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Why Are The US Citizens Rapidly Becoming More Obese?

Results of a first-of-its-kind trend data analysis involving 188 countries worldwide indicate that the highest percentage of people with obesity – 13 percent of the world’s total – reside in the United States, a nation that accounts for just 5 percent of the overall global population. Approximately 160 million US citizens are either overweight or obese, with almost 60 percent of adult women and 75 percent of grown-up men living in the country constituting this population group. American youngsters are not spared either, as nearly 30 percent of girls and boys aged 20 years or younger are plump and flabby, indicative of an 11 percent increase in the number of obese American children since 1980 (Murray et al.). Indeed, a majority of US citizens is currently fatter than the recommendation of medical science, and weights are still on the rise despite efforts to educate individuals about the health risks associated with obesity. Why are Americans rapidly becoming more obese? This paper argues that the US citizens are becoming more overweight because of American culture, technical changes in the preparation of food, and inactivity.

The Significance of the Research

The importance of researching why Americans are increasingly becoming overweight is manifest in the costs of obesity for individuals and the nation at large. Obesity, which in simple terms refers to an excess of body fat that causes adverse effects in the health and overall wellbeing of individuals, exacerbates the risk for contracting various illnesses and impairs life quality for both children and adults (Rippe 1131). The health risks include heart disease, osteoarthritis, polycystic ovarian disease, sleep apnea, gout, and a wide range of cancer types, such as liver, kidney, pancreatic, and breast cancers, all of which can lead to death, causing pain and distress to the relatives and friends of the deceased person. Fatness also increases the possibility of developing metabolic conditions, such as diabetes, fatty liver syndrome, and hypertension (Cusi). The burden of such illnesses is not trivial, as they can lead to premature death, disability, and lost productivity, all of which have significant implications for the obese individual, his or her family and friends, and the United States at large.

Obesity also leads to an increase in the financial resources that Americans spend on healthcare either as individuals or as a nation. Indeed, the medical costs associated with being grossly fat are enormous and increasing, evident in the findings of a study conducted by experts in the medical care sector from 2008 to 2015. The results of the research indicate that the United States expends at least $209 billion of its medical care budget on obesity (Kim, & Basu 602). Putting that into perspective, consider that the figure is nearly half of the estimated US deficit for the year 2018, implying that the country spends almost one in every five dollars allocated to healthcare in the treatment of obesity-related illnesses. The expenditure is also high among individuals, as evident in the outcomes of a survey that found that obese US citizens spend 80 percent more than normal-weight Americans on prescription medication (Cusi). Hence, obesity directly or indirectly affects all people living in the United States. Gaining an understanding of the reasons why the US inhabitants are rapidly becoming fat will help in the formulation of approaches that Americans can adopt to prevent corpulence and ensure a healthier and brighter future for US children.

Reasons Why the US Citizens Are Rapidly Becoming Obese

One of the principal reasons why the US population is quickly becoming overweight lies in the country’s culture. The American society is organized around a culture of productivity and long hours of work that leads to unhappy people, unbalanced lives, and an unhealthy lifestyle. Sadness and stress stemming from workplace pressures can stimulate an individual to overeat, leading to obesity. Moreover, for most Americans that struggle between paychecks and long working hours, the foods that make the most sense are those that are processed and packaged. Such food normally contains a significant amount of calories that lead to plumpness when consumed in excess. Additionally, the US has a tradition of overindulging during holidays, when most American citizens consume sugary treats and junk food (Cusi). As such, the taste buds of US children develop based on sweetened and fatty food choices, a habit that follows them into adulthood, resulting in the rapid increase in the number of obese Americans.

Technical changes in the preparation of food are another reason why US inhabitants are increasingly becoming fat. Up until the 21st century, the majority of American families cooked their meals and consumed them at home. However, since the turn of the millennium, the United States has experienced a tremendous revolution in mass food production (Philipson). Technological innovations, such as vacuum packaging, microwaves, deep-freezing, artificial flavors, and enhanced preservatives have enabled manufacturers to prepare food centrally and distribute it to the end users for rapid consumption. Such changes have led to processed, packaged, and fatty food such as French fries that contain high caloric levels being the dominant forms of nutriments that US denizens eat (Forman et al.). Technological transformations have also led to reduced costs of food preparation, leading to consumption of more meals and a resultant increase in caloric intake that contributes to high rates of obesity among Americans.

Lastly, Americans are rapidly becoming obese because of lack of exercise and overall inactivity. It has been decades since most US citizens worked on factory floors and in agricultural fields, and currently the majority of the people residing in the country sits throughout their workday. According to the findings of one study, only 20 percent of today’s American jobs require at least a moderate level of physical activity in comparison to 50 percent of occupations five decades ago. Moreover, a significant proportion of the American population travels by automobiles or train when they go to work or school rather than walking to their destination. At the end of the day, a substantial percentage of US inhabitants do not get sufficient physical exercise (Public Health). Add that to the high amount of caloric intake among Americans, and you get a perfect recipe for the rapid weight gain that is prevalent in American society.

Conclusion

As is evident from the results of the research study, various factors, including the American culture, technological changes in food preparation and inactivity explain why the US citizens are increasingly becoming more obese. Obesity directly or indirectly affects all people living in the United States. It exacerbates the risk for contracting various illnesses, leads to premature death, which causes pain and distress to the relatives and friends of the deceased, and results in an increase in the financial resources that Americans spend on healthcare either as individuals or as a nation. Without a doubt, the US needs a more effective, systematic approach to dealing with the obesity epidemic, which has sunk to the bottom of a vast reservoir of health problems that currently plague the nation. Gaining an understanding of the reasons why US inhabitants are rapidly becoming fat can help in the development of preventive interventions that reduce the high rates of obesity in the country and ensure a healthier and brighter future for American children.

Works Cited

Cusi, Kenneth. “Our Fight with Fat: Why Is Obesity Getting Worse?” The Conversation, The Conversation Africa, Inc., 26 Dec. 2017, theconversation.com/our-fight-with-fat-why-is-obesity-getting-worse-86601.

Forman, Evan, et al. "Could Technology Help Us Tackle the Obesity Crisis?" (2016): FSO151.

Kim, David D., and Anirban Basu. "Estimating the Medical Care Costs of Obesity in the United States: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Empirical Analysis." Value in Health 19.5 (2016): 602-613, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27565277.

Murray, Christopher, et al. “The Vast Majority of American Adults Are Overweight or Obese, and Weight Is a Growing Problem among US Children.” IHME, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 28 May 2014, www.healthdata.org/news-release/vast-majority-american-adults-are-overweight-or-obese-and-weight-growing-problem-among.

Philipson, Tomas. “Innovation Caused The Obesity Epidemic- Will It Also Reverse It?” Forbes, Forbes Media LLC., 19 Sept. 2014, www.forbes.com/sites/tomasphilipson/2014/09/19/innovation-caused-the-obesity-epidemic-will-it-also-reverse-it/#1a3ad5857051.

Public Health. “Why Are Americans Obese?” PublicHealth, PublicHealth.org, 2018, www.publichealth.org/public-awareness/obesity/

Rippe, James. Lifestyle Medicine. CRC Press, 2014, books.google.co.ke/books?id=8mzB7ceBz2EC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Lifestyle+Medicine+by+James+Rippe&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj74u77vv7fAhWNDxQKHYDFCucQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=Lifestyle%20Medicine%20by%20James%20Rippe&f=false.