Almost 50% of Americans Are Obese - And The Trend Isn't Slowing

by: Stefan Simonovic

It's a well-known fact that most Americans are not that into healthy food and physical activity. They would rather stay at home, order some greasy fast-food, and spy on celebrity Snapchats. We got to be honest, that sounds tempting, but it is extremely unhealthy. The United States always had a big problem with obesity, and according to new studies, this problem is only getting worse. A few weeks ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new report which shows that 40 percent of adults in the USA are obese. Sadly, that's not all. The second part of this worrying report says that almost 20 percent of adolescents are overweight or obese. According to these latest reports issued by the CDC, this troubling trend is not slowing down.

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The Difference Between Being Overweight And Obese

Most people think that these two conditions are the same thing, but that's not true and here's why. Doctors and experts say that in order to be obese, your body mass index (BMI) has to be over 30. On the other hand, you're considered overweight once your BMI is over 25. Therefore, in order to remain in the healthy weight boundaries, your height to weight ration needs to be at least 24 or lower.

Troubling Consequences Of This Unhealthy Trend

It's safe to say that these new reports regarding America's obesity epidemic are very troubling and alarming. According to CDC, around 40 percent of adults have problems with obesity. However, the fact that 17 percent of teenagers are obese is an extremely troubling thought. Marie Ng, Assistant Professor of Global Health at IHME says that this unhealthy trend will cause devastating consequences when it comes to the overall health of the nation. "We know that there are severe health effects related to childhood obesity, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and many cancers. We need to be thinking now about how to turn this trend around," she said.

Once these obese children grow up, most of them will have to deal with high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart diseases. The well-being of the entire nation will be at stake, which makes this a huge problem for the entire American health care system.

How And Why People Become Obese?

Even though there are many different factors, including genetic influences, metabolism, and environmental causes, the two most common causes of obesity are consummation of junk food and lack of physical activity. Most Americans eat highly processed food which contains huge amounts of fat and grease. To make things worse, none of them are eager to burn those calories by exercising regularly, so naturally, their body mass index (BMI) can only go up.

There's No End In Sight

Unfortunately, things will get a lot worse before they get better. These devastating reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are only the beginning. According to both CDC and The Trust for America's Health, 42-44 percent of Americans will suffer from obesity by 2030. If these alarming projections are true, American health association will have to find a way to put an end to this unhealthy trend as soon as possible.


About the author:

Stefan is a writer and a blogger in his spare time. He also works for First Beat Media, a company that mainly focuses on the online dating niche and similar services.