According to Medicine Net Inc. (2009), a person is considered obese if he or she possesses a body mass index (BMI) of 30 pounds and above over a person’s ideal weight. Obesity has multiple factors that all contribute to put a person 30 pounds and above one’s ideal weight. It could also be caused by genetics and behavioral factors. Oftentimes, obesity could be cured by dietary changes, routine exercising, counseling and support, and in extreme cases, medication (Medicine Net Inc., 2009, n.p.).
Obesity also claims many casualties yearly. Second to smoking in the leading causes of death, obesity ranks very high as a very avoidable disease. In an article for the Medicine Net Inc. (2009), the following diseases were seen as onsets of obesity:
- Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes
- Hypertension
- Stroke (cerebrovascular accident or CVA)
- Heart attack (myocardial infraction or MI)
- Heart failure (congestive heart failure)
- Cancer (such as cancer of the prostrate and cancer of the colon and rectum)
- Gallstones and gall bladder disease (cholecystitis)
- Gout and gouty arthritis
- Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) of the knees, hips, and the lower back
- Sleep apnea
- Pickwickian syndrome (obesity, red face, under-ventilation and drowsiness)
Each of the diseases listed above is already deadly on its own. However, coupled with obesity, these diseases could claim the lives of thousands of Americans daily. Yet, one would ask, what does obesity have to do with America? As the land of Hollywood with beautiful people and posh anorexic super models wherein liposuction is just a breath away, obesity in the United States could easily be remedied (Weiner, 2001)
However, as film maker Morgan Spurlock (2004) mentions in his documentary Super Size Me, America is fast becoming the fattest nation in the world. Thus, obesity is one of America’s major problems.
In his autobiography entitled “Teen Angst? Naah,” Ned Vizzini (2000) wrote, “I’m skinny now, but over 50 percent of American men end up overweight, so I’ll probably be fat later on” (p. 14). With this image in mind, one can clearly picture why the United States is labeled as a fat nation. As medical doctor Rothman (2009) stated:
Epidemiological data indicate that the prevalence of obesity is increasing in the United States. As is well known, obesity brings with it considerable morbidity, mortality, and costs to the health care system. The causes of obesity include biological, genetic, psychological, and social factors. As fittingly stated by Bray and Champagne, ‘‘obesity is a chronic, relapsing, stigmatized, neurochemical disease.’’ (n.p.).
With this serious discussion regarding obesity, it is no wonder that the American government consider it as a major problem for the State. Seeing as America is a proud nation that boasts of well-being and productivity in its citizens, this negative connotation derived from obesity is not welcome news.
The obesity phenomenon is best described by Lowell (2004) on a recent study, which states that being large is inevitable in America. In his study, he mentioned the following information:
The more calories we take in and the less we exercise the bigger we get; and the bigger we become, the more susceptible we are to life-threatening conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. The situation is complicated by the fact that certain types of foods, such as those containing high levels of salt and animal fats, may also contribute to a person’s lack of well being.
Since Americans are often not that keen on exercising and are focused on getting fast results, they would opt to just have liposuction or cosmetic surgery than to exercise and to lose weight. Synthetic efforts to lose weight just postpone the inevitable, and it just makes the person grow larger and bigger over time.
Another point to consider is Himes and Reynolds’ (2007) study entitled “Cohort Differences in Adult Obesity in the United States: 1982-2002,” wherein it was mentioned that obesity rates and health outcomes differ between subgroups of the population (Himes & Reynolds, 2007, p. 832). These subgroups are the different sectors in a society, namely, the different age groups and the sub-cultures that hold them.
In line with this, a recent study conducted by Johnson, Rector, and Youssef (1999) entitled “The Extent of Material Hardship and Poverty in the United States” shows the harsh realities regarding obesity and American children. The researchers provide statistics for low-income children who are obese under the age of five during 1996. These children also suffer from other diseases such as anemia. Obesity appears among 8.4 to 13.5 percent of the American children (Johnson et al., 1999).
The researchers added the following vital information regarding their paper:
This is an indication that caloric intake exceeds expenditure among the affected children. The percentage of low-income children with short stature ranges from 5.8 to 10.3, and is above the expected level of five percent for each age group (Centers for Disease Control, 1997: 5). This disproportionate occurrence of shortness may be an indication either of current under nutrition, health problems or of the lagged effects of low birth weights among some of the affected children (Johnson et al., 1999, p. 351).
This shows that even children are not susceptible to this high caliber disease. Obesity inflicts not only adults, seniors, and youth, but it also affects the most powerless group of society: the children.
Another study that tackles the children who are suffering from obesity would be Daniels. In a recent paper entitled “The Consequences of Childhood Overweight and Obesity,” Daniels (2006) explored the future of children who are suffering from this disease (p. 47). Daniels (2006) mentioned in the paper that obesity-related health conditions that were only applicable to adults are now manifesting in children with an increasing and alarming frequency. These illnesses are serious diseases such as high blood pressure, early symptoms of hardening of the arteries, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovary disorder, and disordered breathing during sleep, or sleep apnea (Daniels, 2006, p. 47).
He also explained that when a child is overweight during childhood, these excess pounds contribute to accelerating the development of heart diseases. This leads to heart attack or stroke, starting in childhood. Daniel (2006) added that, “Obesity in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood may accelerate these processes… it shows how much the same generalization applies to other obesity-related disorders – metabolic, digestive, respiratory, skeletal, and psychosocial – that are appearing in children” (p. 47). Daniels (2006) ends his paper with these dire words:
…the possibility has even been raised that the increasing prevalence and severity of childhood obesity may reverse the modern era’s steady increase in life expectancy, with today’s youth on average living less healthy and ultimately shorter lives than their parents – the first such reversal in lifespan in modern history (p. 47).
It is always a parent’s nightmare that their offspring would die sooner than them. Yet, at the fast growth rate of obesity in the United States, it is only a matter of time before this inevitable thing happens.
When it comes to the elderly and the seniors, Longman (2003) wrote in an article that instead of giving health medical options to the senior citizens, it should be encouraged that the seniors exercise more. An excerpt from the article says that:
This is no small matter. Walking 10 blocks or more per day reduces the chance of heart disease in women by a third. The risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle rival those of hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and even smoking. According to the surgeon general, the economic costs of obesity total $117 billion a year, about 9.4 percent of health-care spending. Americans who never exercise cost the health-care system $76.6 billion a year. Sprawl does not fully account for our increasingly sedentary lives, but it is a major factor, and therefore a leading cause of premature death (Longman, 2003, p. 16).
The philosophy behind Longman’s (2003) argument is that by exercising, the society actually gives the senior citizens further hope that they are wanted and needed. This gives them strength that their relatives and loved ones still want them to exercise in order to overcome obesity and other problems, and this would help lengthen their lifespan.
However, it is a different story when it comes to women. A majority of studies determine that the women sector comprise the higher percentage of obesity. In fact, women are most affected by the socioeconomic status other than men. This finding is strengthened by Women’s Health Weekly (2004) in their May 2004 issue. In the said article, it mentions that:
Among women, we found a stronger, inverse association between socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity compared with men, as well as greater socioeconomic inequality among middle-aged adults (41-49) compared to other age groups. Consistent with previous studies, we found remarkable ethnic differences in the relationship between socioeconomic status and obesity (cited from Women’s Health Weekly 2004, p. 99).
Perhaps, the reason why women are more prone to socioeconomic status and obesity is that women keep the finances at home. They are the ones who are doing the budgeting, and the household chores wherein they oversee everything. Thus, it only makes sense that if a woman comes from a family with poor living standards, she would have more to do than a woman who comes from an elite family. Then, the woman who comes from a poor family will be forced to work harder and have more stress in her life – therefore giving her room for eating more and being prone to obesity.
In a study conducted by Himes and Reynolds (2007) it was mentioned that obesity is one of America’s leading public health concerns. The following figures were also given: obesity rates for those ages 20 to 74 had increased from 15% in the early 1980s to 31% in 2002; overweight and obesity combined have increased from 47% to 65%, respectively (Himes & Reynolds, 2007). With this, it is no wonder that obesity had climbed over the years, further endangering Americans with its deadly promise.
For other age groups, it is also worth mentioning that the increasing prevalence of obesity in the American population is a leading public health concern (Himes & Reynolds, 2007). This study aims to find out the specific age group wherein obesity is most rampant, simply because the facts about this topic is obscure, as it is an obvious phenomenon that obesity is unbridled in the United States of America.