Obesity

Obesity research papers can have statistical analysis on the rate of obesity in America or it can focus on the affects of obesity on the national health. Whatever aspect of being overweight that you need researched, the writers at Paper Masters will cover. Since obesity is a national health problem, medical health courses cover the issue carefully. Get the most up to date statistics and research on obesity from Paper Masters.

Obesity research papers report that in 2000, figures showed that 50 percent of Americans were 20 percent or more above their ideal weight. Overweight people out-number those who are at normal weight or below. An appropriate definition of obesity is based on a classification of individuals into percentiles as compared with others in their age group. This method includes anthropometric measurements such as height, weight, and body mass index (a ratio of height to weight). Persons are then classified as overweight and obese if they place in the 85th or 95th percentile, based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES] and a body composition test (body fat ratio). For some time now the percentage of children suffering from childhood obesity has been on the rise. The problem of obesity in the United States is not limited to children as we have seen sharp increases across the board in the last two decades.

• Today approximately 32% of American women of European heritage, 48% of African-American women, and 47% of Latino women are overweight.
• Approximately 32% of all adult males in the United States are overweight and up to 20% of all teenagers are overweight.
• In regards to teenagers this is compared to 15% twenty years ago.

Obesity and Physical Fitness

Empirical research shows that there is a link between obesity and physical fitness. Furthermore, a more sedentary lifestyle of computers and television serving as entertainment contribute to the lack of physical fitness. What is perhaps most unique about this link is the fact that lack of physical activity directly correlates to the onset of obesity, yet increasing physical activity and fitness after the onset of obesity does not always reduce weight. In many respects this dichotomy of obesity is what keeps medical science from finding a cure to this condition.

With the realization that obesity poses such a unique challenge to maintaining overall public health, there is a clear impetus to examine the context of obesity, its origins and how it will impact public health in the immediate and long-term future. To this end, this investigation considers the epidemiology and public health significance of obesity in America. In addition, this research examines the role of the primary care physician in reducing the prevalence of obesity. A synthesis of the collected data will provide a comprehensive overview of the subject, from which it will be possible to discern if enough effort has been placed into combating obesity. From this data, recommendations about changes that are needed to improve public health will be discussed.

Epidemiology

Reviewing what has been written about the epidemiology of obesity in America, it is evident that there are a number of contributing factors that have played a role in the development of this disease. Among the most pertinent are the changes that have occurred in the diets of most Americans. Researchers have noted that over the course of the last several decades, the American diet has changed not only in content, but also in size. Particularly, Americans are now eating more processed sugar and saturated fats in addition to increasing portion sizes of overall meals. The combination of these two factors has drawn significant criticism from public health officials, as many argue that the diet of the average American needs to be improved in order to reduce the epidemic of obesity.

In addition to the fact that changes in the American diet have increased the number of individuals susceptible to becoming obese, researchers also note that children are gaining excess weight at younger ages leading to obesity in late childhood and early adolescence. Unfortunately, researchers note that when children gain excess amounts of weight in early childhood their chances of remaining of these elderly time increased dramatically. With this effectively suggests is that as the number of children becoming overweight and obese increases, in the near future this will increase the number of adults suffering from obesity. Further adding to the obesity epidemic are the changes in modern society which have shifted American culture from industrial-based to technological-based production. This change in society has promulgated many individuals to become sedentary as employment and recreational activities become less physical overall. A lack of physical activity has been directly correlated to the number of individuals and children suffering from obesity. Unfortunately, at the present time research demonstrates that there are no immediate changes in the context of improving the overall sedentary nature of employment or recreational activity. If Americans are to remain active, they must engage self-initiated in physical activity, a process that has proven to be difficult for most individuals to maintain over the long-term