Obesity is a condition in which people have too much fat in their body and because of this they end up getting health problems such as diabetes and heart-related problems including mobility issues and a decreased life expectancy. To be considered obese a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI) must exceed 30 gm, the BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight in grams by the square of a person's height in meters.
Today, obesity is a big problem facing our society and more than one-third (35.7%) of Americans are obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). There are many implications of obesity for the society and one such outcome is the higher medical costs for obese people. It is estimated that in 2008 alone, $147 billion was spent for treating diseases related to obesity. Some groups are more affected by obesity than others and the rate of obesity is not the same among different ethnic groups and classes. Out of the different ethnic groups, Mexican-Americans are likely to have the highest rate of obesity and this is more profound among younger children and adolescents of Mexican-American ancestry.
A conflicting view to this thesis is that obesity has increased fast among all ethnic groups during the last couple of decades. According to CDC (2012), the incidence of obesity increased in adults at all education and income levels between 1988 to 2008. Also, obesity increased across all ethnic groups during the same period. Non-Hispanic black men and women of all races have become obese during the last two decades according to the CDC. The obesity is regularly higher among women who have a college degree and there for a higher earning potential. This is because they are vulnerable to both the potential reasons for obesity, namely, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. Since all ethnic groups are exposed to the same two reasons, the chance of obesity remains high among all groups. These arguments disprove the view that only people of Mexican-American ethnicity have the highest chance of obesity.
All though people of all races have a higher chance for obesity due to a poor diet and an inactive