...Obesity is an ever increasing problem, not just here in the United States, but worldwide. It has reached epidemic proportions and is no longer limited to just adults, but has now become a major health concern among children and adolescents as well. This can largely be contributed to the lack of movement or stagnation that has become routine to a great number of people. Technology no longer requires us to get up and move around for things as simple as changing television channels or even turning lights off and on. Obesity is a topic that needs to be seriously addressed and can be combated effectively with simple exertion. Obesity has many levels or stages. Being overweight or the early stage of obesity is when one’s current body weight is 15-30% greater than their ideal weight; the progressive stage is when body weight is 30-50% greater than ideal; the latest stage is when body weight is 50-100% greater than ideal; and finally, the severe stage is when a person’s body weight is 100% or greater than ideal. These percentages are determined by what is known as the Body Mass Index or BMI. While the health risks increase with each of these stages, they are not limited to one stage or another. Being overweight, obese, or morbidly obese can lead to ailments as simple as fatigue or joint pain to diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia . While these diseases are not solely limited to those with weight issues, they are more prevalent in people who are above their...
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...In planning your exercise you have to learn what works for you. It may come through trial and error. You may try one exercise for a few days and or weeks and if that doesn’t work for you then move on to another activity. If you like to be outside than you will need to choose out door exercises. If you like being inside than you will need to choose a gym or maybe work out at home. There are wealth of videos you can purchase to follow along with at home or there are several television stations that cater solely to exercise. In planning your exercise make sure you plan a time to exercise that doesn’t interfere with work, school, family time, or church. Exercising early in the morning to start your day is usually a good time. You have to plan according to your schedule. Eating properly is important and in order to do that you must educate yourself. You can purchase books, you can see a dietitian, and you can even go on line to educate yourself on eating properly. Once you have educated yourself, the next step is to get a meal plan that works for you. You want to plan your meals according to your schedule. Make sure the time scheduled doesn’t interfere with your schedule, you want plan your meals at a convenient time that doesn’t interfere with other times on your schedule. Normally, if something is fun we tend to make a commitment, so if you make eating healthy fun you will stick to the commitment. You can make it fun by experimenting with some of the new foods you...
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...Exercise and Obesity There are many things that contribute to obesity in ones life. The lack of exercise and proper nutrition has effects on a person’s. When a person is overweight and it is not managed properly over time they can become obese. Obesity leads to other complications in ones life if it gets out of control. There are steps that can be taken to help a person lose weight and get back to a healthy weight. A person can watch the food that they intake then start and maintain a workout routine. The lack of exercise and a proper nutrition could lead to obesity without a proper plan in place. Obesity has different effects on a person’s body. One of the most common effects is diabetes and with that comes added stress/pressure on other internal organs. Also being over weight itself puts added stress on a person’s body including internal organs, joints, and bones. A proper nutritional diet is needed to maintain a healthy weight to avoid the previously mentioned complications. There are good foods and bad foods. There are also good carbohydrates, bad carbohydrates, and the monitoring of calories taken into the body daily. “Quantity adjustments of the diet in terms of caloric restriction is most important for weight loss, more so than quality adjustments. However, quality is important for cardiovascular disease reduction” (n. a., 2012, p. S54). “There are many different types of diets and some are low-fat, low-carbohydrate, and the Mediterranean” (n...
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...Jessica Lewis UNV-104 January 9, 2014 Rebecca Foy Exercise and Obesity According to the CDC, over one-third of Americans are obese or overweight. These days there are so many diets and exercise programs that one can be overwhelmed when trying to lose and maintain weight. Exercise and obesity start with attainable goals, an understanding of weight loss and exercise and obtaining the proper regimen. For obese and overweight individuals, it is important to have realistic, attainable goals. An individual, in any circumstance, is more perceptible to failure if the goal(s) is set too high. An obese/overweight person trying to lose and maintain weight loss that makes too high of goals less likely to obtain those goals because the person does not see or meet those goals (Murphy, Breenan, Walkley, Reece & Little, 2011). When starting a weight loss program, it is very important to set goals that are realistic and take one step at a time, as well as an understanding of weight loss and exercise and how they work together. When a person trying to lose weight has better understanding of their body and the program of food consumption and exercise, that individual is more likely to lose weight and maintain that weight loss. In an article from Hindle and Carpenter, the participants from their study had struggled with weight loss and had tried numerous diets and physical activity approaches (2011). However, those participants could not keep the maintenance of their weight loss...
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...Essay The choice to fight obesity is a life altering decision. Fighting obesity can be a struggle but is worth it in the long run. Exercise is a great way to lower obesity because it is convenient, everyone can participate, and it can reduce health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of childhood obesity has more than doubled in the past thirty years. Today more than 23 million U.S. children and adolescents are either obese or overweight (Green, Riley, & Hargrove, 2012). The only way to fight obesity is to do something about it! Exercise is a great way to lower childhood obesity in the United States because it can be done as a family and lowers health problems. Exercise can be done almost anywhere, thus making it convenient. The use of a treadmill or dumbbells doesn’t constitute as exercise. According to the Encyclopedia of Human Development (2006), exercise is “sustained activity over a period of time that utilizes and strengthens the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems.” Therefore, exercise can be as simple as riding your bike or running around the backyard. Since the use of workout equipment, such as a stair stepper, is not essential to exercise everyone can participate. It is very important for children to get outside and play. You as a parent can help to encourage activity by challenging your child to a race or taking them to the park. Exercise doesn’t have to be long and strenuous. Exercise can be fun! It is up to you...
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...Nutrition and Exercise and Their Effects on Obesity Management Roland Colburn AHS 401 Literature review Dr. Elder Abstract This study was important because it addressed the issues of obesity and what can be carried out to prevent it. Obesity has become cone of the nations most widespread epidemics and it continues to grow. In this study 20 peer-reviewed articles were chosen on obesity and nutrition, and then the articles were analyzed and broken down into a basic concept of obesity prevention. Most articles contained proper nutrition, exercise, and dietary guidance. After thorough research, it became evident that proper nutrition and exercise were basic necessities in combating the obesity epidemic. Introduction Obesity is one of the leading public concerns within the United States, and for a great reason, almost two-thirds of the population is either overweight or obese, and the numbers are continuously rising.(Carels et al. 2008). Obesity has been linked to many different health issues, including the number one killer in America, heart disease. Obesity has been a growing problem over the past few years, which has led many to try and reduce or reverse the incline in obesity. The programs implemented, as of late, to reduce the number considered obese have failed.(Crombie 1999). American society continues to grow in the obesity rates, which has in turn generated an increase...
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...In the United States, childhood obesity has become more and more serious problem. In children and adolescents who are 2-19 years old, the probability of obesity has been stable at around 17%. In the past decade, there were about 12.7 million children and adolescents affected by obesity (Childhood Obesity Facts, 2015). In recent years this ratio has declined, but because of defective eating and living behaviors, childhood obesity is still a problem that cannot be ignored. In order to solve this problem, balanced diet and exercise therapy are effective methods. The main cause of obesity in children and adults are similar, except to genetic reason, defective eating and living behaviors will also bring greater influence. Nowadays, people are concerned about supplement nutrition; however, improper intake can easily lead to nutritional imbalances. People could often see a variety of nutritional supplement advertisements, but some of them are not suitable for young children. If children eat those supplements for long-term, excessive intake of nutrients will cause the obesity. In addition, fast food and snacks are also another important reason for childhood obesity. Most of fast-food and snack mean high fat, high sugar, and high calorie, excessive consumption of these foods will make a significant increase in body weight. At the same time, many children spent a lot of time in front of television or computer screen. At least for these children, it takes up opportunities for physical...
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...Obesity in American Society Wade Henson RN Western Governors University Abstract The obesity rates in America have steadily risen over the past several decades. The roots of the exploding waistlines in the United States have many causes. This paper will take a look at what “obesity “ is by definition, some of the causes of obesity and what societal factors influence this rise. We will also examine to what extent obesity affects the United States and look at obesity through the parameters of sociological theory. Obesity in American Society The World Health Organization defines obesity as it relates to BMI or the Basic Metabolic Index. BMI is (Weight in Kilograms/Height in Meters squared). Healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, Over weight is from 25 to 29.9, while obese is defined as BMI from 30 to 39.9 and morbidly obese is greater that 40. Many experts argue that this BMI definition of obesity is not accurate because in does not allow for the heavy muscled individual, but none argue that obesity is not a growing problem. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 4.7 percent of the United States population is morbidly obese. This is up from 2.7% less than 20 years ago. With the direct link between obesity and many of societies health and disease issues, it is easy to see what all the concern is about. At its core the cause of obesity is simple. When a person’s energy intake exceeds energy expenditure a person’s body stores the excess...
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...Obesity on the Rise The obesity epidemic is a very common health issue in the United States. The Center for Disease Control (2011) calls it “dangerous and expensive.” On July 8th, 2014, Medical News Today, a health news website reported that obesity in the U.S. is due to a decline in exercise, and not due to overeating. The article reports, “a study from Stanford University reported in The American Journal of Medicine suggests the rise in obesity in the US is likely due to increased sedentary lifestyles across the nation, and not eating too many calories” (Paddock, 2014, para 1). Although this health issue has received a lot of attention in the last couple of decades, the rate of obesity still continues to be high. According to the CDC, in 2011–2012, the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. has continued to increase significantly in the past 20 years; 36% of adults and 17% of children and teenagers are currently overweight. Another 17% of children and teenagers are obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2010). The terms ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’ are determined by ‘body mass index’ or BMI. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number determined from a person's weight and height. For an adult, a BMI from 18.5-24.9 is considered normal, a BMI between 25-29.9 is considered overweight, and a BMI greater than 30 is considered obese (CDC, 2011). This paper discusses the Medical News Today article, the topic of obesity, and how it is related to Healthy People 2020. While I agree...
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...Childhood Obesity Childhood Obesity: The Causes and Cure of Childhood Obesity Patricia Harris Epidemiology and Applied Healthcare Statistics June 17, 2011 Childhood Obesity: The Causes and Cure of Childhood Obesity In the United State the current childhood obesity epidemic is caused by fast food industries, video games, poor eating habits and the lack of exercise. This disease affects adults and children in the United States (Evans2006). Obesity is the state of being well above one’s normal weight. Children are becoming sick and being overweight because of this condition. ( medterms 2008). Everyday one in four children (from ages 5 to 18) eats fast food. As a result, children are gaining extra pounds daily while increasing the risk of obesity. Child obesity from fast food consumptions is an issue for parents because of the health risks associated by obesity. Fast food products contain higher fats, carbohydrates, sugars, and calories than any other products. As a result, children of all ages worldwide are accumulating excess weight because of unbalanced nutrients found in these products. According to several studies, child obesity from fast foods is a major problem because children consume over 120 extra calories daily. Poor nutritional habits are one of the important reasons for childhood obesity. Television and Video games Another problem that could lead to obesity is playing video games...
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...Obesity Obesity is a disease that is becoming increasingly common around the world. It is a serious medical condition that can lead to many medical issues. It is no question that America’s obesity rates are among the highest in the world. More than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese (Ogden 2014). Obesity is on the rise among people of all ages, gender and ethnic background. The causes of obesity range from many different factors and all of them contribute to this alarming situation. Americans’ obesity has rapidly increased because of lack of physical exercise, an increase in high fat and sugary food intake, and genetic factors. Physical inactivity occurs when a person does not exercise on a daily basis. An examination of national health survey records shows Americans are exercising less, which could be driving the rising obesity rates (Bach 2014). Most people hardly exercise which is not a favorable circumstance. The percentage of women reporting no physical activity jumped from 19 percent to 52 percent between 1988 and 2010; the percentage of inactive men rose from 11 percent to 43 percent over the same period. Obesity also increased, climbing from 25 to 35 percent in women and from 20 to 35 percent in men (Bach 2014). Exercise is effective in weight loss, but most people do not accept the advantage of this preventive approach. Physical activity is rather excluded from our daily lifestyle. An excuse to not exercise is that working out is too time consuming...
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...There has long been an ongoing debate about whether obesity is a choice or not a choice. Some may say that people can choose to be obese because, after all, a person chooses what and how much they eat. They also choose whether or not they exercise. Eating the wrong things and not exercising a lot is a cause of obesity. Others may argue that obesity is not a choice and that genetics play a major role in a person’s obesity. Genetics such as Leptin Resistance, Impaired Hunger-Hormones, Cushing’s Syndrome, and Hypothyroidism all lead to weight gain. A person cannot control their genetics so obesity is not a choice in their case. Statistics show that less than 5% of americans have ideal cardiovascular health. Statistics also show that less than 2% of americans actually consume ideal diets. Poor diet and poor exercise are major factors that lead to obesity. You can decide if you want to exercise or if you want to eat fast-food all the time. Bad habits also leads toward obesity. Smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol are bad habits that paves the way for obesity. Smoking and drinking are both choices and as we all know you make your own choices, which means that you choose if you become obese....
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...Meneely, Mikel Professor Michael Begnal ENG 104 March 16, 2016 Kids These Days Childhood obesity plagues more children in America than ever before, and it continues to grow in number year by year. In order to avoid letting childhood obesity numbers continue to grow, there needs to be changes in certain aspects of children’s lifestyles. This increase over the years can be attributed to many factors including unhealthy, calorie-filled school lunches and children not receiving enough exercise. Childhood obesity poses a very real threat to the health of younger generations and can lead to dangerous, life-threatening health issues later in life. In the rise of child obesity, children are at more risk of diabetes and other heart diseases that could not only affect them in the short and long term. In response to this issue, child obesity should be combated by offering healthier choices for school lunches, and allowing a full hour for recess. All of these could be accomplished by allowing more funding from the Department of Education, and this would allow more funding to state educational funds. Decreasing child obesity would be important for children in the long run because it would decrease their chance of developing type-two diabetes and early heart diseases. Obesity is the root cause of countless diseases, conditions, and illnesses, some of which are even life-threatening. Adulthood obesity has been linked to many deadly diseases. Some examples include heart disease, diabetes, and...
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...Obesity, also called corpulence or fatness it is the excessive accumulation of body fat that is caused by the consumption of more calories than the body can use. It is a condition in which the body accumulates an abnormally large amount of fatty tissue or fat. It is a chronic disease that is rapidly increasing and having devastating effects on health especially in the United States. Effects of obesity can cost us personally or as a community, it is the second cause of death yearly. Some contributing factors to obesity are overeating, medications genetics, and psychological conditions; however, these factors can be prevented by doing things like regular exercise and following a healthy eating plan. Sociological speculators like Marxist, states that obesity is due to the rise of capitalism and subsequent class divisions that is increasing depended on unhealthy foods due to social reasons. Effects Obesity has had on me or my Community Effect that obesity has had on me personally was when I was a child the neighborhood that I live in was lower class, so there wasn’t a lot of stores or farmers’ markets as it is today that provided healthier foods for children and adults to eat, and there wasn’t too much encouragement on healthy eating and exercise. This led to many children and adults within my community being overweight and having a lot of health problems like diabetes and other serious medical conditions. Obesity rates in the state that I live in Virginia is holding steady compared...
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...consequences of and solutions to obesity (15) Obesity is the state of being overweight, where the accumulation of body fat has reached 20% of more over an individual’s ideal body weight, to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. One of the consequences of obesity is the reduced mobility. Larger size and body weight to carry around makes travel difficult and movement requires a lot more effort and energy than it would otherwise. The extra weight makes walking difficult, as when walking it is as if you are carrying your weight with you. This also happens because obesity can cause breathlessness or fatigue. This reduces a person’s quality of life as they cannot easily leave the home, to walk to the shops for groceries and other necessities, or to visit others, especially as increased size makes it difficult to take a car or public transport. Mobility scooters are a short-term solution to this, although they give the user no exercise and therefore encourage the condition to remain/continue. It is far more beneficial for an obese patient to seek exercise whenever they can, as this could solve the issue itself. Exercise programmes are accessible across the UK and US designed especially for the obese or overweight, many available through the NHS. The NHS exercise schemes promote easy exercise, such as walking and ‘home exercise’ (short cardio, sit ups, etc.). Other exercise programmes include YMCAfit...
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