America is Just Plain FAT and getting FATTER

        

Obesity is a common, serious, and costly disease

1. The prevalence of obesity was 42.4% in 2017~2018. [Read CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) data brief]
2. From 1999–2000 through 2017–2018, the prevalence of obesity increased from 30.5% to 42.4%, and the prevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% to 9.2%. [Read CDC NCHS data brief]
3. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death. [Read guidelinesexternal icon]
4. The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the United States was $147 billion in 2008 US dollars; the medical cost for people who have obesity was $1,429 higher than those of normal weight. [Read paperexternal icon]
5. Obesity affects some groups more than others[Read CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) data brief]  
6. Non-Hispanic blacks (49.6%) had the highest age-adjusted prevalence of obesity, followed by Hispanics (44.8%), non-Hispanic whites (42.2%) and non-Hispanic Asians (17.4%).  
7. The prevalence of obesity was 40.0% among young adults aged 20 to 39 years, 44.8% among middle-aged adults aged 40 to 59 years, and 42.8% among adults aged 60 and older.  
8. Obesity and socioeconomic status [Read the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)]

Obesity Facts:

• Overall, men and women with college degrees had lower obesity prevalence compared with those with less education.
• By race/ethnicity, the same obesity and education pattern was seen among non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic women, and also among non-Hispanic white men, although the differences were not all statistically significant. 
• Among men, obesity prevalence was lower in the lowest and highest income groups compared with the middle income group. 
• Among women, obesity prevalence was lower in the highest income group than in the middle and lowest income groups.   SOURCE:  CDC.GOV June 2020

IN SHORT... AMERICA IS FAT: OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE

I am 72 years old and did not find myself overweight until I was 60 years old and realized after having being diagnosed with cancer had been inactive for many years.  My weight steadily increased whether I exercised or not because of all the steroids that I was taking to fight my cancer.  Today, I have lost 25 pounds of the extra weight gained by counting my daily intake of calories and making sure that I eat less that 2,000/day with the understanding that if I each 2400 calories one day, that the next day I only eat 1600 to balance it out.

BUT, what bothers me more than anything else is the fact that most teenagers are obese and that adults in their 20's, 30's, 40's are obese as well.  I can understand how one puts on weight, due to inactivity when they are in their 50's and 60's and 70's but it makes no sense for young people to be FAT.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?

• the individual
• the doctors
• the government
• the restaurants
• the advertisers

The situation is made worse when a FAT PERSON consumes ALCOHOL and/or ILLEGAL DRUGS...