Obesity, an epidemic in the United States

According to surveys done by various organizations including the Center for Disease Control, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), obesity in the United States is a serious and growing epidemic. In the United States, approximately 300,000 deaths a year are attributed to obesity (Pr Newswire, 1999). In comparison, Ohio is ranked 31st (ranked best to worst) in 1999, among 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, for the number of adults who reported being overweight (as cited in the Ohio Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System report). The rapid increase in obesity suggests that there are a large number of changes in today's society that are contributing to weight gain.

The clinical definition of obesity is usually expressed in terms of body mass index (BMI), which is derived by dividing one's weight by the square of one's height (Allison & Saunders, 2000). In 1997, the World Health Organization defined various classifications of overweight and obesity. Overweight is defined as a BMI greater than 25 and obesity i

Today's technological advances in medicine have increased are life expectancy. With people living longer brings chronic illnesses such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, arthritis respiratory illness and numerous other ailments. As stated earlier, obesity is linked to these chronic conditions. Providing care to the obese especially bed bound patients can be overwhelming and difficult. Better understanding by those in the healthcare profession is needed to provide the deserved adequate and compassionate care of obesity and weight problems.

Ohio Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2000, June).

One area of prevention is children. Treatment of childhood obesity could be seen as a public health preventative effort focused on a group at high risk of developing adulthood obesity. Treatment of childhood obesity is different than treating adult obesity because it occurs in the context of growth and development (Schmitz & Jeffery, 2000). Treating childhood obesity can be complicated because of the risk of increasing negative eating and exercise habits associated with the development of eating disorders and risk of social isolation while in treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) Report, Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic (1998), suggests three settings appropriate for prevention and treatment of childhood obesity: primary healthcare, family-based interventions, and school-based interventions. Primary health care interventions would include programs based in a medical care setting, that focus on dietary changes, activity changes, education about nutrition and exercise habits, behavioral modification training, and family involvement (Schmitz & Jeffery). School-based program could be successful because the large amount of contact time with schoolchildren, the existing organizational, social and communication structures and the ability to reach a large percentage of children in the population at low cost (Schmitz & Jeffery). One or two meals are eaten at school 5 days a week. School based interventions on obese children include behavioral modification, nutrition and exercise education, parental involvement and peer support.

Government, agricultural agencies, food industry, media, mass marketing and consumer groups have attempted to address the current obesity epidemic. Resistance to environmental and legislative changes to prevent obesity is strong because it means all members of the community may be required to make changes to deal with the problem (Schmitz & Jeffery, 2000). Other chronic diseases, including hypertension, dyslipidemia and coronary heart disease remain a higher priority for treatment and prevention due to the fact that third party reimbursement for treatment of those diseases and rarely is obesity reimbursed, despite that obesity contributes to the development of these medical conditions (Schmitz & Jeffery)." For any significant progress in changing to population obesity prevalence, obesity treatment and prevention need to move higher on the priority list for clinicians as well as government, education, industry and community action groups"(

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2098
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)