Obesity in the United States - Research Paper Example

Obesity The human race has moved ahead from the era of Stone Age to a period of progress and development. This journey of mankind has brought with it new problems for the human beings which need to be understood and tackled. Obesity is one such problem which has turned into an epidemic in the United States and the rising statistics have alarmed the healthcare authorities and the government owing to the morbidity and mortality associated with this issue. Obesity results owing to the lack of balance between food consumed and calories burnt. Increased consumption of food and reduced physical activity provides for an imbalance of energy and hence an individual becomes obese (Verdiun et al 2595). Obesity is a matter of concern due to the rise in the number of Americans suffering from this issue and this problem can be solved with the coordination and cooperation of the government, the health care authorities, the food industry and the media by creating awareness and education amongst the masses. The BMI is used as a predictor of the normal weight of an individual and people with a BMI ranging from 25 to 29.9 are labeled as overweight whereas those with a BMI of above 30 are marked to be obese. There has been an increase of 34 percent in the obese individuals since the year 1960 in the United States (Begley). According to statistics of the year 2009, greater than 65 percent of the residents of the United States had weight above the normal limits. Furthermore, in the last three decades, the number of children who are overweight has increased almost thrice. This increase amongst children as well as adults has raised the morbidity and mortality associated with the medical issues that arise owing to obesity. The young children do not have a good quality of life and have a susceptibility of becoming obese when they become adults. The adults are at greater risks of developing pathological conditions that are associated with obesity. Obese individuals have a greater susceptibility than the normal individuals to develop diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular conditions as well as hypertension. The probability of a few carcinomas is also increased with obesity. The mortality that has been linked with obesity and its associated pathologies is approximately 400,000 on an annual basis in the United States. Thus, there has been an increase in the number of people suffering from obesity and this has led to a subsequent rise in the pathologies associated with it (Huber; Verduin et al 259). Obesity not only affects the individual on a personal level but its effects on the economy of the United States have also been revealed. It has been assessed that obesity has been linked with alarming increases in the healthcare costs incurred upon the government. A burden of 190 billion dollars on the annual national healthcare cost has resulted owing to obesity. This cost is greater than the spending of the government on smoking which is also an important public health issue. The health care costs of obese males are 1,152 dollars greater than the normal weight men and the costs of obese females are 3,613 dollars greater than the non-obese females on an annual basis. The healthcare costs of an obese individual are more than six times greater in comparison to a person having normal weight. Healthcare researchers have also cited the fact that in comparison to smokers, obese people pose a greater burden on the healthcare spending even in the long run. This is because most of them live up to the normal age of life expectancy unlike the smokers and hence the spending on their nursing homes and old age issues is also increased (Begley; Ungar). Costs other than the healthcare expenditures have also increased owing to obesity. These include the increase in the costs of fuel. Owing to increased weight, greater energy is required by the vehicles and this accounts for greater fuel used. An additional cost of 4 billion annually has been accounted due to this. There has been increased spending on infrastructure as well due to obesity as the seats of public transport services have been changed for accommodation of the obese people. Hospitals have also made structural changes like widening of doors and changing toilets so that the obese people can use them comfortably. These modifications have also led to increased spending than normal (Begley). The epidemic of obesity should be resolved and though steps have been taken to overcome this issue, greater efforts need to be done. The food industry has an important role to play in shaping the choices that the people make for their foods. The food industry should advertise and promote healthy food options for the people and they should provide the customers with proper nutritional information with regard to the products that they sell. Not only this, the food industry should collaborate with education institutions and work towards imparting proper nutritional knowledge from the younger age groups to the university students so that people can make the right choices for themselves. The food industry should also work towards formulating products that carry greater nutritional value and are healthy for the people. Thus, it should do a job to provide the people with nutritionally rich food having a better taste at a reasonable price. There are many food industries which are already serving the purpose which include “The Healthy Choice,” “The Egg Beaters” and “ConAgra.” The ConAgra has taken a further step by building a foundation known as “Feeding Children Better” to assist providing healthier diets to children and prevent diseases that result due to food consumption. Such strong steps should be taken by the food industry as a whole for resolving the issue of obesity in the United States (Verduin et al 259, 260). The government has an important role to play in overcoming this epidemic of obesity. It should coordinate with its food regulating agencies and work for providing proper information to the people through labels on food items. This should be followed by providing encouragement to the food industry and good incentives which make them devoted to the purpose. The government should also promote media agencies so that they spread awareness amongst the masses regarding the harmful effects of obesity. Public health programs should also be initiated with the assistance of the government. Physical activity awareness and its benefits should also be explained to the people. This should be followed by changes in infrastructure which promote physical activity like building of parts or sidewalks so that people have increased activity (Verduin et al 260; Sallis and Glanz 127). The educational organizations and the research community also have a pivotal part to play in solving the problem of obesity. Research work should be done by scientists and they should coordinate with the food industry for generating nutritious and healthy foods for the people. Educational organizations should also spread awareness with regard to it from the school level. Proper training and knowledge should particularly be imparted to the medical students. It is because they serve as guiders for the common people who look forward towards receiving assistance from the healthcare providers (Verduin et al 260). The statistics of obesity have alarmingly risen in the United States over the past few decades. This increase has led to a rise in the healthcare issues associated with obesity and significant mortality has also been reported. Obesity is a public health issue which lays burdens on the healthcare system of the United States as well as on the economy. This problems needs to be solved with combined approach and efforts by the government, the food industry as well as the educational organizations. They should work together to inform the common people regarding the negative effects of obesity and work towards promoting healthy eating habits. Works Cited Begley, Sharon. “As America's waistline expands, costs soar.” Reuters. 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 9 Jul. 2013. Huber, J. “The Obesity Epidemic – America’s Most Pressing Health Concern.” Healthy People. 2010. Web. 9 Jul. 2013. Sallis, James F, and Karen Glanz. "Physical Activity and Food Environments: Solutions to the Obesity Epidemic." Milbank Quarterly. 87.1 (2009): 123-154. Print. Ungar, Rick. “Obesity Now Costs Americans More In HealthCare Spending Than Smoking.” Forbes. 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 9 Jul. 2013. Verduin, Patricia, Sanjiv Agarwal, and Susan Waltman. "Solutions to Obesity: Perspectives from the Food Industry." The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (bethesda, Md). 82.1 (2005). Print. Read More