Obesity in the United States is on the rise and it seems there is no end in sight. Obesity is a health problem that does not discriminate, and it effects all ages, genders, and races. There are many factors that can cause an individual to become obese. These factors can include calorie intake, amount of physical activity, genetics, and environment. The rise of obesity in the United States has posed health and financial problems for this country that need to be dealt with.
It is said that an obesity epidemic is sweeping the country and that the numbers are astronomical.
Although obesity itself is a serious medical condition, it's the secondary health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke that pose the most risk to overweight individuals, including adults and children in the United States. This paper will discuss the effects and factors of obesity to all individuals, including adults and children in the United States and how academic knowledge impacts the social elements and institutions of both local and global communities. This research paper will also include reading literature and a multimedia component to evaluate the relevance of this piece in relationship to academic knowledge and obesity.
What is obesity? Obesity means having excessive body fat. It is actually different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. Both terms mean that a person's weight is greater than what is considered healthy for his or her height. A person is considered overweight if their BMI is between 25 and 29.9. A person is considered morbidly obese if his or her BMI is over 30 or is sufficiently overweight to severely interfere with health or normal function. The most common measure of obesity is the body mass index or BMI (Body Mass Index). (BMI = weight divided by height squared); i.e. 20% more than the normal weight. A healthy BMI is between 18-25. (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2012)
The first reading literature written by Coe focused on how environment and genetics are a contributing factors to obesity. As stated, “It has become clear with the ‘Coca-Colanization’ of developing countries that a diet high in sugar and fat and typically low in fiber may act as an environmental trigger for those genetically predisposed to unwanted weight gain. The prevalence of obesity can also vary among different social and economic strata. A study from the International Journal of Obesity shows that young Brazilian workers in strenuous jobs appear to help ward off weight gain, while employees working in white-collar jobs in more industrialized settings need to be wary of undesirable weight gain”.
The author emphasized that if countries (like the United States) continue to promote a high sugar and fat based diet, then individuals (both adults and children) are doomed for literally a “bigger” problem. It seems that if adults are obese, then the chances of their children will also become obese. This may be true because if obese adults do not watch their diet and their homes are filled with junk and high caloric food, then most likely they will feed and teach their children the same. Individuals also need to take note that the fast food outlets, such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, White Castel, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, etc. are almost everywhere you go. They have been very convenient as they are prepared and delivered fast. This is one of the reasons why many people prefer to choose these fast food outlets instead of good, nutritious home-cooked foods. If consumers continue to get used to eating junk food, it becomes like a bad habit and eventually like an addiction.
In the second reading literature, the author uses a survey called the Harris Interactive online survey to convey the idea of how obesity can gravely affect children. As stated, “The poll found that 81 percent of adults agree (1) that children are becoming obese because parents aren't paying enough attention to their