Obesity is one of the most commonly misunderstood health problems, and it also happens to be a new, worrisomely common issue in America. If progress is to be made, the public must be informed about what obesity is, what causes it, what it means for individuals who suffer from it, and what can be done to combat it.
So here are a number of facts about obesity—some expected, but most are surprising and even alarming. You probably know that when you eat a lot of food and exercise little, you gain weight. However, this simple concept shouldn’t be the only focus when examining the so-called obesity epidemic in the United States. There are many complicated factors at play, and a lot to learn about why obesity is so frustratingly common in the developed world, especially in America and the United Kingdom.
The Rapid Rise of Obesity
Probably the most astonishing fact of all is how quickly obesity rates have increased over just the past two decades. In the 1980s, you weren’t likely to hear news reports about it, and health complications like heart disease were not nearly as big a problem as they are today. That’s because people were at healthy weights, and even when they were overweight, they were hardly considered obese. Obesity is a 21st-century trend.
Here are some facts to help paint this picture. In 1985, less than a handful of states were designated as not properly coping with high obesity rates among their populations. But today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the numbers have almost reversed. Only a handful of states don’t have an obesity problem to cope with. Every other state has at least 20% of the population struggling with obesity.
Why? Let’s take a deeper look at what obesity is, its consequences, and why it’s such a pervasive issue. The American Obesity Association (AOA) is dedicated to informing the public and the government about this dangerous weight problem, promoting public policy and educational programs to combat it. The organization, the only one of its kind, is committed to improving research to better prevent and treat obesity.
AOA wants people to know that if you are obese, you are not just in a certain physical state but are suffering from a chronic disease that you may be genetically predisposed to. Health complications like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, gallbladder disease, and breast cancer are just a few of the potentially deadly consequences of obesity. If you have serious weight problems, you are at an increased risk of developing all of these conditions. In total, obesity increases the risk for thirty medical conditions. Obese and even overweight individuals often battle a negative social stigma and can experience depression as a result.
Despite all of this, health insurance providers rarely cover treatment for obesity, leaving many Americans feeling helpless about their weight problems. While genes play a role, it’s the combination of family history, low physical activity, and a high-calorie diet that leads to obesity. This cause-and-effect relationship often leads people to assume that obesity is a simple issue to fix: eat less and exercise more. But if it were that easy, there probably wouldn’t be such a dangerously high obesity rate in the United States. In reality, certain populations are at a higher risk of obesity than others.
For example, if you have a low income or are female, you are more likely to be obese. However, despite higher rates of obesity among women and those with lower socioeconomic status, obesity has increased for all genders and socioeconomic groups. The regions in America with the highest obesity rates (over 20%) are East and West South Central, as well as East North Central. That means Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas (13 states in total) have the highest obesity rates. However, other states also have comparable rates. For instance, New England—which consists of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont—has an obese population of only 16.95%.
According to AOA, the National Institutes of Health doesn’t even reserve 1% of its research funding for obesity-related studies. This lack of attention to the disease only ensures that the obesity epidemic will continue to grow, as it has not been taken seriously over the past decade.
But now that it has become such a significant issue in America—where at least 60 million adults are suffering from obesity, 9 million of whom are severely obese—the government and the general public are starting to wake up.
The most important fact about obesity is that its prevalence is increasing. Just over 20 years ago, severe obesity rates were so low and insignificant that no data existed on it. Now, nearly 5% of Americans suffer from severe obesity, and 30% of Americans are generally obese. That’s a twofold increase from 1980.
If you want to know what to do about your weight, talk to your doctor. A quick way to figure out if you are obese is to calculate your body mass index (BMI). Overweight and obese are not the same thing. In fact, being slightly overweight has been shown to have some positive effects on your health and may even increase your lifespan. Obesity, however, is not only uncomfortable physically and mentally, but it also increases your risk for a variety of potentially fatal health problems. That’s why you should calculate your BMI.
So, what BMI is considered healthy? Having a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is ideal. If your BMI is under 18.5, you are underweight, and if it exceeds 25, you are overweight—but not obese. A BMI over 30 is noteworthy, as it indicates that you may have severe weight problems.
If you are struggling with weight issues, know that you are not alone and there is a way out. The problem is serious, but the solution is hardly out of reach.
