Excercise 21
Epidemiological Rationales of Obesity
According to the U,S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States over the past 20 years. Obesity epidemic has affected every part of the world. When speaking about United States, more than 72 million adults are obese and there is not a single state that has an obesity rate less than 15 % (CDC Vitalsigns 2010). Among all Americans Obesity has been directly linked to hypertension, diabetes, cancer, depression and many other health problems. Each year, approximately 400.000 deaths result from obesity and its complications and costs the national economy nearly $122.9 billion annually (Menifield 2008). In addition, as of 2004, the proportion of obese adults in the U,S. reached 32% of the total population. Among adolescents, obesity has increased to 17.1% of the population between the 1999-2004 periods (Menifield 2008). This increase in prevalence has made obesity a threat to public health in United States. There are various reasons of obesity such as behavior, environment and genetic factors. One of the causes of obesity is energy imbalance. This means eating too many calories compared to physical activity. As we know that, nowadays people spend more time watching T.V and playing video games. Moreover food portion size has also increased not only at home but also in many restaurants. In addition, environment and behavior play a large role causing people to be overweight. People make decision base on their culture, values and beliefs. For example, in some culture it is not important for women to exercise or women are not allowed to go for a walk. Many community lack sidewalks, parks and public activity area and that may influence their activity level. Science indicates that genetics shows a role in obesity. Genes can directly cause obesity in disorders such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Prader-Willi
According to the U,S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States over the past 20 years. Obesity epidemic has affected every part of the world. When speaking about United States, more than 72 million adults are obese and there is not a single state that has an obesity rate less than 15 % (CDC Vitalsigns 2010). Among all Americans Obesity has been directly linked to hypertension, diabetes, cancer, depression and many other health problems. Each year, approximately 400.000 deaths result from obesity and its complications and costs the national economy nearly $122.9 billion annually (Menifield 2008). In addition, as of 2004, the proportion of obese adults in the U,S. reached 32% of the total population. Among adolescents, obesity has increased to 17.1% of the population between the 1999-2004 periods (Menifield 2008). This increase in prevalence has made obesity a threat to public health in United States. There are various reasons of obesity such as behavior, environment and genetic factors. One of the causes of obesity is energy imbalance. This means eating too many calories compared to physical activity. As we know that, nowadays people spend more time watching T.V and playing video games. Moreover food portion size has also increased not only at home but also in many restaurants. In addition, environment and behavior play a large role causing people to be overweight. People make decision base on their culture, values and beliefs. For example, in some culture it is not important for women to exercise or women are not allowed to go for a walk. Many community lack sidewalks, parks and public activity area and that may influence their activity level. Science indicates that genetics shows a role in obesity. Genes can directly cause obesity in disorders such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Prader-Willi