In the United States a problem that is becoming more problematic is obesity, as it is becoming more prevalent and the amount of deaths related to it are increasing. The affects of obesity are also a problem because of its causes on the human body and its correlation with heart problems, cancer, diabetes, etc. A recent study shows, that of the United States adult population, more than a third are considered obese and this number continues to rise (Gore, Diallo, & Padilla, 2015). One of the major influences that help promote obesity is the environment of the person affected, one study suggests that some communities are more likely to promote diets that are high in fats and sugars; while some may do the opposite (Cook & Mueser, 2013). Therefore,
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On the contrary, obesity is not associated with the actual composition of the person, but the size of the person. In order to analyze if a person is classified as obese or not a test is conducted that results in a number that is referred to as BMI, also known as body mass index. Body mass index does not measure the amount of fat that a person’s body contains or how fat a person is, but how a persons weight correlates to his or her height. By utilizing this test one can identify whether he or she is considered to be underweight, normal, or overweight. According to JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, for an adult to be classified as obese he or she has to have a body mass index of 30 or higher, while a normal range is between 18.5 and 24.9 (Ogden, Kit, Carroll, & Flegal, …show more content…
This is true; in America, heart disease is currently the leading cause of death and according to one source, obesity has been associated with increased strain on the cardiovascular system, which also leads to an increased risk of heart failure (Lavie et al., 2013). This does not mean that heart disease is a leading cause of death due to the increased prevalence of obesity, but that there is a correlation between the two; so it doesn’t help it either. Another leading cause of death that has been found to have association with obesity is cancer. One study conducted reveled that obesity significantly increases the risk of having prostate cancer (Park, Cho, Lee, Son, & Jeong, 2014). Obesity has also shown correlation with other types of cancer, not just prostate. Also diabetes has also shown to have an association with obesity, more specifically type II diabetes (Garcia-Dominic et al., n.d.). Type II diabetes is the most common type of diabetes and can be developed at any age. The difference between type I and type II is that type I is where the cells that produce insulin are destroyed by the immune system and type II is when the body does not use insulin in the correct way and can eventually lead to insulin deficiency. So obesity is a major problem not only because it is becoming more prevalent, but also because it
On the contrary, obesity is not associated with the actual composition of the person, but the size of the person. In order to analyze if a person is classified as obese or not a test is conducted that results in a number that is referred to as BMI, also known as body mass index. Body mass index does not measure the amount of fat that a person’s body contains or how fat a person is, but how a persons weight correlates to his or her height. By utilizing this test one can identify whether he or she is considered to be underweight, normal, or overweight. According to JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, for an adult to be classified as obese he or she has to have a body mass index of 30 or higher, while a normal range is between 18.5 and 24.9 (Ogden, Kit, Carroll, & Flegal, …show more content…
This is true; in America, heart disease is currently the leading cause of death and according to one source, obesity has been associated with increased strain on the cardiovascular system, which also leads to an increased risk of heart failure (Lavie et al., 2013). This does not mean that heart disease is a leading cause of death due to the increased prevalence of obesity, but that there is a correlation between the two; so it doesn’t help it either. Another leading cause of death that has been found to have association with obesity is cancer. One study conducted reveled that obesity significantly increases the risk of having prostate cancer (Park, Cho, Lee, Son, & Jeong, 2014). Obesity has also shown correlation with other types of cancer, not just prostate. Also diabetes has also shown to have an association with obesity, more specifically type II diabetes (Garcia-Dominic et al., n.d.). Type II diabetes is the most common type of diabetes and can be developed at any age. The difference between type I and type II is that type I is where the cells that produce insulin are destroyed by the immune system and type II is when the body does not use insulin in the correct way and can eventually lead to insulin deficiency. So obesity is a major problem not only because it is becoming more prevalent, but also because it