Issue of Obesity in the US Essay Example

📌Category: Health, Obesity, United States, World
📌Words: 663
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 07 April 2022

Obesity in the US has been a societal issue since 1990 when obese adults constituted about 15 percent of the US population. After the 1990s, obesity increased vastly and in 2010, 36 states in the US had an obesity rate above 25%. But the percentage rate is just continuing to rise and the situation today is worse than ever. By now two out of three US adults are overwheight and one out of three is obese. 

Obesity is of course an urgent issue, but what is the reason for the high procentual rates in the US?

There are some theories of why obesity is a problem, but the simplest answer  is; unhealthy food and too little exercise. 

The main problem is not how much the Americans  eat but what they eat. According to the USDA, the average American eats 20% more calories today than in 1983. This is partly due to the rising popularity of fast food restaurants during the 2000s and the increased meat and fat consumption. Another contribution to the issue is the full effect of added sugars from soda and energy drinks. 

Besides the problem with unhealthy food, 80% of the American population don’t get enough exercise. A theory explains how this is a result of modernised society and technology. During the last 30 years cars have become a given for most of the people in the US which have decreased daily exercise. The technology nowadays has become a problem since it has simplified the possibility to stay at home and do tasks online and therefore caused a more sedentary population.

The state of the issue today is, as i mentioned earlier, worse than ever and is affecting the concerned with several severe health issues. As a matter of fact the people suffering from obesity are actually more likely to die from all-causes of death. Some examples of serious diseases that obesity increases the risk of are; high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke and coronary heart disease, and these are just some examples. 

Obesity does not only affect the individual with physical issues, but also with mental issues. The consequences of being overweight or obese, considering the mental health, can include lowered self-esteem, anxiety, and more serious disorders such as depression and eating disorders. This can cause suicidal thoughts and at the very worse this can result in actual suicide.  The reason for this is mainly because of today's society that beautifies slim and toned bodies and discriminates against overweight bodies. This makes it easy for obese people to feel bad about themselves which in the longterm can cause mental health issues. 

Obesity does not only concern the affected, but the whole society. Since obesity can cause both mental and physical issues this requires medical help which costs society a lot of money. ​​Another negative economic consequence is that obese people may not be able to work and therefore can not contribute to the society.

I think that it is awful that large amount of obese people in the us is such a big part of the US society. Obesity is a problem that needs to be solved, but how?

In sweden the obese people represent only 15 % of the population which is way less people than in the US. This is as a result of how young people is educated in nutrition and know the risks of being obese.Furthermore swedes consume less fast food, partly thanks to how the kids learn how to make healthy meals in school. In addition to this, all Swedish children are called to  dental care consultation, where  negative consequences with sugary drinks are discussed. Another important contributing factor in preventing obesity is state contribution to sport associations for children's participation in activities, which makes it possible for children to take part at low cost or even for free.

According to this, the most important part of solving the problem is to prevent people from getting overweight. To be able to do that does young people in the US need to know the risks of obesity and how to not become obese. I think the responsibility of educating young people about the issue is both the school’s  and the parents’. This together with state contribution for dental care and sports associations do i think will decrease the risk for obesity.

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