"Obesity currently is the second leading cause of preventable death and will soon surpass cigarette smoking, the leading cause."
Back in the late 1960's, only 8.8% of the population that ranged from 2-19 years old were obese. A survey taken in 2003-2004 states that now 50.1% of the population is now obese. That is a 41.3% increase over the span of approximately 35 years. You would think that in today's society with all the access we have to gyms, weight loss diets, video game exercising, sports, and many other things, that we would be able to keep this vital part of our lives under control. In my childhood, 12-15 years ago, the only thing that I would ever think of doing was going outside to play sports. My parents encouraged me to go outside all the time and to stay active. Now, it seems as if a lot of parents would rather their kids stay inside and watch TV or play video games because then they don't have to watch them, they can sit inside and do whatever they want to do.
As funny as this evolutionary picture may look, it's not funny at all. It's actually quite sad. Especially when approximately 300,000 lives are taken each year because of obesity. Not only is obesity taking lives, but it's also a big contributor to our debt. The economic cost of obesity per year is roughly $117 billion. It seems like we're never happy with how the governments money is being spent, when really we're in control of a major debt contributor. Not only could we be saving lives, but we could also be saving money if we cut some technology out of our lives, and made it a point to exercise daily. Unfortunately, based on our societies actions, surveys have estimated that by 2030, roughly 18 million more Americans will become obese. When is it going to be too much? It is safe to say that obesity is not only evolving, it is taking over.
Kristi K.
As funny as this evolutionary picture may look, it's not funny at all. It's actually quite sad. Especially when approximately 300,000 lives are taken each year because of obesity. Not only is obesity taking lives, but it's also a big contributor to our debt. The economic cost of obesity per year is roughly $117 billion. It seems like we're never happy with how the governments money is being spent, when really we're in control of a major debt contributor. Not only could we be saving lives, but we could also be saving money if we cut some technology out of our lives, and made it a point to exercise daily. Unfortunately, based on our societies actions, surveys have estimated that by 2030, roughly 18 million more Americans will become obese. When is it going to be too much? It is safe to say that obesity is not only evolving, it is taking over.
Kristi K.
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