Medical studies indicate (most reach pretty much the same conclusion as to the percentage of US citizens being fat or obese), the range of overweight Americans run from 62%-65% and of these 26%-30.5% are obese and 4.7% are morbidly obese.
Overweight is defined as being 20% greater in weight than to height (25% for women), obese as 30lbs or greater and morbidly obese as being 100lbs or more than the height to weight ratio. About 4.7% of Americans fall into this group. Remember the 62%-65% figure includes all of these weight groups; not an aggregate of all 3.
In terms of BMI the National Institute of Health defines overweight as 25-29.9, obese as 30-39.9 and severely (morbidly) obese as 40 or greater.
American Obesity Assoc says 127M of us over age 20 are fat, 60M are obese and 9M morbidly.
World wide, 750M are overweight & 300M obese; including 22 million kides UNDER the age of 5 years.
Worldwide the AIDS/HIV epidemic is 42M. Verses 1 billion?
Me? 6 foot & 174lbs
2006-09-14 20:22:18 · 10 answers · asked by iraq51 7 in Health ➔ Diet & Fitness
its true, healty food cost more than junk food, and is harder to prepare. did you know that a 20oz soda is cheaper than a 20oz bottle of water?
2006-09-14 20:31:50 · answer #1 · answered by slippie 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Americans are fat because of several reasons.
1) Sedentary lifestyle coupled with poor eating habits
2) Busy work and family life (no time for exercise or cooking healthy) I say this because many households have 2 full-time working parents who barely make ends meet. So exercise is not a priority.
3) cheapness and availability of high fat fast food, which kids love unfortunately, this has lead to childhood obesity and as well, in many schools, P.E has been replaced by more academics.
4) Technology/ computers/gadgets that people become dependent on for functioning equipment (hello remote control)
5) People are just not educated in regards to healthy eating/exercising and a lot of people work jobs with long hours and are just too plain tired.
6) heredity
I think it sucks because people don't realize that obesity leads to so many deadly conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension ( which can lead to a stroke). Other problems include sleep apnea and high cholesterol . Like you said, it's an epidemic, unfortunaely there is no cure, except a lifelong commitment to healthy eating/exercise..
2006-09-14 20:46:35 · answer #2 · answered by pussnboots333 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I'd kill to be 174lbs. I'm 6'2" & 253lbs. My doctor told me to lose weight or die. (That's the choice he gave me.)
Americans are fat and lazy and the whole world knows it. In other countries kids are absolutely dying to go to school. In this country you have to force kids to go to school and they complain all the way there. When they get home, they do some of their homework and then sit their fat and happy @sses on the couch and watch tv/play video games.
I honestly don't think there is a quick fix in this country because we are set up to fail...so to speak. We sit more than anything else. When we drive, we're sitting. When we are at work or school, we're sitting and half the time, when we're having fun we're sitting. And eating fast food. A lot of things have to change if the obesity epidemic is going to stop and I don't think it'll happen any time soon.
2006-09-14 20:34:58 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
ITs free trade, legislations and other bureaucratic b***s**ts that is to blame. IF the US government pass laws that concentrates on getting Americans healthier, then I dont think fastfood restaurants would abound. Also, these joints should be controlled STRICTLY to comply with a standard nutrional diet for an average American, their costs a little higher than, say, an organic food store serving more nutrional and cheaper alternatives...that would prevent people, in a way, to resorting to the greasy, fattening diet they normally have....
2006-09-14 20:34:04 · answer #4 · answered by Joy RP 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
We in america are not taught the word no when it comes to food, and you have remember that we have more access to food than most other countries could dream of. And bigger is always better when it comes to portions, and we lead a life where most of us sit on our butts all day. All that combined equals very rolly polly people. And really you have to die from something, if nothing else breathing kills you.
2006-09-14 20:38:21 · answer #5 · answered by jadeaaustin 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Our fast paced society forces us to indulge in food from fast food restaurants, our packaged and processed foods have added fats, and we rarely sit down and truly enjoy eating a wholesome meal.
Get rid of the fast food restaurants, or make them prepare wholesome foods. Stop manufacturers from putting added fats in processed and packaged foods and encourage people to prepare wholesome foods at home instead of eating out.
I am a statistic.... I know.
2006-09-14 20:36:16 · answer #6 · answered by Emma 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I say we're overweight because we cant afford the heathly stuff. Why pay 6 dollars for grapes when you can buy 6 cheeseburgers at mac donalds?
2006-09-14 20:28:08 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
It's because of the portions of food that they consume.. it's really huge...!!
2006-09-15 00:14:19 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
They simply eat too much.; they have too much in their face. They need to fast & control their gluttony.
2006-09-14 20:29:14 · answer #9 · answered by blackbird 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
americans are lazy and eat too much. that's it!
2006-09-14 20:30:17 · answer #10 · answered by fbianchi70 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋