The Epidemic Of The Obesity Epidemic Essay - 1488 Words

Introduction The World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity as the excessive accumulation of fat that puts the person’s health at risk (Lenzi et al., 2015). The prevalence of obesity has increased worldwide over the past three decades. According to Holtz (2016), obese people have outnumbered the undernourished, with the World Health Organization estimating that 1.9 billion adults are overweight, out of which about 600 million are obese. Given the recent trends, it is estimated that 1.12 billion people will be obese by 2030 (Grossschà ¤dl, 2014). According to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute, 2014), the global impact of the obesity epidemic is estimated to be $20 trillion, or 2.8 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP), which is on a par with the global impact from terrorism, armed violence, smoking, and warfare. Setting the Context Presently, the toll of the epidemic on healthcare systems alone is between 2 percent and seven percent of net healthcare spending in industrialized economies, excluding the huge costs associated with the treatment of heart disease and type 2 diabetes that account for up to twenty percent of healthcare costs (Bassuk Manson, 2008; Alosco et al., 2015). In addition to the costs to healthcare systems, obesity undermines the productivity of employees, thereby undercutting corporate competitiveness. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013), during the period between 2011 and 2012, 62.8 percent of AustraliansShow MoreRelatedObesity : The Obesity Epidemic1509 Words   |  7 PagesThe Obesity Epidemic What is obesity? According to the Health Reference Center Academic, â€Å"Obesity is a clinical condition characterized by an excess of body fat†. Obesity causes serious and life-threatening diseases. Obesity can be calculated using the BMI or Body mass index. 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In simple terms, obesity is a disorder where the subject has increasing amounts of fat, leading to health problems in the future. This epidemic has steadily increased in American bodies for decades and researchers have tried to find the root causes of this problem. Though there is controversy as to what is the primary cause of this rising epidemic, it is clear that there are many factors that contribute to theRead MoreThe Obesity Epidemic Of Obesity1540 Words   |  7 PagesThe Obesity Epidemic is a topic widely studied and mentioned in several contexts’ both medical and social. Obesity is described by Boero (2012) to have exploded in meaning Post- World War II to be more than a â€Å"physical flaw.† Weight concern became an idea that debuted in magazines mainly targeting women and emphasizing â€Å"natural thinness.† The disappearance of the normally worn â€Å"corset† and popularization of the typical 1920’s â€Å"boy catching† flapper, increased the production of diet products and theRead MoreObesity : The Obesity Epidemic1711 Words   |  7 PagesThe obesity epidemic has now become one of the most pressing issues of our time. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) said â€Å"...obesity has more than doubled worldwide since 1980. In 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults (39 percent of Earth’s adult population) were overweight. That includes 600 million who were obese† (Kiener 2015). In the United States, slightly more than one third of adults are obese (FRAC 20 16), and obesity-related deaths make up 18% of all deaths, which is now more than