Obesity has become a health concern for American households. In as much as pundits would argue that obesity is an issue in many industrialized countries, the American rates call for attention as it ranks as the highest in the world. America is ranked as having the second highest rate of obesity after Mexico. In the early 1960s, the average American adult male weighed 168 pounds. Today, he weighs nearly 180 pounds. Very pertinent questions should be asked about such revelations. Is it the habits that have changed or the types of food that people consume that have changed? Over the same time period, the average female adult weight rose from 143 pounds to over 155 pounds (Cutler, Glaeser & Shapiro, 2003). In the early 1970s, 14% of the population was classified as medically obese. Weights of adults and children alike were also on the upward trend throughout the twentieth century. However, the rise in obesity since 1980 has been phenomenal. For the better part of the twentieth century, weights were below levels recommended for maximum longevity and an increase in weight was perceived as an increase in health, not a decrease (Cutler, Glaeser & Shapiro, 2003). Americans are currently fatter than medical science recommends and weights are still increasing. Questions that we should keep asking are: Are there justifications for these weights? Why is that it is the United States whose rates of obesity are higher than those of other developed countries? Evidence adduced suggests that calories expended have not changed significantly since 1980, while calories consumed have risen remarkably (Cutler, Glaeser & Shapiro, 2003). This evidence does not seem to explain why there has been an increase in calories consumed. Perhaps, the best way to understand the obesity menace in the United States is to first of all illuminate the trends in obesity. A third of adults in United...
Data that is used in calculating the Body Mass Index, the primary measure of obesity, is normally obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). Individuals with BMI over 25 are likely to experience high rates of disease and death. Between 1971-1975 and 1988-1994, the median BMI increased by 0.9; the 75th percentile increased by 1.5; and the 95 percentile increased by 2.7 (Cutler, Glaeser & Shapiro, 2003). The average increase in BMI between 1970s and the 1990s was 1.9. Married women with exactly 12 years of schooling had the largest increase in average BMI. These groups spend a lot of time preparing meals at home (Cutler, Glaeser & Shapiro, 2003).
Obesity and Health Problems The Solution, First Reason To ensure that the approach adopted in the management of obesity is workable and to avoid the adoption of a potentially discriminatory position against those who prefer a bigger body size; obesity should be classified as a contributing factor to ill health rather than a disease. Those branding obesity a disease can be seen as trying to solve a prevailing problem using the wrong
In the UK for instance, there are no guidelines on the issue of nutritional labeling. In some cases nutritional information is ether missing totally or is present in a form which is too complex to be comprehended by the general public. Therefore, the ongoing discussion between the industry players, health groups and regulators has a focus on making nutritional labeling compulsory as well as making the current system simpler to
Incidence rates of obesity are rising globally, with tremendous impacts to the cost and nature of healthcare intervention. As measured as body mass index (BMI) of 25 or over, being overweight affects as many as 67% of all American adults, while up to 40% can be classified as obese with a BMI of 30 or more. About 5% of Americans are classified as morbidly obese with a BMI of 40
Sugar Substitutes SWEET BUT DEADLY? Health Concerns and Risks of Using Sugar Substitutes Sweets and sugar-sweetened pop or soft drinks have recently been blamed for an increasing number of negative health conditions, such as overweight and diabetes. This has led solid soft drink consumers to turn to artificially sweetened soft drinks as substitutes. The safety of artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes has been questioned but the impact of high intakes of artificial sweeteners
Obesity and Its Consequences Obesity and its Prevalence Trends Final Research Paper: Obesity and Health Problems Obesity has significantly become an issue in the current century, which requires great intervention of the entire society. The research of this proposal aims at analyzing the situations related to obesity including; its causes, the effects it has on individual health, the manner in which it causes illnesses and related diseases and recommendations for easing the spread
Obesity Healthy People 2020 and Obesity among children in California The obesity epidemic has extensive implications for our public health, both as a state and as a nation. Unfortunately, this epidemic is not limited to adults. To the contrary, the number of children in California who are clinically obese has been on a steady rise as well. According to the U.S. Department of Human Health Services, between 1994 and 2010, "the obesity
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