Obesity, which is now considered a disease by the America Medical Association is a disease that is identified as having an excessive amount of body fat. More than three million cases of obesity are discovered in the United States. Obesity is associated as having a body mass index (BMI) of thirty or greater. Body mass index measures body fat. Obesity increases many health risks such as, developing diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease, kidney disease, and etc. (Understanding Your Weight and Health What is Obesity?). The obesity crisis is one of the largest challenges of our time. Obesity is the plague of the 21st century.
Obesity has been a growing health problem. It began in the first half of the twentieth century. The earliest established discussions for the need of an organization addressing obesity took place in Great Britain in 1961. In 1966, a committee to address obesity was assembled. The committee’s name was the “Obesity Association.” Their first meeting was in 1967 and it was held in London. In 1995, the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) was developed, it was to warn the world about the growing health crisis and to let the world know about the dangerous risks due to obesity.
IASO is the top prominent organization committed to attack the growing crisis of obesity. Another top prominent organization committed to fight obesity is the International Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO). In 2003, IASO helped established the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) to help Europe have a platform on obesity. IOTF launched an important educational program in 2003 called SCOPE, which stands Certification of Obesity Professionals in Education. SCOPE’s goal was to recognize obesity specialists and enhance obesity education for medical professionals in Europe. At first, the “E” in SCOPE stood for Europe, but then it was known for education (World Obesity (formerly IASO) History).
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The population most affected by obesity is the United States of America. Colorado, District of Columbia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Hawaii have the lowest rates in the country. Approximately 1 in 3 Americans are considered to be obese or overweight. 72.5 million American adults are obese. According to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), 93.3 million of US adults were affected by obesity in the years 2015-2016. More than 35% of the United States adults are obese and more than 34% are overweight. Obesity affects 17% of adolescents in the United States. 32% of adolescents are either overweight or obese. Adults are considered obese when they are 35 pounds overweight (How Many People Are Affected by/at Risk for Obesity & Overweight?).
The highest obesity rate is 36.8% for Non-Hispanic black people. Hispanics have an obesity rate of 30.7%. The obesity rate of 25.2% is Non-Hispanic white people. Other races, for example, Asians, have the lowest obesity rate of 16.7%. 18-29 age group have an obesity rate of 20.3%. For the 30-39 age group obesity rate is 27.8%. The obesity rate for the 40-49 age group is 29.4%. The 50-59 age group obesity rate is 31.1%. The obesity rate declines to 30.9% for the 60-69 age group. Those who manage to live past the age of 69 have an obesity rate of 20.5% (Adult Obesity Facts) (Overweight & Obesity Statistics).
Culture has a strong influence on eating habits. Customs to eating is based on ethnic, religious, or other cultural traditions. Different types of food, how to prepare them, what seasonings is added, how they are cooked, how much people eat, and how much people eat is all based on their culture. Culture is where a person lives, where their family is from, the size of their family, age, gender, ethnicity, and etc. Every culture is different, and every person is different. Family history plays big role in determining whether or not if a person’s weight will put them in higher risks to develop problems, such as high metabolism or low metabolism. Certain cultures do not eat certain foods. People who live in low-income communities may not have all the resources for organic foods. The high-income communities are the ones that can afford places like Whole Foods and farmers markets. Many low-income communities have a great amount of fast food restaurants because it is cheap food and it is quick to get instead of having to buy groceries and cooking a home cooked meal (How Your Culture Affects Your Weight).
Current efforts being made on obesity epidemic is communities focusing on healthy eating and being active within the community. Early Care and Education (ECE) environment of child care and education facilities are focusing more on what children are consuming and how active they are. ECE is trying to help children develop groundwork for healthy habits. Some schools have changed many eating habits by adding salad bars to help children develop healthy eating habit early on. Schools can encourage children to drink more water instead of drinking sugar-sweetened drinks. Schools are enhancing more physical education for children. (Overweight & Obesity Community Efforts).
It will be so hard, but an individual solution to obesity can be dieting such as people cutting out fast food, soda, and other fatty foods. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends a nutritious diet to prevent overweight and obesity and to get thirty minutes of physical exercise every day. A solution to obesity can be instead of taking the elevator, try to take the stairs or try to park far away from the grocery store or school to get more steps in. Another solution to obesity for children especially can be encouraging them to play outside instead of watching TV or playing video games. A community solution to obesity can be there can be more centers for disease control and prevention. Another community solution can be having more farmer markets, so people can buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Government should also get involved with trying to come up with solutions for obesity by making policies for companies for having less calories in foods or creating more recreational centers in communities.
Obesity is a very important crisis that America is suffering with. Everyone just needs to work on their diet and exercise. To prevent risks from obesity and obesity itself, everyone should eat better and exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Changes in diet and exercise can be the solution to obesity. Obesity increases the risk of serious health problems and it is dangerous. Obesity is one of the largest challenges that America is facing, but it can be conquered.
References
- World Health Organization – Obesity
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Obesity
- National Center for Biotechnology Information – The Global Epidemic of Obesity: An Overview
- Healthline – How to Lose Weight as Fast as Possible
- MedicalNewsToday – What to know about obesity?
- American Heart Association – Causes of Obesity
- Obesity Action Coalition – Advocating for Patients with Obesity
