Already, nearly 17% of American healthcare costs are linked to obesity (Bhasha, 2010). Under the new health care reform legislation of 2010, employers are not allowed to deny insurance based on a person's weight; however, there's a caveat in which employees in wellness programs can be charged up to 50% more if their weight exceeds specified levels based on age, gender, and height (Downey, 2010). Whether government should be involved in increasing premiums based on lifestyle choices and weight, or penalizing and restricting "junk" food consumption, is highly controversial; I would argue that this involvement is necessary to control obesity among Americans and control healthcare costs. Furthermore, corporations producing unhealthy foods should be taxed, and healthy foods should be made available at more affordable prices. The sad fact is that poor people often cannot afford healthier options (Osterweil, 2004).
While many Americans will complain and cry "socialism" if these types….

As the Latino community is very family oriented there may be a need to focus the program on mother and daughter events and the like to help these young women transition into a more active lifestyle within the safety of family. There should also be a strong push to further the development of access to healthy foods through expansions, into Latino areas of the already fantastic farmers market programs in California and an emphasis on ethnic foods and cultural celebration should be directed at the appropriate areas, those markets that already provide services to these areas may need to have added support to increase hours of operation, or be moved to areas where access to public transportation is greater, to better meet the needs of a working population.
orks Cited

Day, Kristen. "Active Living and Social Justice: Planning for Physical Activity in Low-Income, Black, and Latino Communities." Journal of the American….

Obesity in Children
Obesity is a growing problem in America with more than 64% of the U.S. adult population identified to be clinically obese or overweight. It is estimated that there are more than 300,000 deaths every year which are directly attributed to obesity. [CDC]. It would not be far fetching to say that obesity has in fact assumed epidemic proportions and is one of the fastest growing healthcare problems of our nation. There is a positive association between obesity and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and other life threatening conditions. A disturbing fact is the increasing rate of obesity among children in the age group of 4 to 16. Unhealthy eating habits and the modern sedentary life style have only aggravated the risk factors leading to a health care crisis. Nurses as community healthcare providers have an important role in increasing the awareness and initiating nutritional programs and exercise activities aimed….

Overweight and Obesity -- Literature eview
A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that obesity is among the 10 preventable health risks across the globe. However, this health risk contributes to 300,000 annual deaths in the United States. Obesity is a health risk that is linked to various disorders such as diabetes, liver disease, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia (Wilborn et al., 2005, p.4). Generally, the condition is thought to be simply associated with an imbalance between a person's energy intake and expenditure. However, the findings of more researches demonstrate that behavioral, genetic, and physiological factors play a crucial role in the etiology of this health risk. Moreover, exercise and diet are considered as important components that play a crucial role in the prevention and treatment of this health risk as well as its associated disorders like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.

This article will begin with an evaluation or overall assessment….

overweight or obese simply means simply "carrying excess body fat," measured by a height to weight ratio known as a body mass index, or BMI ("Obesity and Overweight in Adults"). In addition to the physical health consequences of being overweight or obese, including lethargy, high blood pressure, and diabetes, there are known mental health concerns including depression, social anxiety, and low self-esteem. Research has consistently shown that being overweight or obese is "strongly correlated with low self-esteem," (Eddy 1). Low self-esteem can be considered as a cluster of cognitive and emotional variables ranging from perceived self-efficacy to more existential concerns such as "one's capacity to feel worthy of happiness," (Eddy 1). Given there are different types of self-esteem, it may be difficult to absolutely measure the relationship between overweight and self-esteem. Moreover, there will be certain cultural, individual, and contextual variables impacting self-perception regarding body image and body weight.….

Obesity and Discrimination
Bias against overweight and obese individuals is perhaps the last form of acceptable discrimination. Overweight people are subject to both subtle and blatant forms of discrimination, from childhood to adulthood. Discrimination occurs in family, social and professional situations as well.

This paper takes an interdisciplinary approach to the issue of weight-based discrimination and harassment, drawing on diverse literature from fields including psychology, law, pediatrics and economics. The extent of discrimination is explored through a critical survey and integration of current research on the social and professional effects of obesity.

The first part of this paper looks at the varying definitions of the terms "overweight," "obesity" and "discrimination."

It highlights the limitations of these definitions and how these terms can be misapplied.

The next part looks at statistics regarding the growing number of overweight and obese people in the United States. Recent studies show an alarming rise in obesity and overweight adults and….

Childhood Obesity
Overweight: Scaling Back on Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity has become a growing source of concern in America. Before 1980, 6.5% of children between 6 and 11 years of age were overweight or obese and 5% of children between 12 and 19 years old, but, by 2004, those numbers increased to 18.8% and 17.4%, respectively (Lawrence, Hazlett, & Hightower, 2010). The tripled rate of obesity combined with the impact of being overweight or obese during childhood is a major public health issue.

Being obese or overweight during childhood increases the risk for developing chronic diseases such as depression, hypertension, respiratory problems, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). Obese adolescents are more likely to become obese adults (DiMattia & Denney, 2008). Obesity expenditures were 8%, or $69 billion in 1990, grew to $92.6 billion, or 9%, by 2002, and are projected to reach 16%, or….

Obesity
It is well established that obesity is a major public health epidemic and that its consequences impact all areas of the healthcare system. When discussing the issue of obesity, the focus is usually on the health impact of obesity on the patient and how that impacts not only the patient, but also others in society. Less frequently discussed, but of critical importance in healthcare planning, is the fact that obesity is taking a tremendous financial toll upon the American healthcare system. Obesity is linked to a number of diseases that are not only dangerous, but also costly. These diseases include, but are not limited to: hypertension, heart disease, Type II diabetes, and hormonal imbalances. Obesity-linked diseases can create significant financial hardships for their sufferers, but they can also take a tremendous financial toll on society.

From an individual perspective, the financial health costs of obesity can be so overwhelming that they….

, 1991).
Implications and ecommendations

The implication of the collective weight of empirical research into factors affecting childhood obesity strongly support the approach of positively reinforcing healthier food choices and also of positively reinforcing the voluntary selection of active play activities instead of sedentary play activities in children who are either at risk of obesity or already obese. (Epstein, Paluch, Gordy, et al., 2000; Epstein, Paluch, Kilanowski, et al., 2004). Since highly obese children are less capable of being motivated in those directions than moderately obese and non-obese children (Epstein, Kilanowski, Consalvi, et al., 1999), it would also seem especially important to intervene before children reach the point of extreme obesity. Ultimately, both methods should be widely incorporated into contemporary childhood education and healthcare responses to overweight and obesity.

eferences

Epstein, Leonard H., Kilanowski, Colleen K., Consalvi, Angela ., and Paluch, occo a.

"einforcing value of physical activity as a determinant of child activity level."

Health….

The problem is however that results appear less promising in the long-term. The most effective period for weight loss occurs during the first six months, whereas weight gain once again appears after this time.
hile it is a good idea to implement school and work-based programs, commercial giants such as KFC and Macdonald's make it very difficult to sustain healthy nutrition and weight loss. Advertising that tends to focus on the pleasure of eating unhealthy foods is one of the great culprits promoting obesity in the United States. Perhaps food addictions could be fought more effectively by similar means. The media could be used to promote healthy habits and curb unhealthy ones in terms of fast foods. This technique has shown promising results in smoking and could also prove useful in the food industry.

Source

Guide to Community Preventive Services (2003, January 3). Overweight/Obesity. www.thecommunityguide.org/obesity.

She is trying to alter the perception of the surrounding society that fat people are lazy slobs, However, she has to be careful not to excuse medically dangerous obesity ("Fat and proud, part 3" 2010). In part 4 of the video, Mandy tries to use the kiss-a-gram to change the master status (successfully) of her aunt Elsa as a fat person by bringing her along to a job. This is also the case with women who are fat going on a skating night. This attacks the idea successfully that fat people can be fit ("Fat and proud, part 4" 2010). The fat calendar memorializes that change in master status permanently with a calendar shoot, so it does so successfully in a permanent fashion ("Fat and proud, part 5" 2010.
The approach of the Biggest Looser is not successful because it is begin imposed from the outside. So often, people who….

In addition, the Marines have a much smaller force than the army.
On the other hand, the army cannot be as selective as the marines because it needs to maintain a much higher number of troops. The article explains that the army "needs 80,000 new soldiers this year and must find them in a populace that is in many ways less willing and less able to serve than earlier generations were (Mockenhaupt, 2007, pg.86)." The article explains that teenagers and young adults are overweight and less fit than any previous generation. In addition, this generation of young Americans eats more unhealthy foods, watches more television, and engages in less physical activity than previous generations. The article further asserts that this generation is "more individualistic and less inclined to join the military. And with the unemployment rate hovering near historic lows, they have other choices (Mockenhaupt, 2007, pg.86)."

Overall it is apparent….

There are remedies (albeit not easy ones for the individuals involved), as suggested by the research. However, and this is very important, the current public health approaches that the Saudi government has taken, as Mabrey et al. (2010) note, have focused fairly narrowly on medical approaches. This focus includes research that has been conducted on metabolic syndrome (which is caused primarily by being overweight). This is caused by clear-cut factors and has a number of possible poor consequences.

Mabrey et al. (2010) note that metabolic syndrome is on average 10 to 15% higher in the GCC states than in the rest of world and that females are disproportionately affected by metabolic syndrome. These researchers are among those who note that a strictly medical approach to such medical problems is far from sufficient. For while metabolic syndrome itself can be identified and described in purely medical terms, such an approach does nothing….

Weight and Obesity
The Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Immigrant Women from Sub-Saharan Africa Living in Grande Prairie, Alberta

In spite of the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in the general population, little attention has been paid to immigrant communities, which are at a greater risk of weight gain compared to the majority. This is quite disturbing given the increased rate of migration from low-income countries. Lack of epidemiological data relating to overweight and obesity is particularly true for women of sub-Saharan African origin living in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. This study will involve a cross-sectional survey, to fill this gap in literature. A sample of 100 subjects is deemed to be representative of the target population. Knowledge of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in this population will be important for designing weight management interventions for this group, thereby reducing the risk of overweight and obesity as well as….

e. fat storage. These physiological concerns are significant in that programming that was designed to maintain a nurturing position for young children the physiological environment interprets crisis as anything that creates a stressful physical demeanor. The stress and psychology of abandonment is a constant, once the abandonment by the father has occurred. The body does not distinguish between a fasting period associated with unavailable food, or drought and psychological long-term emotional stress. The human body also does not distinguish between a self imposed diet and a period of famine. It reduces its basal metabolic rate, or the rate of metabolism needed to perform its base functions, and then the recovery period would seem to be longer than expected. This is the diet conundrum, though it has also been proven that prolonged periods of psychological stress and/or depression that could be associated with abandonment by the father will also cause a….