Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on obesity as a public problem.

Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on obesity as a public problem. Rate of Obesity in Adults

Approximately 68 per cent of grownups are having obesity and in America, only 75 million grownups are obese, according to National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2007-2008.

Rate of Obesity in Children

The rate of obesity is on the rise in children as well. The rate of obesity among the children between the ages of 2 to 5 years has more than doubled in the last 30 years, while the rate of obesity among the children between the ages of 6 to 11 years has tripled in the last 30 years and the rate of obesity in youngsters between the ages of 12 to 19 years has increased to more than triple in the last 30 years. Furthermore, according to statistics I child in every 6 children is obese and almost 17 per cent of American children between the ages of 2 to 19 years have obesity.

Why does Obesity need to be addressed? Obesity does not only cause an increase in weight and makes one lazy but it also gives rise to many other health problems which remain connected with the obese person for the lifetime. The person having obesity has greater chances of having diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, some kind of cancers, gout, arthritis, coronary thrombosis and&nbsp.gall bladder, liver disorders and certain long-lasting illnesses. It has been shown by research that a child who has obese becomes overweight and takes obesity in his adulthood. In the United States only among adults of age 20 and older 13 per cent have diabetes and among these 13 per cent 40 per cent have not been diagnosed earlier with obesity, the statistics have been shown by 2005-2006 NHANES survey. 95 per cent of all diabetics have type 2 diabetes and almost all of the undiagnosed patients having diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes does not have any symptoms and the increased risks of having type 2 diabetes and heart diseases which majorly include heart attacks or strokes are caused by pre-diabetes.

Causes and alternatives for Obesity

Obesity is usually caused as a result of eating more food as compared to the physiological requirement of the body. People who do not take part in the activities of life actively prefers sedentary routine and are habitual of taking in food more than required by their daily lifestyle are prone to become obese. People do not succeed in adjusting their desire for eating food according to their requirement gain weight and as a result, become obese. The possibility of occurrence of obese is equal in both sexes i.e. male and female and can arise at any age. Normally women become obese after their pregnancy or in menopause. During pregnancy women usually gains a lot of weight which they fail to shed after the birth of their newborn. This extra fat stored in their body makes them obese. The problem of obesity is a serious public issue and should be dealt with seriously as this excessive storage of fat is the cause of having stress not only on the heart but also on kidneys and liver as well. This extra weight caused by the excessive storage of fats puts a strain on the joints like knees, ankles and hips that causes shortening of the duration of life. Though recently much has been done to increase the awareness about obesity and the dangers it causes to human life but a lot is still left to be done. Isolated, bored, unloved, hopeless, sad, unsatisfied and displeased with their family members, financial dissatisfied are the people who become involved in the habit of overeating because they find pleasure and comfort in eating.