Obesity in the United States
The extent of the Problem

Obesity as one commentator says, is not just a "matter of aesthetics" but has become a major public health problem in the United States. Similarly, Federal health officials have categorically stated that "the growing prevalence of obesity in the United States represents a significant health threat to millions of Americans." Obesity is seen by health officials in a serious light and is very often described as an "epidemic' that has to be vigorously controlled.

Jeffrey Koplan, director of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recently stated that "the continuing epidemic of obesity is a critical public health concern" and "as a nation, we need to respond as vigorously to this epidemic as we do to an infectious disease epidemic."

These remarks are not alarmist but are supported by solid statistics that point to an increase of nearly 60% in the number of…...

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Bibliography  http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002010099 

Anderson, Patricia M., Kristin F. Butcher, and Phillip B. Levine. "Economic Perspectives on Childhood Obesity." Economic Perspectives 27, no. 3 (2003): 30+.  http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99704135 

Bruch, Hilde. Eating Disorders; Obesity, Anorexia Nervosa, and the Person within. New York: Basic Books, 1973.

Cancer and Obesity," NASO; available at   accessed 11 August 2004.  http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000703580 http://www.naaso.org/information/cancer_obesity.asp;Internet ;

Chappell, Kevin. "Diabetes: A New Look at a Killer Disease." Ebony, March 2002, 121+. Database online. Available from Questia, Accessed 15 August 2004.http://www.questia.com/.Internet.

Obesity in America:
The prevalence of obesity and related health problems has increased dramatically in the past few decades to an extent that it's now regarded as one of the most pressing public health issue in the United States. Generally, obesity and overweight are usually brought by various factors such as socioeconomic, behavioral, cultural, metabolic, environmental, and inherited effects. This health issue contributes to the increase of the risk of several illnesses like heart disease, breathing problems, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and various kinds of arthritis and cancer. The main reason for the increased risk is that the prevalence of health risks enhances as a person's weight increases. Due to its prevalence in the United States, obesity has been identified as a national health objective by the Department of Health and Human Services. This health issue is among the 10 leading health indicators in the national health objectives as…...

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References:

"Action Plan -- Healthy People 2010 Objectives for Prevention and Control of Childhood

Obesity." (n.d.). American Public Health Association. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from  http://www.apha.org/programs/resources/obesity/obesityactplan.htm 

"Financing Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs: Federal Funding Sources and Other

Strategies." (2005). The Finance Project. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://www.financeproject.org/publications/obesityprevention.pdf

Obesity in America
Many think of obesity as a disease that may need medication to retract, may be genetic in origin and, thus, not the fault of the individual, and, therefore, may be biologically rather than culturally deteremined. However, as this essay intends to show, people with genetic predisposition to obesity can still prevent their obesity from occuring, or can control it, by followign the guidelines of a healthy diet and regular physical activity. It is the American culture, far more than biology, that has created the prevelant tendency to obesity by presenting an environment that promotes obesity and discourages a healthy lifestyle. In essence, while obesity is a disease, it is one of the most easily preventable diseases for those who approach it proactively, though this may require certain departures from the American lifestyle.

Introduction

Obesity increases the risk for many fatal diseases, including cardiovascular disease, and recorded in the United States,…...

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References

Branon, L., & Feist, J. (2007). Health Psychology. USA: Thomson Wadsworth.

Bray, G. (2004). The epidemic of obesity. Physiology & Behavior, 82, 115-121.

Wang, Y., & Lobenstein, T. (2006). Worldwide trends in childhood overweight and obesity International Journal of Pediatric Obesity. 1, 11-25

Wang, Y, Monteiro, C, & Popkin, B.M. (2002). Trends of obesity and underweight in older children and adolescents in the United States, Brazil, China, and Russia. Am J. Clin Nutr. 75, 971-7.

Obesity in America
Obesity has emerged as one of the most pressing health problems in the United States. Indeed, the overall trend toward obesity in American adults, as well as children and adolescents, has been increasingly identified by doctors, scientists, and the media as an "epidemic." All that is necessary for one to see how prevalent this problem has become is to note the wide plethora of diet pills, plans, gimmicks, and other remedies guaranteed to melt away the excess pounds plaguing the American population. Although many in the country imagine that their weight problems have much more consequence to their appearance than their health (or, at the very least, many give much more import to these issues), the truth is that the increasing prevalence of obesity in America has far reaching implications, chief among them issues of ethical, scientific, economic, political, and population-based significance.

The National enter for hronic Disease Prevention…...

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Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health. (2004). "Overweight and Obesity: Frequently Asked Questions." Web site. Retrieved from Web site on 26 April, 2004  http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/faq.htm#adults 

Office of the Surgeon General. (2004). "Overweight and Obesity." Web site. Retrieved from Website on 26 April, 2004 27&hm____action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2esurgeongeneral%2egov%2ftopics%2 fobesity%2fdefault%2ehtmhttp://65.54.187.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=b3f044963b5dab17dc695d649fb620e5&lat=10831376

Reuters. (2004). "Sanolfi Trial Results Show Promise for Obesity Drug." Web site. Retrieved from Web site on 26 April, 2004 041&hm____action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2eobesity%2eorghttp://65.54.187.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=0861b6446960b98247cb0af6a85515c9&lat=1083137

Obesity in America: Obesity and Sexual Orientation
This study examined the obesity risk for the sexual minority groups in the United States of America. The first part explains the obesity epidemic in the United States and its effects on the common man. It also describes the overall national medical expenditures that are attributable to obesity. In the second part, new approximations of obesity rates by sexual orientation have been presented using the data and information from two large representative surveys conducted in America. The first one is taken from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey that contained the information associated with self-reported sexual orientation. The second one is taken from the 1996-2002 Behavioral isk Factor Surveillance System that included information regarding the intra-household same-sex unmarried partnerships. esults suggested that gay men are less likely to be obese whereas lesbian women are more likely to be obese when compared with their heterosexual…...

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References

1. Obesity. In: The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. 2009. Available from Questia database:   Retrieved June 20, 2012.http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=117036534 .

2. Freedman DH. How to Fix the Obesity Crisis. Scientific American Magazine [online]. 2011. Available at:   Accessed June 22, 2012.http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-to-fix-the-obesity-crisis .

3. Wang Y, Beydoun MA, Liang L, Caballero B, Kumanyika SK. Will All Americans Become Overweight or Obese? Estimating the Progression and Cost of the U.S. Obesity Epidemic [online]. 2008; 16 (10), 2323 -- 2330. Available from:   Accessed June 22, 2012.http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v16/n10/full/oby2008351a.html .

4. Pi-Sunyer FX. The Obesity Epidemic: Pathophysiology and Consequences of Obesity [Online]. Obesity Research. 2002; 10, 97S -- 104S. Available from:   Accessed June 22, 2012.http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v10/n12s/full/oby2002202a.html .

In some cases, doctors can prescribe weight-loss medicines along with a program of diet and exercise."
esearchers believe that anyone with a BMI of 30 or higher can improve his health through weight loss (Gilles, 2003). This is particularly true for those who are severely obese. Sometimes a weight loss of just 5 to 10% can vastly improve health by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

An increase in physical activity is one highly recommended form of treatment for obese people (Pories et al., 1995). Exercise increases energy expenditure, improves health conditions, combats depression, and helps maintain weight loss. In most cases, 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity is recommended most days of the week. In a study of women who had regained lost weight compared to those who maintained their weight loss, researchers found that 90% of maintainers engaged in vigorous exercise at least three times per week for at…...

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References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP). (2004). Defining Overweight and Obesity. Retrieved from the Internet at  http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/about.htm .

Gilles, Gary. (2003). A Growing Epidemic: Severe Obesity Is on the Rise. Rockhill Communications.

Hemmelgarn, Melinda. (2004). Foods and Fitness. Missouri Families. Retrieved from the Internet at  http://missourifamilies.org/quick/nutritionqa/nutqa52.htm .

Medical Network Inc. (2004). What Causes Obesity? HealthAtoZ.com. Retrieved from the Internet at http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/dc/caz/nutr/obes/causes.jsp.

As it is, obesity emerges in cultures that become wealthy and start eating fast food.
Doctors are also responsible for promoting the myth that obesity is related more to genetics than to lifestyle by misrepresenting the statistics about the disease. As ebMD points out, "If one of your parents is obese, you are 3 times as likely to be obese as someone with parents of healthy weight." hat the ebsite fails to mention is that the reason why parents pass on obesity to children might not be related at all to genes, but to lifestyle habits. A child who grows up watching a parent eat potato chips and fast food while watching television might model behavior after that parent. If the parent is obese, the child will become obese not necessarily because of genes but because of behavior modeling.

Public policy is also to blame for obesity. It is a proven…...

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Works Cited

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity and overweight. 2012. Retrieved online:  http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm 

Sifferlin, Alexandra. "Americans Are Eating Fewer Calories, So Why Are We Still Obese?" Time. 22 Feb, 2013. Retrieved online:  http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/22/americans-are-eating-fewer-calories-so-why-are-we-still-obese/ 

WebMD. Obesity -- Cause. 2013. Retrieved online:  http://www.webmd.com/diet/tc/obesity-cause

It would be expected that the children would push for increased recess time. Note that no mention was made regarding diet. Also note that this specific class was selected by the principal therefore objectivity is further corrupted.
However, use of the focus groups as means of gathering information may have been more advantageous in regards to the other 2 groups (parents and staff / teachers) since it prompts thought on the matter and inter-communications that yields discoveries on the matter and ideas about how to improve the situation. The idea about the parent volunteers, for instance, could best have emerged in a focus group environment. (Albrecht et al., 1993).

There, too, could have interviewer / facilitator bias and confounding details involved. The two trained moderators were Caucasian whereas the population was of mixed ethnic origin. Nuance of different cultural approach could have been overlooked and cultural misunderstanding involved. The two facilitators…...

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References

Albrecht, R., Johnson., J., & Walther, J. (1993). "Understanding communication process in focus groups," in D.L. Morgan (ed.) Successful focus groups. Long: Sage.

Asch, S. (1955) "Opinions and Social Pressure"

 http://www.panarchy.org/asch/social.pressure.1955.html 

Breakwell, G., Hammond, S., & Fife-Schaw, C. (2007). Research methods in Psychology. Sage: London.

One study indicates that "Although fast food provided one-third of some respondents' daily caloric intakes, those meals included almost no milk, fruit or fruit juices, which are important nutrient sources among key food groups. In fact, as the frequency of fast food consumption increased from zero days to two days, the intake levels of vitamins A and C, carotenes, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium decreased..." ("Fast food consumption increase obesity risk")
We must make it clear that our basic enemies in this case are the fast food companies and not the fast food itself. This is because despite being criticized repeatedly for lack of ethical consideration in preparing food, they have continued offering people with food that contains very high levels of fat and absolutely no real nutritional value. When we ask companies like Enron, Exxon and others to develop code of ethics and incorporate ethical values in way they do…...

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References

TV, lots of fast food triple obesity risk. Monday, March 10, 2003 http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/diet.fitness/03/10/fastfood.tv.ap/

Fast food consumption increases obesity risk (24/05/2004)

 http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/news-ng.asp?id=52305-fast-food-consumption 

Robert W. Jeffery, Judy Baxter, Maureen McGuire and Jennifer Linde. Are fast food restaurants an environmental risk factor for obesity? Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2006

obesity in the United States. Specifically, it will contain a persuasive argument on why obesity is a problem in the United States, and why it is ridiculous to think that the number one disease in America is the most preventable in America.
Obesity is a big (pardon the pun) problem in America today, and it is only getting bigger. Some people attribute the problem to fast food and sedentary lifestyles. Some people attribute it to family life spent rushing from activity to activity instead of centering on home, family activities, and healthy lifestyles that include regular exercise and home cooked meals. However, obesity is a problem all around the world today. Part of the problem stems from the fact that humans are evolved from beings who had to work hard for what they ate. The earliest hunter-gatherers subsisted mainly on vegetation and fruits with an occasional mammoth or two thrown…...

Should the first solution be called upon, it will be limited by the fact that the public may rebel, failing to re-elect those senators and congressmen who are in favor of the legislation. Indeed, the Supreme Court may even find some of the more extreme forms of legislation unconstitutional. The second solution, however, is limited by time and the fact that it could lead to the ridiculing of obese students who already suffer from low self-esteem. However, the limitations facing the second solution, or education in order to change culture are less far-reaching than the limitations of legislation. Educational programs could quickly be implemented both in schools and in adult learning centers that focus on whole wellness, including emotional wellness, and that instruct students that obesity is a disease, not unlike cancer or diabetes, conditions that one would never find amusing or laughable. Further, through education, the problem of…...

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References

Centers for Disease Control. (2009, July 24). U.S. Obesity Trends. Retrieved August 7,

2009, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web Site:  http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html#State 

Frankenfiled, G. (2000, Jan. 14). Obesity Plus Low Self-Esteem May Lead to Risky

Behavior in Teens. Retrieved August 7, 2009, from WebMD:  http://www.webmd.com/news/20000114/obesity-plus-low-self-esteem-may-lead-risky-behavior-teens

Obesity is a serious social problem in America. The effects of obesity in childhood are well documented in both the social science literature and medical journals. During the last 30 years, the percentage of obese children between the ages of 6 and 11 has risen 200% while the percentage of obese children between 12 and 19 has tripled (CDC, Preventing Childhood Obesity, 2010). Obesity in the nited States has increased among all cohorts and ethnicities, spans across generations, and is not limited to income or educational levels. However, the incidence of obesity among African-American women is of particular concern given the prevalence and severity of the issue in America.
Public health issue

More than two-thirds of Americans are now obese or overweight (Ogden et al., 2010).

Rates of adult obesity now exceed 20% in 49 states and D.C and 25% in 40 states. By way of comparison, in 1991, rates did not exceed…...

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U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Vital Signs: Prevalence, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension -- United States, 1999 -- 2002 and 2005 -- 2008

Ward, S., Gray, A., Paranjape, A. (2008). African-Americans' perceptions of physician attempts to address obesity in the primary care setting. The Journal of General Internal Medicine, 24(5), 579-584.

Coenen, K.R., Hasty, A.H. (2007). Obesity potentiates development of fatty liver and insulin resistance, but not atherosclerosis, in high-fat diet-fed agouti LDLR-deficient mice. Retrieved from:  http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/293/2/E492.short

This is an area that receives little attention, but it promises to be fruitful if attention is given to it. The health practitioner will combine attempts to reach this group with administrative policy and in combination; there will be a moderation of the problem at school.
The popular kids at school set the norms of the schools and influence the values within the school. The popular kids are generally not the ones who are obese they may make fun at obese children. An awareness program that allows popular children to observe the impact of their taunts and other unkind comments on their peers may strike within their hearts a desire to become part of the solution rather than the problem. When combined with an administrative approach that encourages more exercise that is physical and coupled with a school climate of support for eating healthy food. This strategy will create changes…...

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References

Anderson, Patricia M. And Butcher Kristin F. (2006). Childhood Obesity: Trends and Potential

Causes the Future of Children, 16: (1): 19-45.

CDC Fact Sheet: Foods and Beverages Sold Outside of the School Meal Programs.

Crosnoe Robert & Muller Chandra (2004) Body Mass Index, Academic Achievement, and School Context: Examining the Educational Experiences of Adolescents at Risk of Obesity. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 45 (4):393-407.

During the study a number of factors were considered for the evaluation of the fact that females unlike males in Saudi Arabia constitute a larger proportion.
Themes

Lifestyle and dietary

Adolescent boys and girls were studied for at least two weeks on their feeding habits, for this period, females were observed to consume more snacks than male in that males could only consume snacks once a fortnight unlike their female counterparts who for the 14 days averagely took snacks at least 12 days. For the consumption of rice, bread, nuts and fish the percentage of females consuming this surpassed that of men i.e. 54.8 to 50.5%, this shows that females consumes more food products that are energy giving than males in Saudi Arabia leading to deposition of more calories in the body triggering obesity as it is supposed that the body can not convert the whole chunk of calories. More so in…...

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References

Al-Gelban, K.S. (2008). Diatery Habits and Exercise Practices among the Students of a Saudi

Teachers Training College. Saudi Med J, 29 (5), 754-759.

Al-Rukban, M. (2003). Obesity among Saudi Male Adolescents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Med Journal, 34, 27-33.

Al-Shammari, S., Khoja, T., & Al-Subaie, A. (1994). Trans-cultural Attitude Towards Being

Blacks also have a 320% higher rate of hypertension-related end-stage renal disease than the general population (Diet-elated Chronic Diseases, 2001).
According to a study of diet-related chronic diseases among black men in Florida, it was found that almost two-thirds of blacks in Florida are estimated to be at risk for health problems related to being overweight. The percent of the total population that is at risk for health problems related to being overweight compared to the State of Florida in shown in Table 2 below.

Table 2. Percentage of Black/White Population at isk for Overweight Health Problems - Florida vs. The U.S. (Source: Diet-elated Chronic Diseases, 2001).

Florida National

Black 62.4-65.4

White 52.0-56.0

The authors of this study point out that many blacks do not eat a sufficient amount of vegetables and other foods that require the recommended levels of nutrition. Clearly, there is more involved in the epidemiology and causation of obesity among blacks…...

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References

Anderson, P.M., Butcher, K.F. & Levine, P.B. (2003). Economic Perspectives on Childhood Obesity. Economic Perspectives, 27(3), 30.

Collins, C.F. (1996). African-American women's health and social issues. Westport, CT: Auburn House.

Diet-Related Chronic Diseases that Disproportionately Affect African-American Men. State of Florida: Health. Retrieved February 16, 2005 from www.5aday.gov/aahealth/aamen/diet/pdfs/FL_state.pdf.

Drevenstedt, G.L. (1998). Race and Ethnic Differences in the Effects of Religious Attendance on Subjective Health. Review of Religious Research, 39(3), 246.