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?