The Obesity Epidemic

In 1990, obese adults accounted for less than 15% of the population of most states in the United States. By 2010, the obesity rate will be over 25% in 36 states and the obesity rate will be over 30% in 12 provinces. What is further worrying is that the prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising in children and adolescents, and young people become overweight and obese early. One in six children and adolescents are obese between two to 19 years of age, one in three is overweight or obese.

The outcome of obesity epidemic is devastating: hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and stroke not only kills millions of Americans each year - the obesity epidemic is also a heavy burden on the US healthcare system, annual 1,900 It causes a loss of 100 million dollars. Weight-related medical expenses

Obesity is prevalent in the United States. Currently, over 65% of Americans are overweight or obese (1). Obesity is associated with several medical conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and certain types of cancer. Obesity and related diseases cause about 400,000 deaths annually in the United States, which is the same as the number of preventable deaths due to smoking (2). Over the past three decades, overweight of pediatric age group has almost tripled (3). Today, 16.1% of young people in the United States (12-19 years old) are estimated to be overweight (body mass index ≧ 95%) (4). Studies have shown that 50 to 77% of these adolescents become obese adults, and 80% of children with obese parents do this (5 to 8). The data show that the quality of life of obese children is significantly lower than that of children of normal weight (9)

This article claims that obesity epidemics in the United States are unnecessary. Through research and understanding, this obesity epidemic may be a thing of the past. Childhood obesity costs and overweight children's problems are social and economic costs. In the Indiana Health Law Review, Sally Hubbard says: "Adolescent overweight and obesity related expenses will affect current and future US citizens, although these costs are not limited to children's treatment, including obesity-related social stigma and medical Together with the increase in expenses, the social expenditure due to this shift - the loss of future wages and the reduction of our natural resource base - requires and reflects deeper urgency. Public health crisis through public schools State's role in settling