Adult Obesity in America

Introduction

Obesity is a significant public health problem that has serious implications for health and welfare of the U.S. population. Among the national health objectives of Healthy People 2010 is reducing the percentage of obese adults to 15%. Obesity can be defined as, excessive accumulation of fat in the body. Although in reality it is a disease that involves much more than that: breathing difficulties, choking, interference with sleep, drowsiness, problems orthopedic, skin disorders, excessive sweating, swelling of the feet and ankles, menstrual disorders in women and increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, asthma, cancer and gallbladder disease are all problems associated with excess weight.( Shimmer, 2003, 1813-1819)

Overweight and obesity affect Americans of all ages, gender and racial or ethnic group. Serious health problem has increased in the last 30 years. In addition to the children, the problem may be even higher because of the anguish caused by the child as the cruel discrimination from classmates and friends.

United States is a prosperous country where anyone has the opportunity to realize their plans and fulfill the dreams. According to the National Health and Nutrition of the United States (NHANES), between 2007 and 2008, every third adult living in the United States is overweight and nearly one-third are obese. The survey also shows differences in overweight and obesity among racial and ethnic groups.

In women, the percentage of overweight and obesity is higher among African American women who are not Hispanic (about 78 percent), compared with about 76 percent of Hispanic women and 61 percent of American non-Hispanic white.

In men, the percentage of overweight and obesity is also higher among minorities. The values are higher among Hispanic men (about 79 per cent) compared to about 73 percent of white men who are not Hispanic and about 69 percent of black men who are not Hispanic.

The weight of children has also increased. In the past 30 years, cases of obesity in children are:

Children between 2 and 5 years have become more than doubled.

Children between 6 and 11 years have become tripled.

Adolescents aged 12 to 19 years have become more than tripled.

According to the NHANES survey from 2007 to 2008, approximately 1 in 6 U.S. children between 2 and 19 years are obese. The survey also indicates that overweight and obesity have a greater effect among minorities, including African Americans and Hispanics. (Must, 1999, 23-34)

In 2006, 40% of the young people and 25% of the girls did not meet Army standards for overweight and they were unable to enlist into the military. This command began to fear U.S. government that soon there would be nobody to fight in Afghanistan. The changes affected all spheres of public life including the size of hospital wheelchairs and ending with a width of doors in supermarkets.

The 2007 analysis estimated, based on data from the Surveillance System Behavioral Risk Factors (BRFSS, for its acronym in English), the prevalence of obesity among adults by state based on height and weight ...