Obesity in the United States Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Obesity in the United States - Research Paper Example Obesity not only brings concern about health but it adds to the financial burden too. Obesity augments the health care costs. Estimates reveal that obesity accounts for approximately 10% of yearly medical expenses, increasing the obesity-associated medical costs to $147 billion in 2008. Obesity has reached an alarming position in USA, and two well distinguished categories have been demonstrated namely obese and extreme obese. Findings disclose that over one-third adults of United States adults were found to be obese during the year 2007–2008 (Flegal, 2010). According to The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the incidence of obesity in the United States could be estimated by means of data for height to weight ratio. The prevalence rate of obesity display that there was a steady increase in obesity equally in both the sexes belonging to all ages from 1976 -1980 to 1988-1994. On the other hand the trend in obesity augmentation between 1988-1994 and 1999-2 000 was significant in other ages except for the males belonging to the age between 40 to 59 years. While data analysis from 2001-2002 to 2003-2004 recommended escalating trends since 1999-2000 in males and not in females (Flegal, 2006).? Concern Government is showing great concern about the "obesity epidemic" as 60% Americans are obese. In Fat Politics, Eric Oliver unearths the real story behind America's "obesity epidemic." According to Oliver a handful of physicians, government administrators, and health researchers, along with financial patronage commencing the medicine and weight-loss business, have crusaded to miscategorize more than sixty million Americans as "overweight," to enhance the health perils of being fat, thereby promoting the thought that obesity is a destroyer illness. Scientific evidence was also reviewed by Oliver displaying a slight proof also that obesity grounds so many ailments and demises or that loss of weight could make people healthier. Our concern with obesity is stimulated more by communal discrimination, routine politics, and business earnings as compared to the scientific fact. This kind of prevailing misinformation, according to Oliver, is the factual predicament with prevailing obesity in America. Creating a belief that one has to be lean and thin, proponents of the "obesity epidemic" are pushing millions of inhabitants for America towards hazardous surgeries, crash diets, and harmful diet drugs. This fat obsession is becoming a jeopardy for most of the Americans (Oliver, 2005). Discussion Overweight is followed by obesity in many cases where weight control measures are not considered or given significance. It occurs due to discrepancy between the consumption of food and the utilization of calories. The quality of food also matters, if the diet is rich in fats and carbohydrates then surplus fats starts accumulating leading to obesity. A child who is obese will grow to be an obese adult. The triggering factors could be varied, starting from loneliness to eating discipline.