Obesity in America - Facts

300,000 is the number of people who die due to some or the other obesity related disease in the United States every single year - thus making obesity the second most serious preventable causes of death in the country after tobacco. There is no questioning the fact that the problem of obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States.

Obesity in America

Even though America boasts of being one of the richest and developed countries of the world, the health trends for the nation - especially when it comes to obesity, have a totally different tale to tell. Modernization has its own woes, and the United States seems to be the best example for the same. Modern lifestyle - typically characterized by unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyle, has made Americans overweight, and thus vulnerable to several diseases and disorders associated with excessive weight gain. If the data compiled by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is to be believed, around 33 percent of the Americans are suffering from obesity today. CDC reports also state that child obesity has tripled over the last three decades - which hints at the fact that childhood obesity is much more severe than what we think. One needs to understand that obesity differs from being overweight - which is a condition that precedes obesity. Basically, a person with Body Mass Index (BMI) ranging between 20 and 30 is considered to be overweight, while a person with BMI exceeding 30 is known as obese.

Startling Facts and Figures

Unhealthy eating plus sedentary lifestyle is equal to obesity - that is one simple equation which the Americans seem to have forgotten over the last few years, as a result of which the United States is being pitched as one of the top contenders for the title of the fattest country in the world.

1. According to the obesity statistics in America compiled over the last few decades, the American obesity rate has soared from 15 percent prior to 1980s to 33 percent that it is today, and thus the tremendous change in American way of life in 1980s and 1990s is considered to be one of the most important causes of obesity in the United States.
2. Mississippi with 33 percent of its population suffering from obesity leads the list of fattest states in America, followed closely by Tennessee and Alabama with their obesity rate at 31.6 percent.
3. As of 2009, only 2 states - Colorado and the District of Columbia, have obesity rates below the 20 percent mark, while 33 American states have obesity rates exceeding the 25 percent mark.
4. As far as the fattest cities in America are concerned, Corpus Christi (Texas) leads the table, followed by Charleston (West Virginia) and El Paso (Texas) in 2nd and 3rd position respectively.
5. Childhood obesity statistics also reveal that around 70 percent of the children suffering from obesity are more likely to develop some obesity related disease in later phase of their life. Sadly, people are still oblivious about this.
6. A recent study about the causes of obesity in children revealed that an average American child is subjected to more than 10,000 foods advertisements on the television - most of which are ads of unhealthy high-fat and high-sugar foods.
7. The obesity statistics in America (2010) also reveal that the total number of obese children in Hawaii is double the number of obese children in all the other American states combined.
8. Health experts are of the opinion that consuming more than 2000 calories a day is harmful for your health. Now that is the amount of calories you consume when you have an average Burger King meal - consisting of a hamburger and French fries.
9. One of the most gruesome disorder associated with obesity is osteoarthritis. Studies reveal that the chances of a person developing osteoarthritis increase by a whopping 13 percent for every 2 pound of weight gain.
10. In terms of ethnicity, the prevalence of obesity in blacks and Hispanics is more as compared to their white counterparts. Similarly, the prevalence of this problem is more in South and Midwest United States as compared to the West and Northeast region.

With fast food 'fast' replacing the traditional cuisine, it's not at surprising that the number of obese people in America is increasing rapidly. What is surprising though, is the fact that people don't seem to realize that they are bringing these problems upon themselves by drifting away from healthy lifestyle.