Obesity and Physical Fitness

Obesity and Physical Fitness papers clearly illustrate that Americans are obsessed with weight. Yet the rate of obesity continues to climb. Have the medical health writers at Paper Masters custom write your research on obesity and get the latest information regarding physical fitness and loosing weight.

For the purposes of research clarity, the following terms are defined as such:

• Overweight - Utilizing the guidelines set forth by the World Health Organization, overweight is categorized by a BMI (body mass index) of 25-29.9 kg/m2.
  
• Obesity - Utilizing the guidelines set forth by the World Health Organization obesity is categorized by a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or greater (WHO, 1997).
  
• Physical Fitness - Physical fitness is defined as ten separate components grouped into two broad categories"
  • (1) skill related aspects, such as agility, and coordination;
  • (2) health related aspects, such as cardiopulmonary fitness and muscular strength.

Each year millions of individuals spend billions of dollars on diet and fitness aides in the hope that they will find a panacea in their fight to battle the bulge. Although Americans are more health conscious today than ever before, more Americans are now overweight than ever before. In an attempt to understand why Americans continue to gain weight, social scientists, medical professionals and public health officials have begun to explore the possible root causes of obesity in American society. While many believe a sedentary lifestyle coupled with a high fat diet is to blame, others are beginning to consider what role childhood obesity plays in the onset of adult obesity. Current research suggests that the interplay between childhood obesity and lack of physical fitness may be a contributing factor to the development of obesity in adulthood. Further recent research shows that childhood and adolescent obesity often lead to serious medical complications in adulthood even if obesity does not persist into adulthood.

As physical fitness and activity seem to play a substantial role in the onset of obesity it only stand to reason that weight loss programs that include physical fitness and activity, will have a positive outcome on the reduction of obesity in adolescents. Although this assumption is supported by Sothern, Loftin, Udall, et al., (1999) who report that "a moderate intensity, progressive resistance training program in a multidisciplinary weight management program for obese preadolescent children" significantly reduced BMI and percent fat after 10 weeks, it is negated by Cameron (1999) who reports that in a study of 54 obese children (aged 10-15 years) enrolled in a weight management program non reported any changes in BMI or percent body fat after an intensive 12 week program.

Arguably empirical research shows that there is a link between adolescent obesity and physical fitness. What is perhaps most unique about this link is the fact that lack of physical activity in childhood and adolescence directly correlate 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.