U.S. Obesity

The United States is knows world wide for being the land of opportunity and happiness. In the 'land of opportunity', why is it that the people are so overly concerned with everything in their lives that they apparently do not take care of their precious bodies? Why does the wealthiest country in the world act so carelessly when it comes to healthy eating and staying fit?

The United States of America has an obesity rate of 65%, which is 22% higher than the rest of the world (Jamison). This striking statistic is mainly due to the overall way of life of Americans compared to the less spoiled countries around the world. Americans desperately need to change their ways of life so the obesity rate can shrink and the people can become healthier.

Far too many Americans are becoming overweight or obese due to their diets and modern lifestyles. Obesity is defined by a person's body mass index (BMI). BMI is calculated by the weight of a person in kilograms divided by the square of the height of a person in meters (kg/mІ). Obese, as defined by Dr James Geoff, is having a BMI of 30 kg/mІ.

Dr. Karle Jamison of the United States Department of Health and Human Services emphasizes that the United States' obesity rate is out of control. Since the early 1980's, the United States has seen an 77% increase in the obese population. Not to mention, in the 1980's obese was defined as having a BMI of 23 kg/mІ. If that definition still stood today, 80% of Americans would be considered obese (Jamison). These are very alarming figures that urgently need to be controlled.

Obesity is not as simple as it may seem. To most, obesity is just being extremely overweight, not that big of a deal. But they are wrong. Many things other than all that extra fat are attached to a person when they are obese. For these people, it is extremely difficult to get around. Joints like knees and ankles wear out much quicker due to extra stress (Krebs). It is even complex to get airline tickets because an obese person often does not fit in one seat. Most importantly, the chances of getting diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, many cancers, and even Alzheimer's more than quadruples (Krebs).

There are quite a few main factors that commonly are associated with causing obesity. Many obese adults were obese children. These obese children are often quite lazy and are couch potatoes (Eager). Krebs points out that the parents of these children do not monitor or regulate their children's eating habits, lounging time, or their activeness. Later in these children's lives, these adolescents have extremely inactive lives which causes them to become even fatter. Young children at that age in other countries are out and about with their friends, running around or even working, while staying healthy. American parents need to do a better job in producing healthier, more active children.

In the 1980's, when Americans were much leaner, children were pushed and guided towards being active. Instead of spending all day Saturday inside watching television, kids were playing games with friends. Calories were burnt off while running around instead of building into mounds of fat. Physical education in school was also mandatory. Schools now spend all their time and money in preparing students for standardized tests that physical education is beginning to disappear. This cuts out another 5-8 hours a week of activity from a child's life (Ryan).

Adults in the United States are obese also because of the new modern lifestyle. The majority of modern day jobs in the United States are focused around desks and computes with very little emphasis on physical activity. While Americans sit in their air conditioned offices, snacking away while typing on a computer, most other people around the world are working hard outside burning calories. Due to the lack of activity by Americans, calories are built up and stored as fat, helping Americans to become more obese than the rest of the world (Eager).

Since Americans have such lush jobs, they need to make time to work out after work. This is often difficult for the majority of Americans. Mike Nezbitt, the athletic trainer and fitness coordinator of Northern Arizona University, stated in an interview that, "one main reason people do not find the time to work out is because after a stressful day at work, they just want to go home and relax." He also emphasized that, "people need to sacrifice some of their off-work time and get into the gym or jog a few miles at least three times a week to help ward off unfriendly pounds." The new modern day jobs are not allowing Americans to take care of what is most important, their bodies.

Diets and nutrition is one more major part of obesity in America. Dr. John Ryan reports in an article in the San Francisco Chronicle that, "more and more people are eating at fast food restaurants to make their lives more convenient." Since fast food chains are popping up everywhere, ordering a super sized extra value mean is as easier than ever. Americans find fast food as a quick, cheap way to eat as much as they can on the run. A large percent of Americans eat about two to three meals a day at fast food chains (Eager). These people do not realize that they are eating a whole daily amount of calories, fat, and saturated fat in just one 'super sized extra value meal' (Ryan). This new diet, compared to little or no physical activity destroys the human body in the form of obesity (Ryan). Again comparing Americans to the rest of the world, it is easy to see that other nations do not have a fraction of the fast food joints as the U.S. does. Instead, they eat healthier,