income areas is because the heads of the household sometimes don’t have the time to be able to prepare a healthy meal for their family’s, which is why

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