Obesity in the United States: causes, prevention strategies, and health impacts

Obesity in USA

Obesity in United States of America (USA) has become a major problem that affects both the children and adults. People with obesity in most cases have too much fat stored in their body's fatty tissues. Therefore, when the excess fat and cholesterol deposits increases, this means that there will be a corresponding increase to other medical risks, despite some of them having life threatening possibility. This paper analyses obesity as a major problem in the U.S.A. As well as addressing predisposing factors to obesity like availability of affordable healthy foods as food prices increase, exercising and healthy eating and the local environment and trends.

WHO (2013) indicates that over the last 20 years obesity has increasingly become a serious problem, indeed it has doubled since 1980. The obesity in adults has doubled while among children has tripled. The children under the age of 19 years are said to have the incidence of obesity under 20%. However among adults, the rate has increased and it is over 32%. The recent increases in the obesity rates have the public concerns and the healthcare sector as well. These significant increases in the number of obesity in the American context are abetted by some central factors within the society.

Healthy eating

Weight gain occurs when one eats more calories than their body needs, and in this case the excess unneeded calories are converted by the body's metabolic system to fats. Therefore healthy eating plays a major role in prevention of obesity. There is need to eat that which is important to the body in terms of calorific content in them. Unhealthy eating is one major factor that leads to increased cases of obesity. The change of behavior towards eating better balanced and healthy meals are key components when it comes to prevention of obesity. The choice of foods that are low in calories but are high in nutritional value is important when it comes to planning of healthy diets that prevent obesity. Eating more fruits and vegetables helps prevent obesity since they contain few calories but have vitamins that are necessary for optimal health.

Complex carbohydrates are as well helpful to the body as they prevent obesity since they contain fiber that allows slow breakdown of carbohydrates and gradual absorption of glucose into the body as opposed to simple carbohydrates (Courseault, 2011). This means that sugar in the body will be used when available and hence no need for storage of excess sugar in form of fats. Fats are necessary for the body and therefore one should choose foods that have healthy fats and avoid unhealthy fats. The choice of healthy eating is not enough the proportions of the food taken also matters. Though one can be eating healthy they might be eating too much.

Our local environment and trends

Within the local community there are trends that exist when it comes to eating habits. The community has a great influence of the eating habits of people. This is because of the way unhealthy foods are acceptable in the community. The consumption of junk and other unhealthy foods is highly encouraged within the community and the school setting in particular. It is the latest trend and many students fall for it.

Obesity can also be noticed to run in families, not at the genetic level but the induction of the social lifestyle that the family predisposes the children to. There are certain docile lifestyles that are led by some families hence the children adapting into them, leading to obesity. The family members may also have same eating habits that encourage junk food, in the end inculcating this in their children and propagating obesity further.

Most families have also turned to docile lifestyle and lack of physical exercise. This is experienced with the lack of active entertainment but instead online games and other non-physical docile leisure are accepted as normal within the family. This leads to accumulation of fats within the body and also abets eating of junk food leading to increased cases of obesity.