English IV 1 October 2013

Obesity

Many humans in America have been diagnosed with obesity over the last past decade. The humans that are diagnosed are overweight and have serious health issues. Obesity has become the world’s largest health issue. Most humans who are victims of obesity often are at risk of a non-healthy lifestyle. Obesity also is on the rise in children. Individuals who have problems with obesity struggle to live a normal and healthy lifestyle. Uncontrolled obesity in people of all ages has a direct negative effect on a person’s health and lifestyle. What is obesity? Obesity is defined as an abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually 20% or more over an individual’s ideal weight according to the medical dictionary. Obesity is also a major factor of the increase of illness, disability, and death. According to an internet source obesity is also defined as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and increased health problems. Body Mass Index, a measurement which compares weight and height, defines people as overweight if their BMI is between 25 and 30 Kg/m². According Opposing Viewpoints Series “Obesity” it states that obesity overweight and obesity are both labels for range of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for give height. The term also identifies ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems (Barbour). Medical Dictionary states that obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health leading to reduced life expectancy and increased health problems. The World Health Organization defines “Overweight as a 25 and “Obesity” as a BMI equal to or more than 30. These cut-off points provide a bench mark for individual assessment, but there is evidence that risk of chronic disease in population’s increases progressively from a BMI of 21. The BMI provides the most useful population-level measure of overweight and obesity as it is the same for both sexes and for all ages of adults. However, it should be considered as rough guide because it may not correspond to the same degree of fatness in different individuals (Barbour). Statistically, obesity has become a huge problem in many different races, age groups, and in both males and females. These statistics will show different percentages of obesity in race, age groups, and sex (males/females). According to http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsObesityAdults/ it states that recently that African Americans hold the highest percentage of obesity statistically. Following African Americans are then the Hispanics. Whites held the lowest amount of being obese statistically.

Figure 1. Chart if obesity in Ethnicities and Sex
According to http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsObesityAdults/ At least three reasons may account for the racial and ethnic differences in obesity. First, racial and ethnic groups differ in behaviors that contribute to weight gain; second explanation may be differences in individual attitudes and cultural norms related to body weight. A third explanation may be differences in access to affordable, healthful foods and safe locations to be physically active; this limited access may negatively impact diet and physical activity levels. Blacks have a 51 percent greater prevalence of obesity than whites, and Hispanics have 21 percent greater obesity prevalence than whites, According to researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity rates also vary geographically. Among blacks and whites, the highest rates of obesity are in the South and Midwest. Among Hispanics, obesity rates were highest in the South, Midwest and West, according to the July 17 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly