Obesity in America: Causes and Ways to Prevent

Obesity has been occurring in the United States since the early 1970s. Obesity has been a constant problem for multiple people for many years, and it will continue to become worse. It was found that every one in five children from the ages 6 to 19 is obese and every one in three Americans is obese. To be considered obese, your BMI has to be 30 or higher. Many children can become obese for different reasons including, genetics, metabolism, negative childhood events, short sleep duration and eating and physical activity behaviors. A huge percent of the children population is obese today, and it is only increasing. Children are influenced at a young age to become obese, and by the time they are an adult, they have no control over trying to stop. According to a study, adult obesity rates now are over 35% in 9 states, 30% in 31 states and 25% in 48 states. Obesity has taken over children and adults all over the world, and it is only getting worse.

Obesity is an important topic because it causes many illnesses like cancer, diabetes and strokes, reduces the quality of life and causes heart diseases to people that cannot control their eating habits. One main cause of obesity is food availability and poor diet. When people are connected to great amounts of food, they can tend to overeat. This causes weight gain, especially when all the food that people eat are high in fat. Some of these foods consist of fast food, junk foods, fried foods and sweets. All of these are examples of foods that contain a lot of calories for a small amount of food. These fat and calories are then stored in the stomach, and because most obese people are not physically active every day, all the calories and fat builds up over time. Also, people tend to go out to eat all of the time instead of having a home-cooked meal, making it easier for people to eat larger portions and have deserts more often. Drinking alcohol is also a cause for obesity because alcohol contains a lot of calories and when people drink heavily, they tend to become overweight. People who are obese tend not to watch the things that they eat and cannot balance it out with physical activity.

Another main cause of obesity is physical activity. When people go to work, most people have jobs at a desk where they can sit there for the whole day. People also tend to get to work by cars or trains instead of choosing to walk or jog to get to work. This means that each day, most people do not get enough physical activity in because all they are doing is sitting down for hours on end. If people are not active enough, the energy of the food that they consumed is stored on the body as fat. Studies have proven that from 1988 to 2010, the percentage of women reporting no physical activity went from 19 percent to 52 percent and the percentage of inactive men rose from 11 percent to 43 percent over the same time period. When most people are obese, they tend to not have enough energy to walk or run, so for relaxation, they are more prone to watch tv or play video games instead. Another reason people are inclined to relax instead of getting physical activity in is because of their surrounding environment. Some people live in areas that do not have good sidewalks or roads, so it can be harder for them to go on a walk without putting themselves in danger. A lack of physical activity can lead to heart diseases, cancer and diabetes, which is why those illnesses are so commonly linked with obesity, which causes more deaths than being underweight.

Genetics also play a big role in obesity. When children grow up around parents or relatives that are obese, the more likely that child will become obese also. These children develop poor eating habits when they are young and will follow their parent’s lifestyle patterns, which usually do not change as they grow up. Studies found that 35 to 40 percent of a child’s weight predisposition is inherited from the child’s mom and dad. The genetic impact may be as high as 55 to 60 percent in some cases of childhood obesity. Studies have also proven that identified variants in several genes may contribute to obesity by increasing hunger and food intake. Genetics also affect hormones involved in fat regulation. One example of this would be leptin deficiency. Leptin controls weight by signalling the brain to eat less when body fat stores are too high. Obesity will occur when the body cannot produce enough leptin or leptin cannot signal the brain to eat less.

There are many ways to prevent obesity. As an early child, many parents can limit their children’s screen time and they can eat healthy food as a family to watch what their children are eating. Parents can also make sure that there is more healthy food than unhealthy food in the household and they can make sure that their children are getting enough physical activity. Since there is are 13.7 million children in the United States that are obese, parents need to play a big role in their life when they are younger. For adults that are obese, one way to help become less obese is to consume healthier food instead of junk food. Adults need to watch what they are eating and not go out to eat all of the time. One thing that can also help adults is involving their family. This will help them get the right motivation and it will make everyone you are around happier. Obese adults also need to add in daily physical activity and reduce the amount of daily stress they have. It has been proven that 93.3 million adults in the United States today are obese. It is important to make sure you prevent obesity because it can lead to health conditions including gallbladder disease, mental health conditions, type 2 diabetes, sexual health issues and many more.

Obesity is spreading all around the United States and is the highest in West Virginia. Multiple people have become obese starting from their childhood and into their adult years. Obesity can lead to serious diseases and death. Obesity is a serious condition that needs more attention drawn to it. As a result of obesity, many people are throwing their lives away because they cannot control what they are eating due to many reasons. Although obesity sometimes cannot be controlled, there are multiple ways to try to eat healthier and do more physical activity. If there were less fast-food restaurants around the world and less transportation, obesity would be reduced. People have control over their own lives, but if the difference is not made right now, obesity will only continue to get worse. Do we want America to continue to become more and more obese over the years?