The Obesity Epidemic

Essential Questions:

• What are some of the main causes of the rise in obesity worldwide?
• How will the continued rise in obesity effect our healthcare and society?

Obesity is one the rise with one out of every three U.S. Americans considered obese. The effects of obesity are detrimental to the health of our nation and the world but also to our society. Obesity affects health care costs and jobs too. More than 10% of all health costs are related to obesity. Whether it be from cancer, strokes, heart disease, or type 2 diabetes; people who are considered obese spend around 42% more on health care than people who are at a healthy weight. Obesity is also linked to lower productivity and more sick days at work. 

This problem is not solely a U.S. problem though our country seems to be the worst, the whole world has seen a dramatic increase in the number of obese people in the past thirty years. Obesity accounts for 3.4 million deaths worldwide annually, with around 1.4 billion people worldwide considered to be obese. Food prices and accessibility changes throughout the years have contributed to this issue, along with the lessening necessity of physical activity in our daily lives. The developing world has seen some of the more harsh populations of obesity especially in urban areas because healthier food choices are more expensive. The cheaper the budget, the easier it is to settle for foods and resources that do not hold nutritional value but still satisfy. A key factor in softening the blow of obesity in the world is eradicating childhood obesity. 42 million children were overweight or obese last year, and by 2030 that number is expected to double. Children in low to medium income families are at a higher risk for developing obesity linked diseases and being overweight because of a lack of nutrition. 

Quick Facts:

• If Medicare and Medicaid did not have to deal with obesity costs they would be spending around 11% less money, or $61.8 billion.
• Around $210 billion are spent on obesity related health care costs annually
• Worldwide obesity has doubled since 1980

Visit this link: http://healthyamericans.org/report/100/ and examine state by state analyses of obesity and other health issues like type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, strokes, arthritis, and cancer. Click around to some of the different states and see how their different obesity rates and healthcare costs change and what steps can be taken to help lower the percentage of obese citizens and then answer these questions.

1.) How much money on health care could be saved in California with the lowering of BMI's by 2030?

2.) Which state has the highest percentage of obesity predicted by 2030?

3.) What is the projected obesity rate in Pennsylvania by 2030?

Map of percentage of obese populations in the United States

Hidden costs of obesity

Effects of obesity on the body

Read and listen to these sources and then answer the discussion post below:

Listen to this article about how obesity not only has adverse effects on our health but also economically : http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/11/20/365514156/the-whole-world-is-fat-and-that-ends-up-costing-two-trillion-a-year

More statistics on obesity around the world, causes for the obesity problem, and ways to combat the epidemic: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/

Discussion Post:

Do you think that there is cause for concern? If so, what steps do you think could/should be taken to help lessen or eliminate the effects of obesity? And what are the realistic expectations for change in today's society? 

Environmental Good News

Environmental Good News Post 

Non-Pesticide Management

Pesticides were introduced in Andhra Pradesh, India around 20 years ago after cotton was also introduced into the region. The farmers in the area were already producing groundnuts, sorghum, chili, and rice as cash crops and welcomed the introduction of cotton as it would be lucrative for them. The cost of insecticides was low when cotton was first being farmed, because there were not many cotton eating/killing bugs or pests in that region at the time. The farmers began to use the pesticides and insecticides on all of their crops  which led to more cotton bugs like worms and caterpillars becoming prevalent. The pests began to evolve resist the pesticides so more was needed more often. Farmers and those who dealt with the insecticides and pesticides in close proximity began to notice health issues. The toxins also pervaded the water supply and left the region sick with headaches, rashes, sickness, nausea, acute poisoning, and vision problems. Farmers even noticed deaths in livestock that fed near the sprayed areas. The farmers would spend a lot of money on pesticides and then more for their health issues, and even more money to try and keep the pests and insects under control. The debt trap lead to suicides in the villages and negative societal effects. With these issues a project began in 2008 to lead farmers in Andhra Pradesh away from pesticide usage, and into a technique called Non-Pesticide Management.

Non-Pesticide Management utilizes the principles of biological pest control through natural predators, trap crops, plant nutrition, field cleanliness, and plant population control. This initiative included around 3,171 villages in Andhra Pradesh where they used many pesticide alternatives. A chili-garlic solution and a cow dung/urine solution were used on the cotton plants which killed and repelled the insects effectively and naturally. Bird perches are set up around the fields to encourage the birds to eat the pests. Another common method is trap crops. Trap crops are planted away from cotton fields and attract the insects where they are manually removed. Some common plants are marigolds, castor, and green gum. These alternative methods do require a lot more manual/ physical labor but leave the farmers healthier and allows them to continue to grow their crops. An NGO, SECURE or Socio-Economic and Cultural Upliftment in Rural Environments, has helped farmers begin and be successful in the non-pesticide management. Some villages have been declared pesticide free in the past years. Villagers report that more birds have returned to the area which makes pest control a bit easier, there was no insecticide smell surrounding the village, and there were no more cases of insecticide poisoning. Farmers have a larger income as well because they no longer have to spend money on insecticides and various costs that come with pesticide usage. 

A video story of the Andhra Pradesh pesticide removal, an overview of the Non-Pesticide Management utilization. 

Unfortunately, this method of non-pesticide management is not used as commonly as it should be. The farmers who undertook the hard work of no pesticides on their crops were extremely brave. This management requires a lot of manual labor, but overall the farmers were better for it. They grew healthier crops and became healthier themselves without all of the toxins. Though the usage of this management is not widespread there is hope that more farms and villages will realize the benefits of non-pesticide farming.