Persuasive Essay On Obesity

Introduction

The WHO describes obesity as one of the most blatantly visible, yet most neglected, public-health problems that threatens to overwhelm both more and less developed countries (WHO 2000). While nearly everyone who has ever lived has encountered another whom they could consider to be overweight, or obese, there is often a tendency to look at it more as a character flaw and not an inherently dangerous medical condition. The government initiative Healthy People 2020 has deemed the issue of rampant obesity severe enough that it requires immediate reversal, however, past efforts to lower the proportion of obese adults in the United States have fallen well below the mark. But do efforts on the part of governmental bodies infringe upon

What is in it for me?” Even though the link between the previous comorbidities and obesity have become stronger than ever, people will always ask themselves why they need to worry about the weight status of another individual, or perhaps why policies regarding food are the way they are. The answer will forever remain that it is our pockets that are taking the brunt of the damage. While it is a noble cause in and of itself to assist people in their quest for getting healthier for their own sake, the fact of the matter is that our nation will not be able to support itself if the current trends continue. Obesity has been cited as a contributing factor to approximately 100,000-400,000 deaths in the United States every year (Blackburn & Walker, 2005). But aside from the statistics on pure mortality, it has increased health care use and expenditures, costing society an estimated $117 billion in direct and indirect costs. This exceeds health-care costs associated with smoking or drinking and accounts for 6% to 12% of national health care expenditures in the United States (Thompson & Wolf, 2001). A study was performed that found that obese adults will have yearly medical costs that are $395, or 36%, higher than those who are of a normal weight will incur (Sturm, 2002). This study, however, was only limited to people who were under the age of 65. The reason being that people aged 65 and older currently account for about one quarter of the obese population, and, since obesity attributed diseases are often chronic in nature (as was previously discussed), medical spending on elderly persons is almost universally going to be higher than for non-elderly obese