Obesity in Amercia

RUNNING HEAD: Obesity

Obesity in the United States

Sample Research Paper

National University

Abstract

The following assignment is a research paper on obesity in the United States. Obesity is a top health concern in this country. This assignment includes how obesity can affect an individual's health, how society can help, issues at home and at school, cultural differences, and agencies that can help with obesity.

Obesity in the United States

Sadly, but truly, the United States is the country with the most obese people. "More than half of adults in the United States are estimated to be overweight or obese" ("Healthy People," n.d.). Obesity causes health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer. If something is not done soon, more people will continue to die of diseases that could have been prevented if obesity was not an issue.

Healthy People 2010

Obesity is one of the leading health indicators of Healthy People 2010. Some of the objectives that Healthy People hope to achieve by 2010 are to reduce the proportion of children, adolescents, and adults who are overweight or obese; these are objectives 19-3c and 19-2 ("Healthy People," n.d.). The obesity numbers are increasing rather than decreasing.

In 1988 to 1994, eleven percent of children and teenagers aged six to nineteen years of age were obese. Those numbers increased to fifteen percent in the years 1999-2000. Healthy People expect to bring that percentage down to five percent by 2010.

The data on adults aged twenty and above are much higher than children and adolescents. In 1988-1994, twenty-three percent of adults were obese, but the percentage increased to thirty-one percent between 1999 and 2000. The Healthy People 2010 target for adult obesity is fifteen percent ("Healthy People," n.d.).

If these numbers do not decrease we will continue to have a higher number of deaths due to diseases caused by obesity. "Overweight and obesity substantially raise the risk of illness from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, gallbladder disease, arthritis, sleep disturbances and problems breathing, and certain types of cancers" ("Healthy People," n.d.). Other than diseases, people who are obese can also suffer from low self-esteem.

What can be done to help?

Children who are suffering from obesity need to be more active. Researchers from New Zealand did a study on children and television watching. They began this study in the 1970's with children aged three and monitored how many hours of television they watched until age fifteen. Studies showed that as years went by they watched even more television and their body mass index had increased. When researchers checked on their subjects at the age of twenty-six, "forty-one percent were either overweight or obese, an outcome that was significantly related to the amount of television they watched during childhood" (Hancox, 2005). The more technology advances, the more society will stay indoors and watch television, play video games, and computer games rather than stay physically active outdoors.

Physical activity is decreasing in our population. "The percentage of people reporting no leisure-time physical activity is higher among women than men, higher among African Americans and Hispanics than whites, and higher among those of lower socioeconomic status" ("Culturally Sensitive," n.d.). There are barriers among some societies. For example, urban areas might have unsafe areas for children to be outside and actively involved. In rural areas, there are open spaces, but there may not be enough activities going on after school. "Suburban areas may be relatively safe, but may not include sidewalks or places that a child can walk to" causing them to be driven everywhere rather than walking three blocks ("Culturally Sensitive," n.d.). Parents need to be active and set an example for their children in order to have them engage in activities. Communities also need to provide more activities so that members can join.

Lastly, we can help by having schools and parents feed their children healthy food rather than junk food. The portions of foods that are needed on a daily basis have also increased. Advertisements on burgers and unhealthy food are causing society to eat out rather than cooking a healthy meal at home. "The amount of advertising dollars spent to encourage people to eat large quantities of less healthful food far exceeds the amount spent to promote healthy eating and other healthy lifestyle choices" ("Healthy People," n.d.).

Cultural Differences in Obesity

Obesity seems to be higher in African Americans and Mexican Americans than in Caucasians. In the years 1999 and 2000, data shows that for children and adolescents twenty-four percent of Mexican Americans and twenty-two percent of African Americans were obese ("Healthy People," n.d.). Data proposes that obesity could be part of culture; could it possibly be the different foods cultures eat? In addition, "different physical activities may be more familiar and/or more highly valued by different individuals and those of different ethnicities, both by virtue of their experiences and what is deemed as important and familiar in their culture" ("Culturally Sensitive," n.d.).

Not only is obesity different among cultures, it is also different among women and men. "Obesity is especially prevalent among women with lower incomes and is more common among African American and Mexican American women than among white women" (Healthy People," n.d.). Data from Healthy People 2010 shows that from 1988 to 1999 obesity in African American women increased from thirty-eight to fifty percent and in Mexican American women the numbers increased from thirty-five to forty percent.

Health Issue in the Classroom