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Essay On Obesity In America

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Every year 300,000 Americans die from an obesity-related disease or disorder. Of course, this is not a surprise considering the unhealthy diets and lack of physical activity Americans are so accustomed to but what if there was a way to reduce the number of people dying from these avoidable diseases and disorders? How much money and food could the U.S government save if we just got rid of all the couch potatoes taking up most of the space in the United States? Obesity is very much a common problem in North America, specifically the United States. According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Exam Survey (NHNES), “More than one in thirteen adults were considered to have extreme obesity.” With fast food places on every street corner and the rise in popularity of smartphones and social media preventing people from leading healthy lifestyles, there is no surprise that the number of basketball-shaped persons has increased. Obesity is not only common, but it is a serious and costly problem as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “The estimated annual cost of obesity in the U.S was $147 billion in 2008 U.S dollars; the medical costs for people who have obesity were $1,429 [USD] higher than those of normal weight.” Serious measures must be put in place to reduce the number of people with …show more content…
will no longer be the most common causes of death in the United States. They will also save both insurance companies and tax paying citizens, that are not in possession of double-chins, hundreds if not thousands of dollars per year. Encouraging the decrease of obesity will also limit the amount of debt the average American has due to the various doctors and hospital bills. There will no longer be a McDonald’s or Chipotle or Papa Johns at every turn, but recreational centers and clean eating

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