Obesity in America: Causes, Prevention, and Lifestyle

Introduction

Obesity increases the risk for many fatal diseases, including cardiovascular disease, and has been recorded in the United States as the second leading preventable cause of death — smoking being the first (Must & Strauss, 1999; World Health Organization, 2000). Surgeon General Richard Carmona has called obesity a greater threat to Americans than terrorism (Oliver, 2006), while the immensity of the problem caused former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to refer to obesity as a public health "crisis" (Oliver, 2006).

Obesity in America more than doubled during the 1990s and has since leveled off, but no meaningful decline has occurred (Brannon & Feist, 2007). An estimated 1 in 4 Americans is considered obese (Oliver, 2006), while an estimated 400,000 Americans die annually from obesity-related diseases. Obesity-related diseases cost the national economy nearly $123 billion every year.

Even children are not immune. According to certain projections, America's teens are at risk of becoming the first generation in history to live shorter lives than their parents (Oliver, 2006). Numerous studies reveal that childhood obesity has become a global epidemic, more prevalent in America than in many other countries — both developed and developing — with child obesity having tripled in the United States during the last three decades (Wang & Lobenstein, 2006; Wang, Monteiro, & Popkin, 2002; World Health Organization, 2000).

The Difference Between Obesity and Overweight

A person is obese if they weigh 30% or more above their recommended weight and have a BMI of 30 or greater. A person is considered overweight if they have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or greater and weigh at least 10% more than the recommended weight for their height and body type.

According to Hill and Peters (1998), an estimated 25% of America's children are overweight or obese, while approximately 54% of American adults are obese and another 22% are overweight.

Other measures used for assessing obesity include — in a clinical setting — imaging technologies such as MRI, and simpler, less costly techniques such as measuring the thickness of a skin fold, and, more accurately, transmitting benign levels of electrical current through the body to measure fat levels in various regions. One additional measure is fat distribution expressed as the ratio of waist to hip size. Regardless of which definitions researchers use, what is considered overweight is often influenced by the prevailing socio-historical fashions of a given era and may have little to do with health.

Contributing Factors to Obesity in America

Researchers have proposed various reasons for the dramatic increase in obesity in America over the last few decades. Some of the reasons given include an over-abundance of food available in America's supermarkets and restaurants — particularly fast-food restaurants (Hill & Peters, 1998); unreasonable portion sizes in American restaurants (Hill & Peters, 1998); an increase in consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas and sweetened foods (Bray, 2004); and an over-abundance of high-fat food choices paired with a lack of appealing low-fat alternatives. Studies show that a diet comprising 35% fat or more contributes to obesity even in sedentary animals (Hill & Peters, 1998).

Although many overweight people claim to eat less than others, studies consistently indicate that they usually eat more than normal-weight individuals do (Wing & Polley, 2001). Even when they consume less food overall, they tend to choose foods that are high in fat and are less physically active than leaner people.

Another significant factor is the increasingly sedentary lifestyle that has developed in part due to advances in technology and transportation, as well as the appeal of sedentary entertainment such as television, video games, and computers. Studies show that increased activity and improved aerobic fitness can significantly reduce body weight and prevent obesity, particularly in children (Epstein, Paluch, Gordy, & Dorn, 2000).

Conclusion

Studies show that a combination of a healthy diet and regular physical activity most effectively treats and prevents obesity, regardless of family history. For people with genetic predispositions to obesity, this means that they can avoid becoming obese by cultivating certain habits, such as restrained eating and regular exercise (Hill & Peters, 1998). In essence, while obesity is a disease, it is one of the most easily preventable diseases for those who approach it proactively — though doing so may require meaningful departures from the prevailing American lifestyle.

References

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