How Does Obesity Affect America
Obesity and its effect on America
Natasha stood there looking in the mirror. As she looked at her reflection, she could not hold back the tears that flooded her eyes. The doctor’s words kept running through her mind over and over, “You are running out of time Natasha”. She started to tremble as she felt the fear grip her heart. “How could I let this happen to me?” she thought, “I’m only thirty-five!”…. America needs to wake up and realize the impact obesity has had on our country and see the toll it is still taking today.
What is obesity? According to Obesity in America, weight gain and obesity is caused by consuming more calories than the body needs – most commonly by eating a diet high in fat and calories, living a sedentary lifestyle, or both.” (Obesity in America, 2013). There are many Americans today, who do not know the difference between just being overweight and realizing when that extra weight makes them become obese. The difference is when a person is overweight; you are only ten percent over the recommended weight for their height. But when they are obese, they are normally thirty percent or more over …show more content…
the recommended weight. With this extra weight come many different emotions because obesity can have a hard impact on a person mentally. It can cause low self-esteem, depression, and discomfort in social situations. It also can cause a person to have no interest in life and it can change his or her lifestyle.
Many people do not realize the effect obesity can have on their bodies as well. Obesity is the leading cause of multiple health problems like the following:
Coronary heart disease
Type 2 diabetes
Cancers (endometrial, breast, colon)
Hypertension (otherwise known as high blood pressure)
Dyslipidemia (for example, high cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
Stroke
Liver and Gallbladder disease
Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
Osteoarthritis
Gynecological problems(abnormal menses, infertility)
(Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2012) Most of these health problems could easily be avoided just by changing to a healthier diet. Everyone is either in such a hurry or they just don’t care what their bodies are consuming, that they eat anything that is made available, regardless of the consequences it has on their bodies and their health.
With everyone’s disregard of their own health and size of their body it has rubbed off on their children. According to CDC “Obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States - triple the rate from just one generation ago.” (Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2013). The rush that has contributed to the obesity of America’s adults has extended to the children of America. And according to this same source “Most adolescents fall short of the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommendation of at least 60 minutes of aerobic physical activity each day, as only 18% of students in grades 9—12 met this recommendation in 2007”. (Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2013). It is sad when someone’s bad habits rub off on their children. And when obesity is accepted and encouraged in the children today, the result of that acceptance and encouragement will be very disturbing and tragic for the children of America as well as the parents. Because when those parents realize the kind of lifestyle that they created and encouraged for their children caused the health problems that those children have or did have, it will be tragic because it will be too late.
The impact that obesity has had on America is devastating. When studying the subject of obesity it is not hard to come across many statistics and facts about obesity. Most Americans do not even see the affect obesity has had because obesity is something that is a normal occurrence in our country today. And when thinking of obesity you may not realize just how bad it has become in America but according to the latest studies it is getting worse year by year. Looking at statistics it is shocking to see the how much obesity is affecting our country. America is literally eating itself to death. On the following page is an example of how much obesity has impacted our country.
People like Natasha, who struggle with obesity, often don’t realize that the extra weight could kill them.
Natasha didn’t know, until she heard it from her doctor. He told her if she didn’t act fast her struggle with obesity was going to kill her. It had caused her to have severe respiratory problems and sleep apnea. When the doctor told her that being obese had caused this she could not believe her ears. How could something as simple as eating bring on something so terrible and life threatening? But her doctor assured her that she had to change her ways and her diet or she would not last another year. After explaining steps she could take to change her lifestyle the doctor gave Natasha hope. So if America would realize the problem of obesity and take the precautions needed to overcome it, America would change for the better and become
healthier.
References
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2013, Sept. 27) Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/obesity.html
Obesity in America. (2013). Understanding obesity. Retrieved from http://obesityinamerica.org/understanding-obesity/
Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2013, Aug. 5). Childhood overweight and obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html
Natasha stood there looking in the mirror. As she looked at her reflection, she could not hold back the tears that flooded her eyes. The doctor’s words kept running through her mind over and over, “You are running out of time Natasha”. She started to tremble as she felt the fear grip her heart. “How could I let this happen to me?” she thought, “I’m only thirty-five!”…. America needs to wake up and realize the impact obesity has had on our country and see the toll it is still taking today.
What is obesity? According to Obesity in America, weight gain and obesity is caused by consuming more calories than the body needs – most commonly by eating a diet high in fat and calories, living a sedentary lifestyle, or both.” (Obesity in America, 2013). There are many Americans today, who do not know the difference between just being overweight and realizing when that extra weight makes them become obese. The difference is when a person is overweight; you are only ten percent over the recommended weight for their height. But when they are obese, they are normally thirty percent or more over …show more content…
the recommended weight. With this extra weight come many different emotions because obesity can have a hard impact on a person mentally. It can cause low self-esteem, depression, and discomfort in social situations. It also can cause a person to have no interest in life and it can change his or her lifestyle.
Many people do not realize the effect obesity can have on their bodies as well. Obesity is the leading cause of multiple health problems like the following:
Coronary heart disease
Type 2 diabetes
Cancers (endometrial, breast, colon)
Hypertension (otherwise known as high blood pressure)
Dyslipidemia (for example, high cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
Stroke
Liver and Gallbladder disease
Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
Osteoarthritis
Gynecological problems(abnormal menses, infertility)
(Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2012) Most of these health problems could easily be avoided just by changing to a healthier diet. Everyone is either in such a hurry or they just don’t care what their bodies are consuming, that they eat anything that is made available, regardless of the consequences it has on their bodies and their health.
With everyone’s disregard of their own health and size of their body it has rubbed off on their children. According to CDC “Obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States - triple the rate from just one generation ago.” (Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2013). The rush that has contributed to the obesity of America’s adults has extended to the children of America. And according to this same source “Most adolescents fall short of the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommendation of at least 60 minutes of aerobic physical activity each day, as only 18% of students in grades 9—12 met this recommendation in 2007”. (Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2013). It is sad when someone’s bad habits rub off on their children. And when obesity is accepted and encouraged in the children today, the result of that acceptance and encouragement will be very disturbing and tragic for the children of America as well as the parents. Because when those parents realize the kind of lifestyle that they created and encouraged for their children caused the health problems that those children have or did have, it will be tragic because it will be too late.
The impact that obesity has had on America is devastating. When studying the subject of obesity it is not hard to come across many statistics and facts about obesity. Most Americans do not even see the affect obesity has had because obesity is something that is a normal occurrence in our country today. And when thinking of obesity you may not realize just how bad it has become in America but according to the latest studies it is getting worse year by year. Looking at statistics it is shocking to see the how much obesity is affecting our country. America is literally eating itself to death. On the following page is an example of how much obesity has impacted our country.
People like Natasha, who struggle with obesity, often don’t realize that the extra weight could kill them.
Natasha didn’t know, until she heard it from her doctor. He told her if she didn’t act fast her struggle with obesity was going to kill her. It had caused her to have severe respiratory problems and sleep apnea. When the doctor told her that being obese had caused this she could not believe her ears. How could something as simple as eating bring on something so terrible and life threatening? But her doctor assured her that she had to change her ways and her diet or she would not last another year. After explaining steps she could take to change her lifestyle the doctor gave Natasha hope. So if America would realize the problem of obesity and take the precautions needed to overcome it, America would change for the better and become
healthier.
References
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2013, Sept. 27) Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/obesity.html
Obesity in America. (2013). Understanding obesity. Retrieved from http://obesityinamerica.org/understanding-obesity/
Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2013, Aug. 5). Childhood overweight and obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html