Have you ever wondered why there are still high mortality and morbidity rates despite the innovations in healthcare? Being overweight is a significant wellbeing concern and is a developing problem worldwide. The American nation is frequently associated with detrimental lifestyles and the promotion of unhealthy food in the daily diet. Obesity is defined as a condition in which the amount of excess body fat that a person carries reaches a critical point and starts to negatively affect his or her health (Smith and Smith 121). It often leads to cardiovascular and lymphatic system disorders and strongly affects the average longevity of the population. The articles by Smith and Smith and Inoue et al. suggest that current trends in lifestyle and financial situation in families have a direct correlation with the increasing numbers of obese people in the United States. Moreover, the issue is likely to negatively influence the growing youth.
Obesity is not the same in all societies, and some countries are hit by obesity worse than others. In the last two decades, the prevalence of this health condition surged from around 30% to 48% of the global population (Inoue et al. 284). What is more concerning is the health of Americans. Recent statistics suggest that the prevalence of obesity in the United States is close to half of the population (Inoue 278). The percentage of adults suffering from morbid forms of obesity increased almost twofold, from 4.7% to 9.2% (Inoue et al. 284). Obesity is associated with a host of chronic diseases and translates into nationwide medical expenses as large as hundreds of billions of dollars per year (Smith and Smith 122).
The question arises as to what factors affect obesity rates in the United States. Smith and Smith argue that physical activity is the cornerstone of weight management yet, the percentage of physically active Americans shrinks every year (128). Every two hours of passive screen time translates into a 23% increase in obesity (Smith and Smith 128). Inoue and his colleagues argue that in the United States, obesity reached epidemic proportions due to a variety of lifestyle and environmental factors (279). What aggravates the situation is the abundance and accessibility of calorie-rich foods such as fast foods and low levels of consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and yogurt. The presence of fast food restaurants in the neighborhood and low socioeconomic status are also found to be the common factors which may lead to obesity (Smith and Smith 125).
Americans with poor dietary habits are likely to pass these eating patterns down to future generations, therefore creating a vicious circle (Smith and Smith 128). Children and adolescents are extremely perceptive of their surroundings and quickly copy adults’ eating behaviors. The affinity to gain extra weight has expanded in contrast to the past few decades, recommending that the overweight issue may keep on expanding as this type of younger generation comes to the age where obesity becomes extremely uncontrollable.
In conclusion, in the last few decades, the global obesity rates are soaring, which causes many chronic conditions. It is becoming an even more serious issue over recent years as dietary and lifestyle habits are changing. Americans are one of the most affected nations by the problem, and the country’s healthcare is suffering by an attempt to counteract the complications brought because of extra weight. The age of the affected people is becoming younger, and there is a huge possibility of obesity becoming an unmanageable both healthcare and financial concern in the near future.
Works Cited
Inoue, Yosuke, et al. “Epidemiology of Obesity in Adults: Latest Trends.” Current Obesity Reports, vol. 7, no. 4, 2018, pp. 276–288., doi:10.1007/s13679-018-0317-8.
Smith, Kristy Breuhl, and Michael Seth Smith. “Obesity Statistics.” Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice, vol. 43, no. 1, 2016, pp. 121–135., doi:10.1016/j.pop.2015.10.001.