HEALTH CARE

Obesity in America



Table of Contents

OBESITY IN AMERICA3

Introduction3

Discussion3

Best Way to Address Obesity in the United States4

Obesity Should Not Be Taken Lightly6

Health Aspects6

The Scope of the Obesity Issue7

Implications8

Looking at the Evidence for the Seriousness of Obesity9

Obesity, Personal Responsibility and Choices11

Genetic Predisposition11

Individual Choice11

Looking at the Evidence for Personal Responsibility and Choices12

Obesity and Environmental Influences13

Looking at the Evidence for Environmental Influences14

Government Involvement15

The Most Effective Way to Address Obesity16

Conclusion20

REFERENCES22

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY26

Obesity in America

Introduction

Obesity has become and epidemic in American society .The Unites States has even been termed an overweight nation. Some twenty to thirty percent of American adults are now considered obese (Hwang 1999 and Hirsch et al 1997). With this in mind, Americans constantly look around themselves determining their weight status as well as that of those around them. While some Americans do fit the healthy category, others enter the underweight, overweight, and even obese categories, all of which can be unhealthy. It is marked by body weight being more than thirty percent fat. Obese individuals constitute nearly thirty percent of the population. They are more susceptible to disease and death than those of normal weight.

Obesity can be termed deviant for a variety of reasons. Not only is it unhealthy, but it is also a widely unaccepted behavior in US society. The obese are labeled "...obscene, lazy, slothful, and gluttonous" (Adler and Adler 2000). People are ostracized, often never to regain full societal acceptance. According to Hammarlund et al (1998) prevention is necessary to decrease prevalence of obesity because few adults who actually do lose weight are able to keep it off.

Discussion

Obesity is attributable to many factors, nature and nurture included. Some individuals are inclined to blame the obese individual for his or her health status. Still others blame the heredity and/or ethnicity of the person. Many place the blame on more environmental sources. These might include, but are not limited to, education level, peer group, and socio-economic factors. The American Medical Association identifies genetic, environmental, and psychological influences on obesity (Hwang 1999). According to the American Medical Association, being obese means that 30% of your ideal body weight is constituted by fat. As a general idea, the American Dietetic Association provides these thresholds for obese weight. Certain stipulations, such as muscle content and build would alter the given thresholds.

Best Way to Address Obesity in the United States

Whether a person is fat or skinny comes down to simple math yes addition and subtraction. Weight gain occurs when a person eats more than they burn in other words more calories are consumed than used. This creates a surplus of energy in the body, and hence energy is stored as fat. If a person wants to lose weight, they will have to expend more energy than they take in. It really is that simple. People are eating too much and not burning enough energy (either through work or exercise or other activity).

Overeating and Lack of Exercise Cause Obesity, Amanda Spake and Mary Marcus point out that social changes have reduced the demand for physical activity and ...