Global Obesity

Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserves stored in the fatty tissues of people's bodies are increased to a point where it is a risk factor for certain health conditions. Obesity has made a prominent impact on today's growing epidemic problem. Information about obesity and related health diseases are often scarcely known and to a lesser degree made well-known.

In the past 20 years alone, the percentage rate of obesity among adults has tripled. Obesity affects about one in 10 children in more heavily industrialized countries where food is not considered a scarcity. However, people have still chosen to ignore obesity and deem it not important enough to consider a disease. The percentage of young teen's ages 6-19 hold an estimate of nine million of them being obese. Since the 1970's, unhealthy obese kids have doubled among young children aged 2-5 years old and triple among those elementary school-aged. Obese children are at risk for health problems during their young age, as well as their adulthood. Overweight, or being over the healthy standard for body fat, is considered a flaw within your body as it leaves you more susceptible to fatal diseases. Some examples of diseases are: type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and many others that contribute to an earlier rate of death.

Over the past 30 years, fast food has seen big increase in sales, as Americans have come to rely more heavily on meals bought outside of their homes. On average, families within the United States spend one half of their food budgets on fast foods. Studies have found that once kids start developing a habit of eating fast food, they begin to consume more fat, sugar, and total calories subconsciously than fruits and vegetables; this in turn has led obesity to spike among young adults.

In another study, researchers have found that a majority of fast food locations are ideally located next to schools. As a matter of fact, there are three to four times as many fast food restaurants within a 1.5 kilometer distance from schools than predicted. Thirty-five percent of schools had at least one fast food restaurant within 400 meters, a devious ploy by the fast food corporation to hone in on hungry students, regardless for their health or well being.

As of currently, about 15.6 million Americans have diabetes and up to 95% of these cases have type 2 diabetes. Obesity is the leading contributor in risk factors for obtaining diabetes. Genetics do play a part in whether or not you are diagnosed with diabetes, but studies have proved that a more balanced, nutritional diet and regular exercise could help maintain a lower risk of having type 2 diabetes.

Another study found that in 1980, only one in 14 Australians was obese. By 1989, that figure had jumped to one in seven, and then in 1995, it was one in five. Based on current trends and research, analysts say that by 2025, 1 out of every 3 Australians could be obese if eating habits remained the same. In most of Western Europe, obesity levels range between 10 to 25 percent, while in large parts of the American continent, statistics could range from 20 to 25 percent. Levels are mainly high amongst ethnic groups such as the American Indians, Hispanic Americans, and Pacific Islanders. The highest obesity levels in the world are found among the urban populations of Western Samoa, affecting 60 percent of men and 80 percent of women.

The risk for type 2 diabetes varies among different cultures and size of population. Diabetes is known to pose higher risks for complication in different groups. African American men have one and half risk higher of developing Type 2 diabetes, while African American women have twice the risk as their white counterparts. Critics blame this on a lack of proper healthcare for African-Americans that live in places where they do not enjoy the same benefits as other places in the United States. Mexicans have a rate of double that of whites, posing them at risk also for heart problems. Low birth weight is now recognized risk factor for type 2 diabetes and heart disease later on in adulthood.

Childhood obesity affects 17 percent of kids, many of them who later grow up with health burdens that carry over into annual revenue of $100 billion in health care costs and six-figure death tolls annually.