Obese People in America

Research indicates that since 1980, obesity rates have doubled for adults and tripled for children in the United States of America. With such a high rate of obesity statistics it is no wonder that government and health agencies are now leveling obesity to an epidemic, and are finding ways to tackle it on a war footing. Obesity does not just affect the health of one individual, but health of a nation. A country full or even half full of unhealthy people will not be able to sustain its development and growth. People are obese in America, despite countless educational measures taken by the government. To answer the query 'how many obese people are there in America?', would definitely be difficult, but data collected over a decade now suggest that America's obesity epidemic now poses an equal or greater threat in regards to the quality of life than smoking ever did.

Why People Become Obese?

Obesity, besides hereditary, has just one common reason to occur; lesser exercises and activities that require physical labor, while eating more energy (calories), poor nutritional value food, which is processed and full of sugar and saturated fat. Now let us understand why people in developed nations, like America and the European Union should become obese, especially, when they pioneer in health care and health related food products.

Attitude Towards Food
Healthy eating has in a way become the most abused concept when it comes to staying healthy. How does one define health, and list the foods that make us healthy. Well the rule is simple, have it fresh, homemade (if possible), with reduced amounts of saturated fat and at regular intervals. Easier said than done in these hectic times. Processed, easy to make, and easy to serve food in most cases is the culprit. If you have ever bought these foods, take a minute and check the labels, you will find lots of ingredients you can't even pronounce, yet they are consumed. Guilt ridden dieters, impulsive eaters and those who are too busy to focus on what they eat are generally the first ones to show signs of obesity. The high consumption of alcohol, like 'the beer culture', too has played a part in adding to the statistics.

Reduced Levels of Physical Activity
The more developed nations sure have some amazing technology that has made life quite easy, way too easy for comfort. Compounded with bad dietary habits, little physical activity just helps the calories and fats to be piled and accumulated in the body. Pediatricians, believe that children are worst affected by the 'television watching and chip munching', culture that is prevalent in almost every average American household. No wonder childhood obesity has tripled in the last thirty years. Obese children just don't grow to be individuals who have eating disorders, but also suffer from a vast number of psychological and physiological disorders, as they find it difficult to accept their obesity. And I am sure, these children would find it very difficult to carry forward a nation's progress.

People who are genetically disposed too can work around their obesity problems. Although, more difficult for these individuals, medical science has found ways to deal with this condition. Obese individuals have a vast number of health related problems; cardiovascular diseases, Type-2 diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease, etc, and an array of psychological and sociological disorders.

According to the study carried out by researchers at RTI International, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, obese individuals in the U.S. bill their annual medical expenses in total of $147 billion plus. This should work as fodder for thought, shouldn't it?