Epidemiology of obesity

Disease

Epidemiology of Obesity

Obesity is a condition where an excess amount of fat is deposited in the body. One may be overweight with muscle, bone or water deposition, without being obese. A certain amount of fat is required by everyone for stored energy and heat resistance. Women with an excess of 30% body fat and men with more than 25% body fat are considered obese. Women usually deposit fat in their hips and waist while men usually build up fat around their abdomen. Deposition of fat around the abdomen, defined as upper body obesity, is linked to higher cardiovascular risk than the deposition of fat in the hips which is called lower body obesity. Increased mortality is associated with the extent of obesity and with its duration (an Epidemic of Obesity, 2004).

Obesity is caused by an excess eating over physical activity. Some of the contributing factors to obesity are genetics, overeating, decreased physical activity and/or defective fat metabolism. Overeating is an important contributor to obesity. Americans tend to eat foods rich in fat and most do not get enough physical activity to burn the extra fat. Some people eat in response to psychological conditions such as depression, grief or rage. The treatment of obesity includes diet adjustment, physical activity or both. The prime methodology to control obesity involves behavior modification related to diet and exercise. The behavior changes to control weight must be life-long changes (an Epidemic of Obesity, 2004).

In a statement put out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) it was reported that self-reported incidence of obesity among U.S. adults increased from 12% in 1991 to 18% in 1998. Data from the 1988 to 1994 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) recommended that 63% of men and 55% of women were overweight. More recent data from found that obesity rates among adult Americans increased from 15% in 1980 to 27% in 1999 (Lifestyle Management of Adult Obesity, 2010).

America is a world leader in the epidemic of overweight and obesity. The extent of the increased prevalence of obesity in the U.S. between 1991 and 1998 varies by region. It ranges from 31.9% in the mid-Atlantic to 67.2% in the south Atlantic regions. The increased occurrence also varies considerably by state ranging from 11.3% in Delaware to 101.8% for Georgia. Other studies have shown that the magnitude of the increase is greatest in 18 to 29-year-olds, those with some college education and those of Hispanic ethnicity (Lifestyle Management of Adult Obesity, 2010).

The yearly economic costs of obesity are estimated to be more than 70 billion dollars. Despite the health and economic burden of obesity, studies show that health professionals do not constantly advise overweight and obese patients that they should lose weight. There is undoubtedly a global epidemic of overweight and obesity. It can be projected that, at the present rate of increasing prevalence of obesity, by the year 2030, 90% of U.S. adults will be obese (Lifestyle Management of Adult Obesity, 2010).