Obesity in the United States has significantly risen in the past 20 years. Over 60 million adults and 9 million children are obese! Obesity is caused by an energy imbalance which results from consuming too many calories and not getting enough exercise. Behavior and the environment are the biggest causes of people being overweight today. However, this can be prevented and changed.
Being overweight increases your risk for many health conditions and diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, stroke, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, respiratory problems and even some cancers.
Obesity in the United States just seems to be getting worse and worse. In 1991, only four states had obesity rates of 15 to 19% and no states had obesity rates above 20%. In 2004, this had dramatically changed. Seven states had obesity rates of 15 to 19%, 33 states had obesity rates of 20 to 24% and 9 states had obesity rates that were more than 25%.
There are many reasons why obesity is so prevalent today which include behavioral reasons, environmental reasons and genetic reasons. In the past 20 years, the environment and people's behavior has drastically changed, causing this jump in obesity. Fast food restaurants, soft drinks and pre-packaged foods are much more readily available than they were 20 years ago. Grocery stores also have more foods than before.
People are eating much more than they used to. Everyone is taking larger portions and eating more snacks. There are so many unhealthy snacks being sold and everyone buys them. This is very unhealthy because people are consuming so many calories and not burning them off.
Most Americans no longer do physical activities, which is a big problem. Technology has eliminated the need to do physical activities. Cars are used instead of walking or riding a bike. Elevators, dishwashers, computers and televisions also are causes for our inactivity. People need to get up and move around. Anything that involves movement will use energy and burn calories.
This rise in obesity is a big concern for us. We need to make sure that we are doing all we can to maintain a healthy weight. Everyone needs to try to eat healthier and do physical activities. If you do not get to a normal weight, it is an enormous health risk for you.
11 comments:
I agree that this is a problem. I think that there are 2 big reasons for this problem. The first is that all the kids today stay inside and make TV and computer their whole life. And the whole time that these kids are watching TV or playing the computer they are usually stuffing there faces with unhealthy junk food. Kids dont go out and play like they used too and this is not good. Another reason is the overabundance of unhealthy fast food places and the ease at which kids can get this. For instance, every fast food place is coming out with the dollar menu because they know that this is good for kids who dont have jobs and cant afford a 6 or 7 dollar meal. Inactivity and overabundance of food lead to obesity and unless we teach our kids otherwise who knows where this problem may lead too.
We have so many Americans that are obese. No matter what we say to people about being obese they have to decide that they want to loose weight. So why bother with being so concerned about other peoples obesity?
Have you seen "Supersize Me"? It'll make you never want to eat fast food again. There are so meany reasons why the obesity rate has risen.. The convenience of fast food, both parents working outside of the home, advertising, tv, etc. It bothers me though when people do things like sue McDonalds for making them fat.. There is free will involved. It is true that the advertising/fast food industries, etc. make it harder to lead a healthy lifestyle. But people need to be more proactive. I think it's important for families to get involved in physical activity together. A lot of the education cuts have gotten rid of P.E. programs and the majority of school lunches are so unhealthy. There are so many areas that can be improved on to cut down on obesity rates.
I agree that obesity in America has become a very big problem. It seems like everyone cares, but no one is willing to take action. You brought up a good point in stating that every thing that involves movement burns calories. Technology has stripped our need to move around. Everything is 'convenient' now.
Liz, after seeing supersize me I stopped eating fast food! I was at dinner tonight and was amazed at the size that people allow their children to get. It is a lifestyle. People can eat healthy on a budget, it is a choice. It is free to go take a walk in the neighborhood. I get tired of people and their excuses on why they are so big. It is a choice!
I have been larger than I liked so I cut back on the food and worked out.
Obesety is definately a problem in the U.S. We have so much technology that keeps us from having to do any work. It seems like it is possible to live life without getting out of your chair these days. Loseing weight, or maintaining a healthy weight has to be a concious decision. In order for one to be healthy, you have to put it in your mind that; even if you don't have to do something active, to choose to do it active. A lot of overweight people do not want to admit, or think that they are unhealthy. That is the first step, to realize there is a problem. The next step would be to correct it; eat healthier, excersize more, etc. But like I said, losing weight, or mainting a healthy wait has to be a concious decision.
obesity is a huge problem, food is not grown the way it use to be their are so many added substances that are unhealthy. A lot of schools and work facilities have vending machines filled with junk and soft drinks which makes becoming obese easy.
Obesity is a problem in the country, but I do agree that they have to choose to want to lose the wait. If they know what is making them obese, but do not want to give it up it's their choice. No one else can choose for them.
I think it's the parents fault that children are getting fat these days. I mean lets just face it america is just a lazy country, no one wants to work at anything.
It's an important issue, and not just in the us, but most developed nations to some degree or another. The surface reasons are fairly easy to see, and they've been pointed out, more calories coming in, especially in the form of 'junk food', and less being consumed on a day to day basis. One of the big culprits is sugar, especially the refined stuff. We've just never had this kind of access to it before. Unfortunately, we're working in close to the exact opposite way that biology is pushing us. Do you know why sugar just tastes SO sweet? And you just can't get enough of it sometimes? Calories! I know, it's a 'bad word' these days, but our body loves them. The reason we crave it is because it is one of the simplest most potent forms of energy we can have.
I'd like to avoid a debate or offending anyone about creation vs evolution and that whole can of worms. But no matter what you believe about how we got to be here, as we are, humans are designed biologically, chemically, physiologically, to survive some very harsh conditions and thrive when possibilities come up. Our bodies want all the calories they can get, right now! Because for a long time, starving was one of our biggest dangers. And in far too much of the world it is still. But we clever people figured out the system, divided our labor and created machines to do the work that would sap our strength. For the rich places of the world we have an epidemic from something the rest would kill for. Here, we all want a fast metabolism and try to make it happen, anywhere else and that 'holy grail' would be a death sentence. Our dna doesn't know that everything's changed for some of us, so it does what it always has, takes what it can get when it can get it so it can save up for the long cold winter ahead.
The problem is biological, the solution will be cultural. Eventually we'll learn how to eat healthily and incorporate exercise for its own sake in to our society. Everyone has to make an effort, but realizing where the problem comes from and getting past the 'lazy people' argument is the only way to get there.
People in the United States live a really comfortable life.Nowadays we have drive-thrus everywhere so people don't even have to get out of their car.When they get home from work they go straight to their TV's and computers.But we also have people who will get home and go to they gym for 2 hours...It really depends on a person so we can't say that whole "America" is obese....
Post a Comment