The prevalence of obesity induced diabetes also increased, from 7.9% vs. 7.3% in Prevalence of Obesity, Diabetes, and. Obesity-Related Health Risk Factors, …
Mike Clarke
Dr Yutrzenka
April 19, 2006
Research Paper
Obesity in the United States
Introduction
As the world we live in becomes ever more saturated with fats, sweets,
and sugars in our everyday diet, it is no wonder that a majority of human
beings have to deal with problems of weight Obesity, defined as simply
being increased body weight due to fat, has rapidly become a worldwide
epidemic; the spread of this affliction needs to combated both quickly and
effectively in order to halt the adverse negative effects associated with
the condition
The purpose of this research is to determine the impact that obesity
has on an individual and society as a whole The research questions are: Do
people know why the risks of obesity are developing, what are people doing
as individuals to reduce the risks of being obese, and how is the
government helping with the fight against this national epidemic
Significance
Since 1980, the population of the United States defined as obese has
steadily risen Today, the rate of obese individuals is twice that of
1980 Similar results are seen throughout Europe According to the Center
for Disease Control,
The obesity epidemic spread rapidly during the 1990s across all
states, regions, and demographic groups in the United States The
highest increase occurred among the youngest ages 18- to 29-year-
olds, people with some college education, and people of Hispanic
ethnicity By region, the largest increases were
Mike Clarke
Dr Yutrzenka
April 19, 2006
Research Paper
seen in the South with a 67 increase in the number of obese people
Georgia had the largest increase–101 The findings also show that a
major contributor to obesity — physical inactivity– has not changed
substantially between 1991 and 1998 Koplan, 1999
Obesity is not just a
condition that affects adults, but recent
studies have acknowledged that children are also experiencing the epidemic
The Center for Disease Control reports that the percentage of overweight
children 6-11 has nearly doubled since the early 1980s, while the
percentage of overweight adolescents has almost tripled In fact a study
done by the CDC revealed that a whopping 21 of the American population is
deemed obese Harvey, 2006
With too much fat on your body you are at a much higher risk for
certain other health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
and stroke People that are considered overweight and experience physical
inactivity account for more than 300,000 premature deaths each year in the
US, second only to tobacco-related deaths Koplan, 1999
Review of Literature
A study in 2001 was done to estimate the prevalence of obesity and
related diabetes cases among US adults In the study, 195,000 US adults
over the age of 18 were randomly selected to participate in a telephone
survey regarding their height, weight and if the participants were
diabetic After the conclusion of the survey, the results that were
Mike Clarke
Dr Yutrzenka
April 19, 2006
Research Paper
calculated were staggering The prevalence of obesity based on body-mass-
index was 209, up 56 from 2000 The prevalence of obesity induced
diabetes also increased, from 79 vs 73 in 2000, an increase of 82
Results also showed that levels of arthritis, high blood pressure, high
cholesterol and asthma related to obesity all significantly increased from
2000 to 2001 Mokdad et al, 2001
A similar study was conducted using the same methods, but was
conducted from 1990-2000 and only looked at the most extreme cases of
obesity, class 3 obesity BMI ?40, because there is very little
information or studies on this group of individuals The results showed
that from 1990 to 2000, the rate of class 3 obesity increased over 14,
from 78 in 1990 to 22 in 2000 These results prompted the people
conducting the study to infer that since the extreme BMI levels are
associated with the most severe health complications, the
incidence of
various diseases will increase substantially in the future Freedman et
al, 2002
Adults are not the only ones experiencing obesity related
difficulties, but overweight children are also at risk for serious
problems These include, but are not limited to, pre-diabetes, diabetes,
heart disease, hyperlipidemia too much fat in the blood, which can clog
the arteries, sleep apnea, bone conditions, gastro-intestinal diseases,
and psychological These obesity-associated health problems tend to
continue into adulthood Gahagan 2003
Not only does the increasing obesity epidemic take a toll on
individuals, but it is taking a toll on the nation as a whole It is
estimated that obesity and overweight cost the
Mike Clarke
Dr Yutrzenka
April 19, 2006
Research Paper
nation an estimated 117 billion in direct medical costs and indirect costs
such as lost wages due to illness NIH Releases, 2004
The main cause of this
increased rate of obesity was described in a
study by Michael Jacobson and Marion Nestle Their data indicates that
Americans are consuming
more calories but are not compensating for them with increased physical
activity Jacobson, Nestle, 2000 This, of course, leads to more fat
being retained in the abdominal area, eventually causing more severe health
problems If you have too much fat, especially in your waist area, the
human body is opened to virtually every other type of disease Obesity and
Overweight, nd
What many people who are obese fail to realize is that it is
relatively simple to counteract the effects, thereby effectively saving
your own life According to The
Western Journal of Medicine, A diet that is low in grains and sugar is
needed to lose weight, and physical activity is a necessary component of
every weight loss plan Exercise contributes to weight loss and
maintenance, may decrease abdominal fat, and increases cardio-respiratory
fitness Tanner 2002 Surgery is also becoming increasingly popular
among those looking to lose weight Bariatric surgery is now an approved
therapeutic intervention for class II-III obesity, and may correlate to
reduced risk for heart
disease Murphy, 2006
The government has, so far, tried numerous proposals and policies
designed to stop the spread of obesity Studies have been done showing
that certain strains of human and avian adenoviruses–responsible for
ailments ranging from the chest colds to
Mike Clarke
Dr Yutrzenka
April 19, 2006
Research Paper
pink eye–actually make individuals build up more fat cells Biello,
2006 These studies try to isolate the exact genes and antibodies that
lead to obesity in hopes of someday being able to make a vaccine that
blocks these antibodies, effectively stopping the obesity These
governmental and medical organizations have thus far made
significant strides in the fight against obesity However, ending the
obesity epidemic will require much greater knowledge of effective diet and
activity strategies than is currently available Jacobson et al, 2000
Conclusion
In conclusion,
obesity needs to be a top priority regarding health
concerns in the United States It is easy to see from the statistics and
other facts presented in this paper that more initiative needs to be taken
regarding the education, research and treatment of individuals who are
deemed overweight or obese Obesity is by no means a culture-specific
condition, affecting people from all walks of life, so everyone needs to be
made aware of the risks and consequences of living a lifestyle promoting
obesity
This paper displays that if current trends continue into the
future, the nations health will continue to decline and the obesity
epidemic will undoubtedly grow to inconceivable proportions Therefore,
more information needs to be collected and more studies need to be done in
order to combat this every increasing health problem
Mike Clarke
Dr Yutrzenka
April 19, 2006
Research Paper
References
Biello,
David 2006, January 30 Study Strengthens Link between Virus and
Weight Gain ScientificAmericancom Retrieved March 13, 2006 from
http://wwwsciamcom/articlecfm?articleID000EEADC-A456-13DA-
A45683414B7F0000
Freedman, DS, Kettle Khan, L, Serdula, MK, Galuska, DA, Dietz,
WH 2002 Trends and Correlates of Class 3 Obesity in the
United States From 1990 Through 2000 Journal of the American
Medical Association, 28814, 1758-1761
Gahagan, Sheila 2003, October How Parents Can Fight the Obesity
Epidemic Retrieved from University of Michigan Health System web
site: http://wwwmedumichedu/1libr/yourchild/fightobesityhtm
Gibbs, W Wayt 2005, May 23 Obesity: An Overblown Epidemic?
ScientificAmericancom Retrieved March 13, 2006 from
http://wwwsciamcom/print_versioncfm?articleID000E5065-2345-128A-
9E1583414B7F0000
Harvey, L 2006 Fitness and Fatness Boom? The New American
Paradox: Exercise and the Ballooning of a Nation Retrieved
March 11, 2006 from , American Sports Data, Inc Web site:
http://wwwamericansportsdatacom/pr-obesityresearch-bmiasp
Mike Clarke
Dr Yutrzenka
April 19, 2006
Research Paper
Jacobson, Michael, Nestle, Marion 2000 Halting the Obesity Epidemic:
A Public Health Policy Approach Public Health Reports, 115, 12-24
Retrieved March 13, 2006 from
http://wwwcspinetorg/reports/obesitypdf
Koplan, Jeffrey 1999, October 26 Obesity epidemic increases
dramatically in the United States: CDC director calls for national
prevention effort Journal of the American Medical Association
Retrieved March 13, 2006 from Center for Disease Control and
Prevention web site:
http://wwwcdcgov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r991026htm
Mokdad, AH, Ford, ES, Bowman, BA, Dietz, WH, Vinicor, F, Bales,
VS, Marks, JS 2003 Prevalence of Obesity, Diabetes, and
Obesity-Related Health Risk Factors, 2001 Journal of the
American Medical Association, 2891, 76-79
Murphy, Amy 2006 Obesity Surgery Translates to Cardiac Benefit
Retrieved March 13, 2006, from American College of Cardiology
http://wwweurekalertorg/pub_releases/2006-03/acoc-ost031206php
NIH Releases Research Strategy to Fight Obesity Epidemic 2004, August
24 Retrieved March 13, 2006 from National Institute of Health web
site: http://wwwnihgov/news/pr/aug2004/niddk-24htm
Obesity and Overweight nd American Heart Association Retrieved March
13, 2006 from
http://wwwamericanheartorg/presenterjhtml?identifier4639
Mike Clarke
Dr Yutrzenka
April 19, 2006
Research Paper
Tanner, Dr 2002 The Scientific Definition of Obesity and its Dangers
Western Journal of Medicine, 176, 23-28 Retrieved March 13, 2006 from
http://wwwmercolacom/2002/jan/26/obesityhtm
Source:hhs.gov
