The Epidemic Of A Public Health Crisis Essay - 2557 Words

While the age-old adage may read that ‘bigger is better,’ America as a whole has taken this phrase to heart in regards to its general population. In a society where food is cheap, easy to come by, and engineered to be incredibly palatable, overconsumption and unhealthy eating habits leads to an excess of calorie and fat intake. Coupled with this, the increasingly sedentary lifestyle of the average American often produces full days without physical exercise that, when combined with poor eating habits, leads to extreme weight gain and other subsequent severe health problems. America is in the throes of a public health crisis unlike that ever experienced in medical history: where the proportion of its constituents – both child and adult – that is obese is increasing at epidemic rates. First and foremost, the term â€Å"obesity† is defined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as a measure of BMI, or Body Mass Index, which is â€Å"calculated as weigh t in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, rounded to one decimal place.† Adults are considered obese if this BMI value equals or exceeds 30 and children are based on age- and gender-specific CDC growth charts from 2000, where obesity is categorized as reaching the 95th percentile or above (Ogden, 2014, p. 6). Likewise, the term â€Å"epidemic† implies that â€Å"a disease has increased in frequency in a defined geographic area far above its usual rate† (Riegelman, 2015, p. 136), which holds true for the American adult demographic: the CDCShow MoreRelatedObesity Epidemic in the United Kingdom698 Words   |  3 Pagesobesity epidemic in UK newspapers from 1996 to 2010. It claims that during this fifteen year period there was an increase in media reporting on obesity. These figures may reflect the claims that obesity was on the increase during this period. However, an article in the Sociolgical Forum suggests that â€Å"Journalists sensationalise what th ey report on by using certain themes, language or metaphors to attract public attention† (Saguy Almeling, 2008, p.57). By using words and phrases such as ‘epidemic’, ‘battlingRead MoreIs Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever ( Ehv )?1471 Words   |  6 Pagesfunction, and finally, internal and external bleeding. The virus can be from wild animals, as well as through human to human interaction. To be specific, contact with bodily fluids (such as blood, urine and feces) is required for transmission (World Health Organization (WHO) Media Centre, 2014). The average fatality rate of EHV through history has been roughly 50%, but it varies greatly from outbreak to outbreak. 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This fight can be done through a lot of places, churches, physician offices, dietary and nutrition offices this fight cannot be done by individual, people that are obesity need the public to pitch and help them in how to lose weight and start a healthy life style. This paper will address why and why not obesity is considered an epidemic, and address why the fight against obesity should be a public discussion and concerned . It is hard forRead MoreThe Opioid Crisis : What Goes Up, Must Come Down955 Words   |  4 Pages THE OPIOID CRISIS 1 The Opioid Crisis: What Goes Up, Must Come Down Pam Lane Incest, Sexual Abuse, and Trauma MHT214 Spring May 1​st​, 2017 Professor Bonnie Cole Lesson 13 Assignment THE OPIOID CRISIS 2 Abstract My personal perception of opioid addiction used to be someone shooting up heroin, an illicit drug, and overdosing was just the inevitable end on the pathway of addiction. 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