AMERICA’S

OBESITY

CRISIS

Do we truly understand the Impact of America’s Obesity Epidemic?

Obesity Epidemic

68.8% of Adults

Considered

Overweight

3 out of 4 Men are

Considered

Overweight

How Does this

Impact Society?

How Does Obesity

Effect the

Economy?

GROUP 2

Editor: Lindsey Sparks

Writer 1: Samantha

Davidson

Writer 2: Jonathan Eller

Writer 3: Jessica Ashton

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 3

Scope of Obesity in America 5

What Does this Mean for America? 6

Solutions 9

Solution One: Get Families Involved in Health 9

Solution Two: Food Stamps for Healthier food and Access

to Healthy food in Low-income Areas 10

Solution 3: Create a Healthy Societal Image through Media 11

Appendix 12

Editor- Lindsey Sparks 12

Writer #1- Samantha Davidson 13

Writer #2- Jonathan Eller 14

Writer #3- Jessica Ashton 15

Works Cited 16

The History of the Disease

How would you react if you found out

today that there is a widespread disease that

has catastrophic effects on America? This

disease has long-term consequences such as

cardiovascular disease, Type 2 Diabetes,

osteoarthritis, artery problems and is projected

to affect nearly 50% of Americans by 2030

(Zamosky 36). This disease also increases the

risk of asthma, dental health challenges,

allergies, headaches and even affects school

attendance and grade repetition (Echeverría et

al. 406).

Having such a rampant, preventable

crisis infiltrate our nation seems like something

out of a horror film – frightening yet

unrealistic. However, we are facing such a

disease. This monster goes by the name of

‘obesity’.

Where did all this begin? Obesity

became a national issue as early as the 1930’s

(Rasmussen 886). Unfortunately, around the

40’s and 50’s obesity began to be treated like

an addiction. This shaped how society

responded to those who were struggling with

their weight. Treatments such as “Overeaters

Anonymous” and “Take off Pounds Sensibly”

began to arise as other addictions like

alcoholism was successfully treated through

similar programs. However, each program

proved to be unsuccessful. Even when support

groups were added the programs failed to help

as those groups often created feelings of self-

loathing.

The addiction approach also built a

societal stigma against those who were

struggling. Society’s negative reaction towards

obesity may have the good intentions of

encouraging change, however it may reinforce

the problem and turn it into a vicious cycle

instead (Rasmussen 218).

The negative stigma that follows those

who are overweight has become embedded into

our society and can still be seen today, even 70

years later. When specifically looking at

overweight

children, it

has been

found that

“obese

children

are more

exposed to negative stigmatization, bullying, or

social isolation among peers.... [even] among

parents, school faculty, and the general public”

(Echeverria 402).

Obesity is defined as being greater than

40% of over healthy weight which is based on

an individual’s BMI (body max index). This is

especially prevalent within our society as

United States “outranks all other developed

nations in pervasiveness of overweight in the

adult population,” (Berk 417).

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A common misconception views obesity

simply as a result of heredity; indicating that

individuals have no choice but to simply resign

to genetics. Fortunately, this is far from the

truth. This can be seen when comparing

minorities within the United States and those

who are foreign-born. Individuals who had

lived within the United States for 15 or more

years had double the chance of being obese

than those who had only lived within the US for

only five years. This was true even when

socioeconomic status, smoking and

participants’ education was taken into account

(Mehta et al. 4). While heredity plays a part in

obesity, other factors are also highly influential.

Other prevalent factors that need to be

acknowledged include socioeconomic status,

family eating habits, eating due to sight, smell

or taste rather than hunger (see Hunger Scale),

lack of physical activity, television viewing, and

early malnutrition (Berk 417). While heredity

is an influential factor, from 1957 to 1964 there

was a 26%-28% increased rate of obesity which

is too rapid to reflect a “plausible shift in

population genetics and more likely reflects a

change in societal dietary and exercise

patterns,” (Mctigue 861).

Television viewing has increased over

the years becoming an integrated part of

everyday life. Television acts as a family activity

often being present during mealtimes, while

cleaning or watching younger children. TV

even acts as a companion when one finds

themselves alone (Westerick et al. 178). The

increase of television watching not only has

social implications, but is also closely linked

with the risk one has of becoming obese.

Individuals who watch four or more hours a

day are at the highest risk (Crespo 364). The

problem arises when the use of media displaces

other activities such as hobbies, exercise,

reading, studying, social activities, and sleep

(Berns 300). “A Child that had a TV in her

bedroom, the odds of being overweight jumped

an additional 31% for every hour watched…A

child’s risk of being overweight increased by 6

“Avoid watching television,

texting, or being on the

computer while eating as

these will distract you from

recognizing when you are full.

Eat at the kitchen table or in

other specified places.”

-Sandy Gloss, RND, LD

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percent for every hour of television watched

per day.” (Berns 299)

“A Child that had a TV in her bedroom, the odds of being

overweight jumped an additional 31% for every hour watched…A child’s risk of being overweight increased by 6 percent for every hour of television watched per

day.” (Berns 299)

As research continues and history

unfolds, we have been able to find that those

who are at the highest risk of obesity can be

identified prior to health complications arising.

Like with the ability to screen for cancers,

obesity screening should become a priority in

order to prevent the damage of letting those at

highest risk go untreated. Like any other

disease, prevention should be prioritized

within our country. Simply treating the

symptoms will never lead us to get ahead of

this disease.

SCOPE OF OBESITY IN

AMERICA

The Epidemic

Obesity has become a worldwide

epidemic that is putting our lives and the lives

of our children at risk.

A recent study performed in January of

2015 by the "World Health Organization"

reported that "worldwide obesity has more

than doubled since 1980" (Obesity and

Overweight). An even more serious fact from

the report explains that 42 million children

under the age of 5 were considered overweight

or obese. That means there are at least 42

million children under the age of 5 who are at a

greater risk for diseases such as cardiovascular

disease, diabetes, and some forms of

musculoskeletal disorders (Obesity and

Overweight).

In a study done by the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention the statistics

mentioned earlier are further broken down by

age group. 20.5% of children aged 12-19, 17.7%

of children 6-11, and 8.4% of children aged 2-5

are all classified as obese (CDC Obesity Facts).

In order to understand the gravity of these

numbers one has to know that to be considered

obese the individual must have a BMI (body

mass index) of 40 or greater. Contrary to

popular belief, Obesity is a problem affecting

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the entire planet. Obesity was once considered

a problem that was only prevalent in higher the

high-income countries. However, that trend is

now starting to increase in all countries

including those countries that are low and

middle income.

Over the past decade researchers have

attempted to find a connection between

household income and obesity. The 2009

Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System Data

was able to show that nearly one third of the

3.7 million low-income children aged two to

four years old were obese and/or overweight

(Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance).

Dr. Youfa Wang, Faculty Director at

Johns Hopkins University, published an article

in the International Journal of Epidemiology

showing his findings on the subject. He was

able to see that in regards to children aged 6-9

years of age, there was little difference between

the high/medium/low income families (Wang

3). Around 25% of the children in this age

group (regardless of income) were considered

obese or overweight (Wang 4). However the

influence of socioeconomics appeared to have a

strong impact on the 10-18 year olds. The

high-income children in this age group had a

combined obese and overweight percentage of

19%. Shockingly the children from low-income

families in the same age group showed an

alarming 32.7% rate of obesity (Wang 4).

It is clear from Dr. Wang's data that low

income directly effects children's weight gain

patterns. For that reason it is imperative for

the government to create programs to help this

group of individuals.

The Ramifications of Obesity

As the second leading preventable cause

of death in the United States, obesity plagues

our nation. Each year approximately 300,000

lives are lost due to the direct or indirect

consequences of obesity.

Obesity has a known effect in our day to

day health, ones level of activity, but is also

associated with a great deal of comorbidities

including but not limited to high cholesterol,

stroke, heart disease, hypertension, gallbladder

disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and other

breathing problems, and some cancers

(uterine, breast, colorectal, kidney, and

gallbladder).

Complications can occur in many organ

systems, ranging from cardiovascular to

respiratory to orthopedic and even

ophthalmologic. In addition, obesity is

associated with pregnancy complications, high

blood cholesterol, menstrual irregularities,

hirsutism (excessive hair growth), stress

incontinence, sleep apnea, arthritis,

psychological disorders, depression and

increased surgical risk.

Social discrimination against obese

persons has a strong negative effect on their

quality of life. Studies have shown that there is

50 to 100 percent increased risk of all-cause

mortality amongst obese individuals.

Studies have shown that there is

50 to 100 percent increased risk of

all-cause mortality amongst obese

individuals.

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Additionally, obesity is expensive

personally and nationally, costing our nation

billions of dollars! Reuters reported “obesity in

America is now adding an astounding $190

billion to the annual national healthcare price

tag, exceeding smoking as public health enemy

number one when it comes to cost.” (Ungar)

Other uncommon cost factors related to obesity

include but are not limited to the following:

• The estimated economic loss of

productivity caused by excess mortality is

estimated at $49 billion per year in the United

States and Canada (Hojjat).

The economic loss of productivity

caused by overweight or obesity for

totally disabled workers is at $72

billion (Ibid).

Behan and Cox estimated that the

total annual medically-related cost of

overweight and obese individuals in

the United States and Canada is

caused by medical costs, excess

mortality, and disability and is

approximately $300 billion in 2009.

Medical costs associated with obesity

in the United States are estimated to

be $170 billion in 2013 (Hojjat).

Sheldon Jacobson of the University of

Illinois found that the extra weight carried by

vehicles as a result of obese and overweight

Americans is responsible for almost one billion

additional gallons of gasoline being burned

each year by our automobiles—nearly 1 percent

of our total gasoline usage. As per the so-called

direct costs generated by obesity, compared to

normal weight individuals, it is estimated that

obese adults have an average of 19.5 percent

more physician visits (Hojjat)

Another study has found that obese adults

have 48% more inpatient days per year and 1.8

times more pharmacy dispenses. (Hojjat)

As a person's BMI increases, costs

associated with that person increases as do the

number of sick days, medical claims and

healthcare costs – including an increase in

disability payments and insurance premiums

(Heithoff 811).

Obese individuals have a 36% higher

average annual health care costs, including

105% higher prescription costs and 39% higher

primary-care costs. Those who are overweight

had 37% higher prescription costs and 13 %

higher primary-care costs than the healthy-

weight group. (Hammond)

Direct medical costs related to obesity are

secondary to preventive, diagnostic and

treatment services. Hammond and Levine

measured direct medical costs associated with

obesity. They argue that relative medical

spending for the obese may be as much as 100

percent higher than for healthy weight adults

(Ungar).

One specific industry that is dealing directly

with the effects of obesity every day is our

national healthcare service.

According to one study, the number of

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severely obese (BMI ≥ 40) patients quadrupled

between 1986 and 2000 from one in 200 to

one in 50. The number of super-obese (BMI ≥

50) patients grew by a factor of five, from one

in 2,000 to one in 400. This increases unique

challenges to emergency responders and

healthcare providers in transporting and

treating these patients.

In a recent interview with Michael Ashton,

FACHE, who serves as the Administrator of

Milford Memorial Hospital with Bayhealth

Medical Center, Ashton shared some of the

day-to-day operational costs associated with

the treatment of bariatric patients. A small

sampling of these are listed below:

• A normal medical/surgical hospital bed

can range from $3,000 to $13,000. A bariatric

similar bed can range from $5,000 - $37,000+

per bed. They also need special mattresses,

which are very costly.

• O.R. tables that are bariatric capable

and that can hold patients up to 1,000 pounds

can cost over $100,000 per O.R. table.

• Surgical instrumentations have to be

longer and more complex and capable to

handle deeper body cavities – including

laparoscopic equipment.

• A normal MRI or CT magnet machine

typically holds a patient up to 300 pounds. A

MRI or CT scan that can fit a bariatric patient

has to have an open field which can range

anywhere from 1.5-3 million dollars – and

that’s just the equipment. You have to still

build out the whole room with lead lined walls.

• Just to help lift a bariatric patient,

hospitals need a whole team of employees and

special equipment. Hospitals many times have

to spend extra costs on bringing in a special lift

to assist in transporting bariatric patients.

• Other special costs included specialized

bariatric furniture, bathrooms, different

plumbing, and a completely different

infrastructure. For example, a bariatric room

cannot use a regular porcelain toilet mounted

on the wall. They have to install steel toilets

mounted on the floor.

• Bariatric rooms take more physical

space in a hospital. For example, you cannot

use a normal door. A bariatric wheelchair has

to have a minimum of a 40” door which are

much larger and more expensive. Two

bariatric rooms on a hospital floor are much

larger and take more room than regular patient

rooms. They also need more storage for

bariatric supplies, etc…

While the future impact of obesity is

unknown in its surety, estimates from

researches predict that by 2030, if obesity

trends continue unchecked, obesity-related

medical costs alone could rise by $48 to $66

billion a year in the U.S. (Cawley 219). Future

economic losses could mean the difference

between solvency and bankruptcy for

Medicare, between expanding and shrinking

health care coverage, and between investment

in and neglect of our social infrastructure, with

profound implications for our international

competitiveness. The human costs would be

incalculable (Hajjat)

While the future impact of obesity is unknown in its surety, estimates from researches

predict that by 2030, if obesity trends continue unchecked, obesity-related medical costs

alone could rise by $48 to $66 billion a year in the U.S. (Cawley 219).

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Solution One: Get Families Involved in Health

Obesity is a preventable and treatable disease. However, not all interventions are equally

successful. In order to decrease the threat to individuals, family based interventions have been the

most helpful especially when the focus is on changing behavior (Berk 293).

One program that was especially beneficial

had both the parents and the children involved.

The families revised their eating habits, increased

physical activity, and supported each other’s efforts

through verbal praise. As the parents and children

made good dietary and activity choices, they also

earned points which were redeemable for special

time spent together. Interestingly enough, the

more weight the parents lost, the more their

children lost as well. And the children also were more successful at maintaining the healthier weight

overtime indicating the need for early intervention (Wrotniak et al. 344).

Implementing a few household routines can also greatly reduce the risk of obesity for the entire

family. The risk of being obese your family faces can be greatly reduced by limiting screen viewing

time as we have discussed previously, getting enough sleep, and regularly eating dinner together

(Anderson & Whitaker 427).

The routine of getting enough sleep may surprise you, but there has been a connection between

inadequate sleep and increased eating throughout the day. Getting enough sleep may improve your

self-regulation which reduces the tendency to overeat (Burt 73). The relationship between obesity and

sleep has been widely studied and connections have been found from pre-school throughout

adulthood that indicate the better quality of sleep, the less risk one has at becoming obese in the

coming years.

Eating meals together as a family is

another routine that may come as a shock.

However, the more frequent families eat

together at home, the lower their BMI (body

mass index). Dinners eaten together at home

usually are also home cooked which helps

reduce the adult body weight (Sobal 86). Family

meals also help protect adolescents from

becoming overweight or obese in their young

adult years (Berge 299). This may be due to

parental influence that makes healthier foods

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more accessible for both the children and their parents. Eating breakfasts together frequently also

showed an increase of diet quality as more fruits, whole grains, and fiber were eaten – lowering the

risk of being overweight or obese (Larson et al., 1608).

Overall, by limiting screen time, getting adequate sleep, and having frequent meals together as

a family throughout the day, families can greatly protect their homes both now and in the future from

facing the challenges of this disease. Obesity is a multi-faceted disease. However, while obesity is a

complex issue, prevention is possible especially as the diet and lifestyle is focused on at a family level.

Solution Two: Food Stamps for Healthier food and Access to

Healthy food in Low-income Areas

In the United States Preamble, the forefathers declared that the government’s responsibilities

include to "promote the general welfare". The government has made a decent effort thus far creating

programs such as "WIC" (Woman, Infants, Children). WIC helps pregnant women and children aged

0-5 by providing healthy food options like fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, and cheese. These

products are generally more expensive for low income parents to buy for their children but WIC helps

them solve the dilemma.

The government has also created the Food

Stamps program that helps assist low income

families but a study done by the "Journal of

Nutrition Education and Behavior" showed that

families on food stamps often make unhealthy

choices. The Journal recorded "Among all study

participants, baseline consumption of fruits,

vegetables, and whole grains was low, and

consumption of refined grains, sweets, and bakery

desserts, and sugar-sweetened beverages was high

compared with the recommendation from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans" (Journal of

Nutrition).

In order for our nation to combat the unwise decisions that Food Stamps oftentimes present is

to apply an incentive system. The RAND Corporation published a preliminary study on South Africa's

"HealthyFood" initiative. The program rewarded families on food stamps with a 25% rebate

whenever they purchased healthy foods (Discounts on Healthy Foods). The study showed that a

discount of 10-25% increased daily fruits and vegetables consumption by .62 servings.

We propose to implement the United States own "HealthyFood" initiative. If families received

discounts on healthier foods it will help incentivize them to make smart decisions. It is difficult to eat

healthy and increased prices do not help. By allowing those on food stamps to get a discount on

everyday healthy snacks it will increase the healthy food that they consume helping reduce the

amount of obese/overweight children and families in our nation.

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Solution 3: Create a Healthy Societal Image through Media

Prevention is key to trimming obesity’s high costs and the roles of advertising and technology

can help. It is possible that a clearer understanding of the cost of obesity will spur larger and more

urgent programs to prevent and treat it. Through advertising and technology, the media can assist in

“campaigning” for a healthier lifestyle.

The media should help educate America’s population on the high costs of an unhealthy

lifestyle. Social media, advertising, and other forms of technology could also benefit our society if

there were restrictions on unhealthy advertising messages - especially messages directed to children.

It would contribute to an overall healthier societal image if unhealthy messages were removed from

social media and other advertising avenues.

While the U.S. has made some investments in prevention, with the First Lady’s “Let’s Move”

initiative and “Communities Putting Prevention to Work”, these efforts represent relatively small

steps forward, and future public health prevention funding remain under threat. To make true

advances, these initiatives should be part of concerted efforts by local and national governmental,

health, nonprofit organizations, food companies, advertisers, and individuals to make healthy weights

the norm rather than the exception (Wang 815). The key component to this solution would be to

restrict unhealthy advertising messages – especially if directed to children and teens.

Advantages

1. The media’s influence on society can help promote a healthier America advertising healthy life-styles and habits contributing to an overall message of making healthy weights the norm rather than the exception.

2. The media can help educate the population on the “expensive” cost of obesity.

3. The media can support community initiatives to contribute to healthier lifestyle habits and advertise community programs to help those battling obesity.

Disadvantages

1. This campaign to change media marketing battles economic power. Companies with lots

of capital pay more for unhealthy advertising.

2. It is hard to get people to change. Especially when the change requires work.

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APPENDIX

Editor

Lindsey Sparks currently lives is Scottsdale, AZ but was

born and raised in St. Petersburg, FL. July, 2015 she

graduates with her Bachelor’s Degree in Marriage and

Family Studies from Brigham Young University - Idaho.

She has been married for about two and a half years and

has no children.

Lindsey is the oldest of eight siblings from a very blended

family.

In her free time she likes to learn new recipes and do crafts.

Our team chose to do this topic because we care about the health of the United States of America. We

have resources and relationships with those who work toward health everyday including a hospital

administrator, personal trainers, and nutritionists. We also chose this topic because we learned how

to make our lives healthier individually.

Lindsey is the editor of this team. She collected the sections from the writers and compiled them to

create the final issue book. She edited all of the sections and designed the look and layout of this issue

book.

Personal Reflection:

As the editor of this Issue Book I had to think about how it was all going to come together. I

wanted the information to be easy to understand and organized in a way that made you want to read

on. This information that we accumulated can really help the people in this country if it is taken

seriously. I was thinking a lot about how the government, particularly Michelle Obama, takes note on

the health of this country especially in our schools. So it is obviously an important subject in our

country.

In our country we do a lot to help those who are in poverty. We help those who cannot afford

housing or food. We help those who are disabled. If we really want people to be healthy we need to

make the healthy choice the easy choice. It can be hard to afford produce and other fresh ingredients.

Food Stamps and other government help should be geared toward helping people make the healthy

choice, because it’s what is available to them.

While completing this assignment I was also thinking about how, as a culture, we are more

complacent. We try consistently to make things easier, better, faster. We want things to do for us,

rather than do ourselves. I wonder if this is just a general flaw in our thought process. We have this

desire to be healthier, but we lack the motivation. At the same time, we continue to create

technologies to make our lives “easier”. Which I also think of as more “stationary”.

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This assignment has made me think about some of the habits that I have developed in my own

lifestyle and how I want to make changes for the better. Nobody is perfect, and we can all improve.

This is an area for me that I know I can do better in.

Writer #1

Samantha Davidson is currently a senior attending Brigham

Young University-Idaho. She will be graduating within the next year

with a bachelor’s degree in Marriage and Family Studies and a minor in

Horticulture. Throughout her education, she has found balance in

following her passion to strengthen and build family relationships with

her desire to create landscapes and floral arrangements. Samantha is

currently following her biggest dream, which is to become a

homemaker. She has been married to her sweetheart, Jarom, for nearly

two years. They have recently become parents to a little boy who has

brought an added joy into their life. It was this life changing event that

caused Samantha to look more carefully into their family’s diet and

health practices in order to provide a better quality of life for her

growing family.

While considering different concerns that America is currently

facing, the topic of health came up. We wanted to make a significant

contribution to our society in some way. Since curing cancer seemed a little bit out of our reach, we

decided to focus on an issue that we could influence: the spreading disease of obesity. We live in a fast

paced word where it seems that history is made every day. We have jumped from the beginnings of

alternating current in 1886 to smartphones and tablets that are commonplace today. Keeping up with

all the new changes has proved quite the challenge and we are just now beginning to understand how

the new forms of media, food processing, and other conveniences we enjoy can quickly become a

serious issue within our society. Each progressive step forward has allowed us to accomplish much

more than we could have imagined scarcely a century and a half ago. However there is danger of living

in too much excess whether it be media usage, processed foods, or even information. As Plato so

wisely put it, “Excess of liberty, whether it lies in state or individuals, seems only to pass into excess of

slavery.” We live in fortunate times, but such fortune requires us to have greater self-restraint.

As a writer, my focus was on the history of obesity. As the topic was newer to me, I began with

learning what obesity was and what trends increase an individual’s risk. I was pleased to interview

Sandy Gloss, RDN, LD, and learn of such trends such as television viewing and eating more processed

foods and more about the nutritional side of obesity. Using her knowledge and expertise along with

modern research, I was able to compile a general view of the history of obesity and how it has

transformed over the years. I included some of the main factors that contribute to gaining excess

weight and was surprised to find sleeping habits to be included in the lifestyles that often needed to be

altered. Using this understanding and through researching a possible solution, I discovered that most

often it is the interventions at the family level which show the lasting benefits.

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Personal Reflection:

I have been grateful to learn more about this challenge and have taken the opportunity to learn

what I can do to improve my own habits as well as help share what I have learned with those around

me. During the interview process specifically, I learned many valuable dietary facts that opened my

eyes. For example, I personally had no idea that fruit juice – even with ‘no sugar added’ is not a

healthy drink as it has too much natural sugar and lacks many of the nutrients found in whole fruit. I

also learned that a common misconception is that individuals who struggle with their weight, get

enough of the nutrients they need. Unfortunately this is not so. Obese individuals are actually often

malnourished. When eating highly processed foods with refined flour and sugar, our bodies often do

not feel satisfied as they still are lacking many of the needed nutrients. This creates the urge to eat

more making it so we eat more calories than we would if we were to obtain the nutrients through

eating wholefoods. It is the vicious cycle of processed foods as they do not leave you feeling satisfied,

just hungry for more because your body is craving the nutrients it still lacks.

I was also impressed by the research supporting families eating together during meals. I have

heard similar research in my field of Marriage and Family Studies indicating that family dinners are

extremely beneficial for parent-child relationships. However, the need to share meals together as a

family goes beyond that as I have learned through this opportunity to look at family dinners from a

nutritional perspective. I can see the truth in my own life as I am far more motivated to prepare

nutritious meals rather than ‘get by’ snacks when I am cooking for my family rather than just for

myself. It truly is amazing how the little choices we make every day can impact not only our own lives,

but the lives of those we love and the future generations. I hope I can make an impact for good

through the writing of this booklet.

Writer #2

Jonathan Eller is a Bachelor’s student at Brigham Young

University –Idaho, born into a family with repeated generations of

type two diabetes and other ailments caused by weight. Jonathan is

attempting to be a pioneer and break the repeated cycle that has been

part of his family for multiple generations. He believes that eating

healthy is a lifestyle change that any person can accomplish with the

right motivation.

In this Issue Book, Jonathan will focus on; the ages of those

effected by obesity in both children and adolescents, Obesity vs.

Income, Geography, and the health issues amongst children (Obesity

is the #1 health issue). In order to address these questions Jonathan

has interviewed NASM Certified Trainer Cassidy Price and has a

plethora of sources to validate his research.

Personal Reflection:

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I really gained a deeper understanding at this horrible epidemic affecting our Nation. The part I find

most interesting is that Obesity is 100% preventable. It is something that may be difficult for some

and require due diligence, however its rewards are a healthier life. Obesity is a perfect example of

instant gratification. When we eat unhealthy food it makes us feel good and happy that instant.

However afterwards there is sometimes guilt or sadness. In addition to that, the more weight you

gain the unhealthier you become.

Something I learned while doing this project is that food is an addiction. Especially unhealthy food!

Some people get a personal “high” just from consuming some of their favorite dishes. Being

overweight is costly and it causes more wear and tear on your clothing, your cars, your bed, etc. On

top of that Obesity with children increases the amount of doctor visits and health problems like

diabetes, heart failure, kidney disease, and other forms of cancer.

In closing, I learned that the biggest problem is lack of knowledge. As a nation we became so fat so

fast that we have had little time to sit and see all of the problems. Just a few years ago being “fat”

signified wealth. However in today’s nation we need to make sure to teach parents and students the

importance of weight management and healthy eating. We need to make eating fun for children and

in return it will help reduce the amount of overweight/obese children in our nation.

Writer #3

Jessica Ashton is completing her Bachelor's Degree in

Public Health from Brigham Young University Idaho. She is

a mom to three children, wife to her local hospital

administrator and has been a fitness instructor for eight

years. Jessica has always enjoyed living an active lifestyle,

but recently has valued even more the benefits of wellness as

she combats hereditary trails of high blood pressure,

depression and diabetes. She comes from a family history

that struggles with maintaining a healthy weight and the

obesity epidemic is no stranger to her loved ones. She has

personal experience of the challenges and depression that

shadow an unhealthy life-style, and the joy and freedom that

comes with overcoming those challenges.

Obesity is the second leading preventable cause of

death in the United States. Because of our passion for life and

wellness, our team decided to further explore this issue. We have discovered that obesity is a real

crisis affecting our society in many ways. Jessica chose to focus on the ramifications that obesity has

on our healthcare system and economy. The obesity epidemic is expensive – and we are all paying for

it!

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Jessica interviewed Michael Ashton, President of Bayhealth Milford Memorial Hospital, to

receive a more in-depth perspective of the hospital costs associated with bariatric patients. She was

surprised by all the hidden costs that hospitals have to pay to accommodate morbidly obese patients.

In addition, she was surprised by the overall negative impact that obesity has on our healthcare,

emergency costs, in the workplace and many more surprising negative effects on our economy. Our

team chose to use the following peer-reviewed journals and scientific studies for the statistics in our

research.

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