Obesity has become a rising issue in recent years, but even so I feel as though it is still on the back-burner in most people's minds. It seems as though more and more people are becoming obese, it is also becoming more common in children. This unhealthy lifestyle is something that needs to change. How do we change the way we live so that obesity rates fall? What can we do to change for the better--leading to that healthier lifestyle? To answer these questions it is important to know what obesity is. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, obesity is a condition characterized by an excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. A common way of determining if someone is obese would be to take their Body Mass Index (BMI). A person would be labeled as obese if their BMI is greater than 30. Obesity is typically caused by eating too much and moving too little, especially if the food being consumed has few benefits and an excess amount of "junk".
According to https://stateofobesity.org/obesity-rates-trends-overview/,
"Across the United States, more than one in three adults and one in six children (ages 2-19) are obese — and one in 11 young children (ages 2-5) are obese" (National Center for Health Statistics).
The issue of obesity is important because not only does it affect appearance but also the disease process. If ignored it will lead to even more health problems.
Obesity is a very widespread topic that affects everyone. It relates to my peers in school because of a known phenomenon "Freshman 15". It is important to note that often times students gain a lot of weight when starting college which could lead to obesity later on in life.
References:
National Center for Health Statistics. NCHS Fact Sheet: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/factsheets/factsheet_nhanes.pdf. January 2016. Accessed July 18, 2017.
Obesity is something that has been getting more and more popular over the years but like you said still isn't really made into a big deal, but it really should. It's extremely mind blowing that something as simple as eating healthy and getting exercise weekly can help reduce obesity, yet people still are not taking care of their bodies. I couldn't agree more with you when you were talking about how obesity can lead to other harmful diseases that are even more serious. Great post!
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't understand is why people don't take obesity seriously. When people hear things like heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, etc. they get scared and worry for their health. But when people are told they are obese it doesn't seem to have near the effect that those things do. They don't realize that obesity leads to those very issues that do scare them and can lead to their death. Maybe health professionals need to go more in depth with how obesity can effect adults and their children to show them that its not okay.
ReplyDeleteThe topic of obesity, and being overweight in general, is something serious that needs to have more public discussion about how we can help the situation. A previous reply mentioned how easy it can be to take care of obesity, and I certainly agree that it can be a simple solution. However, I think the core problem revolves around the fast-paced life that people live. A lot of people may feel like they have no time, or actually have no time, to exercise or plan healthy meals. I think there would have to be some relation between obesity and the new age we live in. Great post, I look forward to learning more about obesity!
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