Literature review

Healthy Living: Risks of Obesity

            “Only some overweight people are obese, but all obese people are overweight.” (Wexler pg 7). In 2010 reports showed that one third of Americans were overweight, including 72 million that are considered obese. Obesity rates in the Unites States have been on the rise as years pass. In 2009, Americans were reported “Fatter than ever before.” They were the heaviest since the U.S governments started tracking patterns of body weight of the U.S. adult population of the 20^th century (Wexler pg 5). Americans weren’t born overweight, although there are prenatal factors that tie into potential obesity in childhood and adulthood; it is our society that has encouraged unhealthy habits that lead to obesity. There are many ways to prevent obesity, that is, if you’re willing. Obesity is far more dangerous than people realize, it is said to be the second, preventable, leading cause of death after smoking (Wexler pg 3). Another concern is the cost of health care related to obesity has also been on the rise year to year.

            Overweight is defined as excess weight in relation to height. Not all overweight people are obese though; some people have an increase weight due to lean muscle mass, which often weighs more that fat itself. People with an average height that are ten to thirty pounds overweight are at risk of premature death (Wexler pg 7). Obesity usually effects middle to older age groups. Obesity rates were seen differently in throughout the different races. Compared to whites, African Americans obesity rates were 51 percent higher, while Hispanics were 21 percent higher than whites.

            Overweight children are more likely to become overweight in adulthood. In 2006 nearly three times as many American children were seriously overweight compared with those children overweight in 1976. In the last 20 years the prevalence of adolescence overweight has increased from 7.2 percent to 11 percent for ages 2 to 5 and from 11.3 percent to 15.1 percent for children aged 6 to 11. Among teenagers aged 12 to 19 the percentage has nearly doubled, from 10.5 percent to 17.8 percent (Wexler pg 57)! Prenatal factors often tie into obesity in childhood. It is said that low birth weight is linked to future health problems; as well as rapid weight gain as an infant predicts childhood obesity. Research has found that boys are at greater risk for obesity than girls (Wexler pg 57). Parents should be teaching their children, at an early age, healthy ways of living; including nutritional foods and regular physical activity. Parents can almost “train” their children to eat and enjoy fruits and vegetables, as long as they encourage those healthier foods and shy away from food that is high in sugars and fats. Being overweight can really take a personal toll on a child especially. Affected individuals could be at an increase risk for emotional, psychological, and social problems. Overweight teens suffer from depression and low self-esteem. Believe it or not, over weight individuals are faced with weight-based discrimination in school and in the workplace and may find themselves excluded from social opportunities.    Obesity is one of the top leading causes of death. Extreme of clinically sever obesity one hundred pounds over desirable weight (Wexler pg.3). Diseases of the heart and stroke are the leading causes of death, because of obesity. Overweight people are more likely to have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke (Weight loss:..). Averages of 652,091 deaths have occurred because of various diseases of the heart. Another major cause of illness and often death, is diabetes. Diabetes reduces you ability to control blood sugar which can cause early death, heart disease, and stroke (Weight Loss:..). Researchers have found that obesity is not only a result from willful overeating and laziness, but from a combination of genetic, metabolic, behavioral, and environmental factors (Waxer pg.25).  Geneticists show that if one parent is obese, then there is a 50 percent chance that the child will be obese, and if both parents are obese, the child has an 80 percent chance of becoming obese (Wexler pg. 61). Some feel that obesity should be declared a disease and enabling more people to seek treatment for obesity by providing health insurance coverage for treatment (Waxer pg 26). People who are ten pounds overweight are at risk of developing arthritis in their joints, in their knees especially. When your knees and ankles, especially, have to support and carry around all that extra weight, it can eventually disable you to walk.

            There are ways to prevent obesity. Yes it has been proven that genetics takes some of the blame for childhood obesity, but environmental factors are absolutely to blame also. The question is, what environmental factors have given rise to the increasing obesity rates among children and teens in just the last three decades? For one we have to blame the convenience of fast foods. It’s so much easier to order from the drive through, where food  is made quickly and sold for cheap, than  to make a salad or a balanced meal. It’s a fact that the later you eat, the more of a chance you have to gain weight, depending on what you eat. Most McDonalds are open 24/7, making it tempting and easy to eat whenever you want, even late at night. Another environmental factor that has prevailed obesity rates is the time spent inside, watch television and playing video appose to being outdoors doing some kind of physical activity. Social media sites, such as, Facebook and Twitter, have encouraged, teens especially, to be on the internet surfing the web, updating their statuses, and keeping up with the latest gossip. Enviromental factors are not helping with this health issue of obesity.

            Obesity has been a major health concern on the rise for many decades now. Obesity has many risks that people, so often, look past. Obesity is the second, preventable, leading cause of death, next to smoking (Waxer pg 3). Health risks including heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis (to name a few), all are major risks linking to obesity. It can be genetic if one of your parents is obese, but a higher chance if both of your parents are overweight. Genetics can’t be blamed entirely though; environmental factors have a huge toll on obesity, with the convenience of fast food  and the distraction of the Web. Parents should be more concerned with their childrens’ weight from when their born to their toddler stages; they should be teaching them right from wrong when it comes to eating and getting an adequate amount of physical activity.