Obesity



=** Description: **=

Obesity is a medical disorder used to describe individuals with an excessive percentage of body fat. Some of the causes which can lead to obesity are over-eating, lack of exercise, or a genetic predisposition. Over time, fat accumulates under the skin and around organs which lead to a myriad of health concerns such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, stroke, diabetes, sleep apnea, gallstones, osteoarthritis, and gout. Those afflicted by obesity are considered to have a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 percent or higher whereas someone who is simply overweight has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 percent. In the United States roughly 70% of adults are classified as overweight or obese with nearly 35% of the population having a BMI of 30 or higher. Childhood obesity, while not as large of a threat to one’s physical well-being as adulthood obesity, is steadily increasing in all age brackets. Studies show that over the last thirty years the percentage of obese children aged 6-11 increased from 7% to 18% and those aged 12-19 increased from 5% to 21%. = =

= = =** Application: **=

Obesity is a huge problem for our country because it shows that as Americans we aren’t educating our people in the importance of healthy habits. The problem is making people aware of the damage that they are doing to their bodies before it gets too severe. As a society we should be encouraging people to make these healthy choices by providing them the necessary education. One of the ways in which doctors and fitness enthusiasts are helping to fight obesity is by developing a number of smartphone and tablet apps that keep track of your calorie intake, calculate total distance traveled on foot in any given period, and simply remind people to try and live healthier lives.

=** Web Resources: **=


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 * http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/WeightManagement/Obesity/Obesity-Information_UCM_307908_Article.jsp#.VjKfv_mrShc
 * http://www.medicinenet.com/obesity_weight_loss/article.htm#obesity_facts
 * http://www.obesityaction.org/educational-resources/resource-articles-2/nutrition/theres-an-app-for-that
 * http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe

=** Related Terminology: **=
 * ==== Overweight ====
 * ==== Body Mass Index (BMI) ====

=** Citations: **=
 * ====“Obesity Information." //www.heart.org//. American Heart Association, 27 Feb. 2014. Web====
 * ====“Obesity: Get the Facts on Guidelines and Statistics." //www.medicinenet.com//. MedicineNet, 15 Oct. 2014. Web====
 * ====Davis, Pam. "There's an App for That." //www.obesityaction.org//. Obesity Action Coalition, n.d. Web====
 * ====“What are Overweight and Obesity?." //www.nhlni.org//. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 13 July 2012. Web====
 * ==== Panel, NHLBI Obesity Education Initiative Expert. "Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults." (1998). ====
 * ==== Rankinen, Tuomo, et al. "The human obesity gene map: the 2005 update."//Obesity// 14.4 (2006): 529-644. ====