Statistics of Obese People

Statistics of Obese People
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Obesity is when an individual carries an unusually high amount of body fat. This is based on your body mass index --- you're known as obese if you have a BMI of 30 or higher. The amount of people struggling with obesity continues to increase each year, putting more and more at risk for developing many different, serious health problems.

Reasons for Obesity

Obesity begins when you consume an extreme amount of unnecessary calories throughout each day. The main cause of obesity is due to poor diet and lack of exercise, as well as stress and emotional struggles causing you to want to eat. Instead of dealing with problems in your life, it tends for you to be easier to eat your feelings away, which never resolves anything. Living this way causes much harm to your body. It's important for you to make a change, pushing toward a healthier life.

Adult Obesity

Obesity is continuing to increase tremendously in the United States. In 2008, based on individuals' weight and height, roughly 72.5 million adults throughout the United States have been diagnosed with obesity. If you're an adult who is struggling with obesity you are in danger of developing serious health conditions such as, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer and premature death, and also a decreasing quality of life.

Child Obesity

According to the results of the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, children between the ages 2 and 5 in 2008 had an obesity rate of 10.4 percent, children between the ages 6 and 11 had an obesity rate of 19.6 percent, and children between the ages of 12 and 19 had an obesity rate of 18.1 percent. Since 1980, the amount of children fighting obesity has grown by a factor of three. This puts children at an extreme risk for developing serious health concerns at an early age.

Preventing Obesity

Being aware of the main causes of obesity can make it easier to prevent. When you teach children healthy habits at an early age, they are more likely to stay healthy, preventing obesity. As for adults, if you were not brought up eating properly and being active, then you should begin today before it's too late. Following a healthy diet and getting regular exercise daily will help you stay fit and keep you away from the possibility of developing obesity.

References

Article reviewed by John Hagemann Last updated on: May 26, 2011

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