Obesity

Essay by Lessnes1College, UndergraduateA, October 2014

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Lessne 1

The Fight Against Obesity

Obesity has become one of the biggest public health problems in the history of America. It is devastating the health of millions and draining our economy, sending our nation down a road of devastation. In a recent analysis done by the RTI (response to intervention) it was found that $147 billion dollars a year are being spent on medical conditions associated with obesity. That is nearly 10 percent of the medical spending in the United States, being wasted on a preventable disease. The health consequences of obesity are virtually fatal; according to the national institutes of health approximately 300,000 deaths per year are due to health problems directly related to the obesity epidemic. Obesity is not only costing the United States billions of dollars, studies show it is shaving 6-7 years off of the average life expectancy. It is apparent that this epidemic needs immediate attention in terms of prevention.

In a perfect world obesity is simply the result of an energy imbalance, however it is far more complex. The most influential factor contributing to this multifaceted problem that America is facing is environment and that is where the implement of policy is needed.

According to the medical dictionary (mayoclinic.org) obesity occurs when you take in more calories than you burn, which then leads your body to store the excess calories as fat. As your body mass increases, so does your risk for serious health disease. This being said, there are two factors of America that are not properly functioning, the physical level to burn caloric intake, and the amount or content of caloric measures the nation is consuming. Why can't we just simply eat less and exercise more? It's not that easy.

When it comes to the level of physical activity done...