The Obesity Epidemic

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Апрель 4, 2009

The Obesity Epidemic

The

Hello. My name is Gina, I’m 17 years old, and I weigh 340 pounds (155 kg). I’ve been overweight since I was 12 years old. I used
to go to school, but I dropped out because people make fun  of me. I have missed my entire time in high school because of
being I suffer from depression, anxiety, and a fear of leaving my house. I hate my body so much it’s insane. I wish I could lose all this in a heartbeat, but I know it is not possible. All I am able to do is sit around in the house all day. When I do go out, I can’t bring myself to get out of the car.

I joined a gym, but I don’t know what good that’s going to do; I am too embarrassed even to go. I feel so guilty for letting myself get so big. I wish I could just live an ordinary teenage life and have cute boys look at me and not pick on me. I wish I could go out and enjoy life instead of being afraid all the time. I wish I could simply go to a store and sexy clothing, bell-bottoms, tank tops, and a bikini, but I can’t because they don’t make that kind of clothing in my size.

I know I’m not the only person in the world, but being a teenager and watching all these other skinny teenage girls makes me feel like I am the only [ one. I feel like such a freak. I wish I could change, but it’s so hard. I really need some support right now. I wish all these pretty, skinny, in-shape people could just respect me, but that will never happen because of the way I look.

(Story adapted from an excerpt on the American
Association Website, http://pythontail.org)

This is one of the many stories that describe how an adolescent feels when he or she is Overweight and are
growing problems. These conditions have reached epidemic proportions in the United States and in most industrialized nations around the world. An explosion in the variety and availability of high-calorie, high-fat convenience foods and the fact that people are exercising less and performing less manual labor have added to the problem. All of the social stigmas involved with being overweight may lead to improper use of aids designed to decrease Once they have decided to adolescents, just like adults, want to lose excess as quickly as possible and may do so in ways that are not healthy and do not lead to maintenance of over a long period of time.

DEFINITION OF OVERWEIGHT AND
Most people believe someone is if they look “fat.” This is not true. Health-care professionals and scientists have developed specific definitions for the words overweight and Overweight and are not determined solely by an individual’s but are defined in terms of a person’s relative to his or her height. Doctors and researchers use a special set of measurements and mathematical formulas to determine whether a person is overweight or

BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)
The body mass index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person’s and height that can be used to estimate his or her level of body fat. A person is classified as healthy, overweight, or based on his or her BMI. The BMI value can be helpful in assessing the health risks a person may face because he or she is carrying too much A person’s BMI is reported as kg/m2 (Figure 1.1). Adults with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 are considered overweight. Adults with a BMI over 30 kg/m2 are considered Being

BODY MASS INDEX

BODY MASS INDEX

Figure 1.1 The body mass index (BMI) is a formula that calculateswhether a person is an ideal body overweight, or
The formula used to calculate BMI considers a person’s and height. BMI has some limitations. It may not be accurate for people who are very muscular, such as bodybuilders, and people with very little muscle mass, such as the elderly. BMI is one of several factors health-care providers consider when they determine whether a person is overweight or Note that this BMI chart is designed for adults who are age 20 or older.

The
Overweight and are not mutually exclusive; all individuals are also considered overweight. A measurement called the percentile of BMI is used to identify overweight and in and adolescents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an organization that defines the healthy height and information for growing that is found on national growth charts, avoids using the word for and adolescents. The CDC chooses not to use the word
because are still growing and may “grow into” their Instead, the CDC suggests two levels into which overweight or can be placed:

  1. The 85th percentile, defining those who are at risk for becoming
  2. The 95th percentile, the more severe level used to describe who are already

BMI (and percentile of BMI) is only one factor in determining a person’s related health risk. Having a BMI in
the “healthy” range does not necessarily mean that a person is fit and healthy. BMI does not take into account lean body mass or body frame. A muscular, large-framed person’s BMI could indicate that he or she is but other factors would show that this is not the case.

The presence of excess fat in the stomach area is also a negative factor to be considered in overweight individuals.
People who have fat in the abdomen that is out of proportion to their total body fat have what is called central A person with central is defined as having a circumference, or distance around the waist, of greater than 40 inches in adult men and greater than 35 inches in adult women.

Studies have shown that people with central have a higher risk of related health problems than do people whose body fat is more evenly distributed. The reason for this is not known, but health studies have shown that there is a significant increase in heart problems in people with central

HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH
is currently the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States.1 Being overweight and can contribute to death by causing or worsening many different diseases, including but not limited to:

Two of the biggest health problems that overweight individuals face are a greatly elevated risk of heart disease and
stroke. The American Heart Association (AHA) has found a direct link between these health conditions and being overweight. Heart disease is now the number-one killer of women in the United States, and the rise of overweight and can be directly correlated to it.2 The 13 A person’s risk of developing these health conditions increases as his or her BMI increases, so individuals are at higher risk than overweight individuals.

of even 10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 6.8 kg) in adults and can decrease the risk of developing health problems such as diabetes and hypertension. This can also help to control or lessen the severity of these conditions in patients already afflicted with these conditions. As previously noted, adults with central are at higher risk of developing many of these conditions than are people with evenly distributed
body fat. also have an increased incidence of health problems.As the prevalence of has increased in there has been a similar rise in diseases that were previously rare in including type II diabetes and hypertension
(high blood pressure).

There is a high incidence of among with asthma, which may indicate a link between the two conditions. There is also an increase in bone and joint complications in During childhood, bone and cartilage is still growing and developing, and is not strong enough to bear excess

THROUGH THE AGES

As far back as ancient Egypt, being overweight was a sign of wealth, not a sign that a person lacked self-control. People inthe early 16th century dined on avocados, chili peppers, milk, and potatoes—a very high in fat. As recently as the 1950s, famous stars like Marilyn Monroe were not considered overweight, but wore a size 12 and had the kind of curves every woman wanted. Fast-forward to the Hollywood stars of today—like Halle Berry and Heather Locklear—and you see thin and seemingly “perfect” women who reflect a wholesale change in how beauty is perceived and defined in our culture.


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