Obesity in America

Obesity is a serious health issue in the United States its prevalence growing higher every year and not only has it become a nationwide epidemic but for the last twenty years, the number of people who are overweight and obese has increased dramatically. Obesity is a disease that affects many people in the United States and it means an individual having excess body fat and adults who are over thirty five years of age and have a body mass index of over thirty are considered to be obese. Obesity is not only a visual concern but also a health one because it is a chronic disease which can lead to other diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, among many others. It is a very difficult disease to treat with a high relapse rate and more than ninety five percent of those who lose weight regain this weight within a few years. This is the reason why the youth should be provided with the education necessary to ensure that they develop habits which keep them from becoming obese as adults.

By the year 2009, the state of South Carolina, for example, had some of the worst overweight and obese rates in the United States with three out of every five adults in the state being either overweight or obese. Further research done by the Medical University of South Carolina (326) showed that four out of every five adult in this state did not take the recommended number of five servings of fruit and vegetables per day and that half of the adults did not get the recommended amount of physical activity required in order to avoid obesity. Of those South Carolinians who were obese, over thirty five percent of them had high blood pressure, and a significant number of them had diabetes and coronary heart disease. This data serves to show how serious the problem of obesity has become within this nation and the need for even greater efforts to be made to ensure that its prevalence is reduced and eventually eradicated. One of the means through which the youth can be educated is by ensuring that they are shown these statistics so that they know just what is at risk when they become obese. The knowledge of the risk to the lives of young people would encourage them to live a healthier lifestyle.

The consumption of fast food has influenced parents to stop cooking at home, and many children in contemporary America have grown up eating fast food. While it has made life easier for many parents, who only have to buy the cheap fast food for their children, it has also come to affect the lives of these children in a negative way. Because of the consumption of fast food, many children in America have developed health problems, becoming overweight and obese (Graff, et al, 392). It can, therefore, be seen that although fast food has had a considerable influence on the eating habits of Americans, it has contributed a vast deal in the development of health problems related to fast food consumption. It can be said that the only way for young people to develop into adults responsible for their health is by ensuring that they have a healthy diet from the time they are young. The consumption of fast food should be done sparingly and parents should discourage their children from consuming it.

In the 1980s, what a person weighed in the United States was essentially their own concern, however, this was before the emergence of information that revealed the startling fact that sixty five percent of all adult Americans were overweight and that seventeen percent of all American children and teens were also either overweight or obese. Since the 1960s, obesity in the United States has more than tripled and this has happened regardless of the sex or race of the people who are affected by it. It has been estimated that today, over thirty percent of all adult Americans can be considered obese and in addition, some thirteen percent of all children aged between the ages of six and eleven are considered overweight and are well on their way to becoming obese (Sakarcan, & Jerrell 6). This information is extremely disturbing for since it means that most of the American population is at risk, and to prevent it will require the education of the youth to ensure that they grow into healthy adults. The only way to do this is for their parents and the administration of their schools to ensure that only the healthiest food that is available is served both at home at school. This will encourage the youth to get used to a healthy diet and will enable them to develop into healthy adults with no problems of being obese or overweight.

Both the federal and state governments as well as healthcare providers have labeled obesity as an epidemic due to the fact that it causes over three hundred thousand deaths every year and costs the American economy billions of dollars in treatment. This has led many to ask the government to take steps to ensure that this epidemic is curbed within the nation but this has been difficult because it would be an infringement on the rights of individuals. The government has been hesitant because the right to live whatever lifestyle one wishes to live is enshrined in the American Constitution and for the government to dictate what such a person should do in matters concerning their health would be a violation of this right. This is the reason why the government has been very hesitant to get involved in this matter directly and has instead launched campaigns all over the nation to encourage and educate people how to live a healthy lifestyle that will prevent obesity and the complications that come with it. This has helped a lot in increasing the awareness of the American youth concerning this epidemic.