Over recent years, the United States obesity epidemic has increased in abundance to the point where an individual should be worried about making healthier life choices. Eating habits are an immense reason why our health has changed for the worse since the 70s. People die young due to developing obesity related diseases. Diseases occur from choices people make, what one decides to eat, and how much an individual decides to eat. Studies show the life expectancy for an unhealthy person who chooses to eat a bigger portion size, often less than the average individual who keeps a balanced way of eating.
Every 5 years since 1980, a new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans has been published. The primary goal is to make recommendations about the components of a healthy and nutritionally adequate diet to help promote good health and prevent chronic disease for current and future generations. About half of all American adults have one or more preventable chronic diseases, and about two thirds of US adults are overweight or obese. These conditions have been highly prevalent for more than two decades. Poor dietary patterns, over consumption of calories, and physical inactivity directly contribute to these disorders.
The high demand for medical care also increases the financial burden on the families and therefore the community as well. As one can see the community health is greatly effected by the high rates of obesity among its individuals. Children in particular have a massive effect because not only are they the future of that community, but they also influence the schools in that region. Healthy People 2020 regard obesity in America as a very serious problem especially among children. It is such a major issue because childhood obesity easily leads to obesity in adulthood that increases the risks for heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, and cancer (Nutrition).
According to the latest statistics from various sources, 1 out of 3 kids are obese in America and obesity is gradually becoming more and more common as it affects 37 percent of all adults and nearly 18 percent of all children in America (Yaniv and Rosin, 2009). The problem of obesity is also rising in parts of the developing world, as income levels rise and people have access to fattier products. In fact, the percentage of adult obesity has more than doubled while children’s obesity rates have more than tripled within the past thirty years around the globe (Yaniv and Rosin, 2009). However, despite the rise in global obesity rates, an alarming estimate of about 112,000 deaths are associated with obesity each in the U.S. alone. One of the chief causes is many people suffering from obesity do not make healthy food choices (Sturm, Powell, Chriqui and Chaloupka, 2010).
In the future, treatment of obesity could supplant the treatment of the many diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, that take up a part of office practice
Preventing obesity educating individuals and families through the proper eating practices to prevent childhood and adult obesity. The study of sociology regarding obesity could use the theory of structural functionalism that analyzes obesity in the United States. However, millions of Americans remain obese and overweight which affect the whole body through fatty tissue that causes many conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, stroke and many types of cancer. Nevertheless, obesity in the United States leads to indirect costs of higher medical and psychological costs of around
In the new era we live in, the levels of obese and overweight individuals are highly growing across the globe. Overweight is defined as the identification of individuals and groups at increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Obesity is considered to be a disease of fat accumulating irregularly to an extent that it can harmfully disrupt an individual's health, it is also related to psychological problems and negative consequences. The situation of cumulative incidents of excess body fat is mostly due to industrialization, a mixture of little exercise, more abundance and availability of food, commonly in the industrialized nations of the Western Hemisphere. This situation comes along with a lot of controversy on the topic; overweight and obese individuals began to feel offended and discriminated by society, thus in reaction to this they created the Fat Acceptance Movement.
“Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food” (Hardy, 2006). The Greeks followed this idea by the philosopher Hippocrates, but today’s society does not take the message seriously. A majority of people eat harmful foods and do not receive the nutrition they need to stay healthy. There are a number of reasons why nutrition is lacking. A lot of teens and college students eat snacks that are not healthy such as chips, pop, candy, etc.
Obesity has gained a lot of attention in the recent years especially in the 21st century. Right now in America, there is an ongoing epidemic. The cause is not by viruses or bacteria, but by human nature. There is no one way to solve this serious problem. With growing body sizes and serious medical problems associated with obesity, it is a problem that needs to be addressed and changed.
INTRODUCTION: Attention Step: According to the article “Exercise Makes You Younger,” “Research shows that physical inactivity can cause premature death as well as chronic disease and disability" (54). Establish Need/Relevance: Nowadays technology and busy work schedules have prevented many people from including exercise into their daily activities. Many people think that it is too time consuming and rather not work
Obesity is a major problem in the United States, and with all the special privileges given to its people, America has become very lazy. With portion sizes rising and physical activity decreasing, it is easy to see how the rates on obesity has risen over the years in America. Obesity is a major problem that needs to be resolved because it affects all people of every gender, age, and race are at risk of being obese. Obesity rates in America have nearly doubled rather tripled within the last twenty years due to the many privileges that the American people have before us. Something must be done to overcome decrease the
It can cause certain cancers, heart problems and diabetes (World Health Organization, n.d.). The thing to know is that obesity is ranked second only to smoking as a preventable cause of death (Flegal, Williamson, Pamuk, &
The press is known to explode with news everyday, informing the people on different topics that are happening worldwide. The newest revelation is on the soda ban in New York. Websites and pages are plastered with information and headlines announcing how “Mayor Bloomberg is overreaching with N.Y.C. large soda ban” or “Banning the Big Gulp Ban”. Reporters are scrambling to join the bandwagon of criticizing or praising this mayor’s audacious decision. There are many factors that influence opinions on the matter, but one of the most popular reasons is because of the high numbers of people that are obese and overweight.
In general, a healthy diet can help to maintain a healthy body weight or improve overall health and decrease the risk of many diet-related chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers. There is a good evidence proved that eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of obesity and illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and some types of cancer. The foods that people consume contains several different types of nutrients, which are all required for the vital processes of human body. Impact and contribution of a healthy diet to a positive lifestyle are according to people’s lifestyle, behavioral and habits. Examples, eating habits, health awareness, physical activity, lifestyle practices, and others that will influence people’s lifespan and lifestyle.
One of the most important ways to stay healthy is to have healthy food and eat them in an appropriate time. Healthy eating is the cornerstone in preventing the health from many conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and blood pressure. Junk foods should be avoided as they do not have any nutrients, so no point in eating them. Instead of having these fast and unhealthy foods, the diet should contain leafy vegetables, fresh vegetables, fruits, milk, and fish as these are plenty in nutrients.