The Rise in Obesity Rate in America
Look around you, if you are in a public place with other people around you then you are more than likely to see at least one person who is obese or on the verge of being obese. Obesity is now considered a disease in America by multiple healthcare professionals. Even with all the precautions and warnings given to Americans why is it that the obesity rate continues to rise? Does it have to do with the lack of exercise, poor eating habits, or factors that most Americans don’t know about? Even with the multiple organizations created to education Americans on obesity and its effects, does the American population even have the correct education and knowledge of obesity and the effects it can have on their lives? …show more content…
Even though that obesity is now considered a disease, it is responsible for many other diseases. Diseases that obesity cause include: heart disease, diabetes, liver and gallbladder diseases, high blood pressure, and many different cancers. World Health Organization ( WHO ) says that “two point eight million people die each year from complications caused from being obese”. In 2012 the estimated cost of obesity-related medical cost were up to $147 billion. Researchers estimate this cost could increase by $60 billion by 2030 ( “Obesity” page 3 ). That’s $30 billion dollars in fourteen years and a total of more than $200 billion dollars in medical bills. The cost of obesity is not only increasing in a medical aspect. Schools are having to pay more for larger seats and desks. Public transports are having to pay more in gas so that they can transport heavier passengers, which means that passengers (of all sizes) are having to pay more for transportation. Obesity is also costing employers because of sick days and the fact that obesity affects productivity. To make these statistics worse they are only expected to rise as the number of obese Americans …show more content…
There are two different Bariatric surgeries, restrictive and malabsorptive. In restrictive bariatric surgery, surgeons reduce the stomach capacity so that the patient can eat smaller amounts of food and feel full. Malabsorptive bariatric surgery is more complex. In malabsorptive bariatric surgery, surgeons reduce the length of the small intestine so that the digestive juices do not mix with food until just right before it enters the large intestine. As a result the digestive system digests food poorly, and absorbs fewer calories, proteins and fat. Leading to weight loss. Bariatric surgery can produce loss of fifty to sixty-five percent of excess body weight within one to two years (“Bariatric Surgery”, 1 ). 170,000 bypass surgeries are done annually, even with all the risk that are included with the surgery. Risks included in having a surgery that reduces the size of your stomach are: infection, hernias, vitamin and nutrition deficiencies, bleeding, blood clots, and respiratory failure. Findings in the Medical Care reveal that twenty-two percent of patients have complications before they even left the hospital (Erdely, 4). An AHRQ study has shown that four in ten patients develop complications within six months of their surgery. With all these surgeries that have been done, even considering the risk, you would think the success rate would be high, but unfortunately many patients begin
Look around you, if you are in a public place with other people around you then you are more than likely to see at least one person who is obese or on the verge of being obese. Obesity is now considered a disease in America by multiple healthcare professionals. Even with all the precautions and warnings given to Americans why is it that the obesity rate continues to rise? Does it have to do with the lack of exercise, poor eating habits, or factors that most Americans don’t know about? Even with the multiple organizations created to education Americans on obesity and its effects, does the American population even have the correct education and knowledge of obesity and the effects it can have on their lives? …show more content…
Even though that obesity is now considered a disease, it is responsible for many other diseases. Diseases that obesity cause include: heart disease, diabetes, liver and gallbladder diseases, high blood pressure, and many different cancers. World Health Organization ( WHO ) says that “two point eight million people die each year from complications caused from being obese”. In 2012 the estimated cost of obesity-related medical cost were up to $147 billion. Researchers estimate this cost could increase by $60 billion by 2030 ( “Obesity” page 3 ). That’s $30 billion dollars in fourteen years and a total of more than $200 billion dollars in medical bills. The cost of obesity is not only increasing in a medical aspect. Schools are having to pay more for larger seats and desks. Public transports are having to pay more in gas so that they can transport heavier passengers, which means that passengers (of all sizes) are having to pay more for transportation. Obesity is also costing employers because of sick days and the fact that obesity affects productivity. To make these statistics worse they are only expected to rise as the number of obese Americans …show more content…
There are two different Bariatric surgeries, restrictive and malabsorptive. In restrictive bariatric surgery, surgeons reduce the stomach capacity so that the patient can eat smaller amounts of food and feel full. Malabsorptive bariatric surgery is more complex. In malabsorptive bariatric surgery, surgeons reduce the length of the small intestine so that the digestive juices do not mix with food until just right before it enters the large intestine. As a result the digestive system digests food poorly, and absorbs fewer calories, proteins and fat. Leading to weight loss. Bariatric surgery can produce loss of fifty to sixty-five percent of excess body weight within one to two years (“Bariatric Surgery”, 1 ). 170,000 bypass surgeries are done annually, even with all the risk that are included with the surgery. Risks included in having a surgery that reduces the size of your stomach are: infection, hernias, vitamin and nutrition deficiencies, bleeding, blood clots, and respiratory failure. Findings in the Medical Care reveal that twenty-two percent of patients have complications before they even left the hospital (Erdely, 4). An AHRQ study has shown that four in ten patients develop complications within six months of their surgery. With all these surgeries that have been done, even considering the risk, you would think the success rate would be high, but unfortunately many patients begin