Obesity, defined as having a body mass index of 30 or greater, increases your risk or serious disease such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports reports that being overweight or obese is associated with about 300,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Obesity affects children and teenagers as well as adults and involves all races.
Statistics
A child in the United States today is twice as likely to be overweight as a child in 1980. An adolescent today is three times as likely to be overweight as a teen in 1980. Some 59 million American adults were overweight or obese as of January 2011. As of 2009, only Colorado and the District of Columbia can claim populations in which less than 20 percent of the people are obese. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports predicts that overweight and obesity will soon cause as much preventable illness as cigarette smoking.
Causes
Scientists, sociologists and doctors have pointed fingers at various causes of this overweight epidemic. If people consume more calories than they burn through activity, they will gain weight, so large portion sizes at American meals and a lack of exercise may be partly to blame. Another reason adults may weigh more today than 30 years ago is a decline in smoking. In European countries where smoking is more prevalent, obesity is less common also. A study by David R. Bassett and other researchers published in 2008 in the "Journal of Physical Activity and Health" found a correlation between modes of transportation and obesity. In Europe, where more people walked or rode bicycles daily, obesity was less prevalent than in the United States, where more people rely on cars as their primary mode of transportation.
Solutions
The U.S. government has instituted a number of programs to encourage people to exercise more and eat healthier diets. The National 5 a Day for Better Health program encourages eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily. The Centers for Disease Control's VERB program encourages children to stay active. The Steps to a Healthier US campaign awards grants to community-based programs to address chronic disease.
The U.S. vs. the World
When Bassett and colleagues looked at obesity rates in Europe and North America, the United States had the highest. As of 2005, 34.3 percent of the population classified as obese. The Netherlands had the lowest rate of obesity, with 11.2 percent. The World Health Organization notes that obesity and overweight are increasing problems around the world. WHO reports that as of 2005, 1.6 billion adults on this planet were overweight, 20 million of them children. Less physical labor and more calorie-dense foods readily available mean that Europeans and citizens of other developed countries face many of the same challenges as the U.S. in maintaining healthy weights for a majority of the population.
References
- University of Virginia Health Systems: Obesity in America
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: U.S. Obesity Trends
- President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Steps to Preventing Overweight and Obesity
- World Health Organization: Obesity and Overweight
- "Journal of Physical Activity and Health"; Walking, Cycling and Obesity Rates in Europe, North America and Australia; David R. Bassett, Jr. et al.; 2008
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