REPLIES: Reply to two of your classmates that live in different states. Compare and contrast your state’s obesity data to theirs (see attachment for my initial discussion) and discuss obesity preventi

Running Head: OBESITY-AN AMERICAN EPIDEMIC 0

Obesity-An American Epidemic

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The following photo shows the state of obesity in the United States.

This photo shows two types of foods that cause obesity. On the left are French fries which contain a lot of fats. On the right is a sandwich which has also been widely associated with obesity. This is because it contains a lot of hidden sugars and fats. These are common fast food in the United States.

The obesity rate in Florida is higher than it was thought before. Earlier statistics showed that the obesity rate at the state was at 28%. However, emerging evidence based on clinical data repository shows that the obesity rate in the state is at 37.1% (Agovino, Crociata & Sacco, 2019). This suggests that most people in Florida are consuming foods that have high fat and sugar contents. The costs associated with obesity in Florida are very high. Evidence suggests that the medical cost for obesity in the state was about $342.2 billion. The indirect costs associated with the conditions are estimated to be 8.54 annually (Agovino, Crociata & Sacco, 2019).

However, the obesity rate in Florida is lower (37.1%) as compared to the overall rate in the United States (42.4%). The prevalence among men and women is the same compared to the national statistics. 17.8% of young people in the state are obese as compared to 20.3% in the national statistics. This gives Florida a rating of 8/51 among all the districts and states in the country. Statistics show that data in Florida have stayed stable for the last two years as compared to other states in the country which have seen a significant surge in the number of people with obesity. The obesity rate among adults in Florida (30.6%) is lower as compared to the national average (30.9%) (Agovino, Crociata & Sacco, 2019).

There are significant health disparities in Miami Beach, Florida. Obesity is more prevalent among women as compared to men. Studies show that 39% of women and 34.5% of men are obese in the state. However, studies suggest that the obesity rate of men (28%) is higher compared to that of women (26.8%) (Lemas et al., 2019). Among the ethnic and racial groups, the blacks have the highest obesity rate. A recent study indicated an overall obesity rate of 35.2% for non-Hispanic whites, 37.1% for Hispanics and 45.7% for blacks (Lemas et al., 2019). Obesity is more prevalent for people aged between 45-65 years as compared to younger people and people above 65 years (Filipp et al., 2018).

In Miami Beach, adults who have not graduated from high school are more likely to become obese as compared to those who have graduated. Statistics also show that obesity is more prevalent among households with an annual income of less than $25 thousand as compared to households with an income of above $75 thousand. Evidence also suggests that the rate of obesity is more for children between 6 years and 14 years as compared to people between 14 and 24 years old (Filipp et al., 2018). People in Miami Beach need to adopt effective strategies to reduce these numbers and have better health outcomes.

References

Agovino, M., Crociata, A., & Sacco, P. L. (2019). Proximity effects in obesity rates in the US: A Spatial Markov Chains approach. Social Science & Medicine, 220, 301-311. Retrieve from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953618306476

Filipp, S. L., Cardel, M., Hall, J., Essner, R. Z., Lemas, D. J., Janicke, D. M., ... & Nelson, D. R. (2018). Characterization of adult obesity in Florida using the One Florida clinical research consortium. Obesity science & practice, 4(4), 308-317. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/osp4.274

Lemas, D. J., Cardel, M. I., Filipp, S. L., Hall, J., Essner, R. Z., Smith, S. R., ... & Hogan, W. R. (2019). Objectively measured pediatric obesity prevalence using the One Florida Clinical Research Consortium. Obesity research & clinical practice, 13(1), 12-15. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871403X18302692