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what is the toll of america's obesity?

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The obesity epidemic affects every region of the country and every demographic group. But rates have increased the fastest among low-income Americans and racial minorities, exacerbating pre-existing health disparities.

This economic burden hits low-income and otherwise disadvantaged populations the hardest, exacerbating income and wealth inequality. With insulin now costing up to $900 a month, a diagnosis of diabetes can mean financial ruin for a low-wage worker, especially if it results in uncompensated sick days or underemployment.

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The more the government must spend on healthcare and the more tax revenues it loses, the less there is for discretionary spending (such as education, highways, the environment and defense) and safety net services.

- The epidemic substantially increases federal entitlement spending for medical costs through Medicare, Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income, while the resulting lower worker productivity reduces tax revenues.

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Weight-related complications like hypertension, fatty liver, orthopedic problems, sleep apnea and Type 2 diabetes are bad enough when they strike in middle age. But they have become relatively commonplace at pediatricians’ practices across the country. In adults, obesity substantially increases the risk for some of the most feared illnesses, like heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s.

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At all ages, obesity is associated with social isolation, depression and other major mental health problems. as well as decline in life expentency.

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Nearly four out of 10 adults are obese; for children, it’s nearly two out of 10. Most 2-year-olds today will develop obesity by age 35

Around 70% of the adult population is overweight

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Farm policies have made low-nutritional commodities exceptionally cheap, providing the food industry with enormous incentive to market processed foods composed mainly of refined grains and added sugars. In contrast, vegetables, whole fruits, legumes, nuts and high-quality proteins are much more expensive and, in “food deserts,” often unavailable. Processed foods are heavily advertised, even in educational materials directed at young children. And as cheap calories have flooded the environment, opportunities to burn off those calories at school, in recreation and through physically active modes of transportation have declined because of the increase in other modes of transportation such as cars, buses, and trains.

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Obesity has always existed throughout the decades, and yet always looked at as negative. The first recorded obese person was in England around the early 1800s, where England was a flourishing, rich nation. As the first wave of settlers came to America, obesity would only appear  centuries later. The Great Depression had a large toll on the health of Americans so food companies and the government decided to make low-cost high-calorie foods. This was done by adding subsidies in crops to produce high quantity, low quality which was fit for the time. But the first sudden increase of fat and sugar intake in America started in the 1980s and 1990s.Their initial goal was reducing the malnutrition of children. America’s sharp surge from 1990 with a less than 10% obesity rate jumped to 2004 with a 30% obesity rate all the way to a 42.2%  obesity rate today. Although the rise in obesity peaked in the later half of the 20th century, experts note that life insurance firms began using weight as a criterion for deciding premiums as early as the 1930s, when they recognized that simply being overweight increased the risk of dying young. National surveys conducted by the government in the 1960s revealed a distinct trend toward greater, more heavier weight. It's possible that industrialization contributed to the weight growth tendency in first-world nations. In the more recent years, convenience of transportation and the several options of fast foods, which are cooked with richer fat and sugar, are popular while Americans started leading more sedentary lives, which combined to cause weight increase. With the lack of daily exercise that has seemed to be abandoned, the constant commercialization of unhealthy and “easy” foods, and the common high-sugar ingredients in American products, obesity is on high rise compared to every country.

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Health threat

The biggest toll of obesity in the USA is the toll on your wellbeing. The more obesity is affecting one’s everyday life, the higher chance of developing diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and several other diseases.

Nutritional consultation

To combat obesity, America needs to increase health and nutritional education throughout schools, packaging, and commercials.

Weight management

The hardest thing to control for those who are obese is their weight. Keeping your weight at a normal range is a part of healthy aging and preventing diseases.

Cost

The cost of obesity is far greater than expected. Although the food obese people, on average, are buying are a lot cheaper compared to healthier alternatives, the government and hospital treatments are outweighing the costs of these foods to not be worth it.

BMI

Body mass index is a value derived from the weight and height for a person. Obese/overweight individuals are usually scaled with their BMI. It’s important to be in a specific range of BMI depending on height and weight.

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how are so many americans obese?

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who is affected the most by obesity?

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what is the effect of obesity?