| According to Wikipedia, obesity is defined as a | | | | has contributed to greater health care costs. This is |
| condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored | | | | why many doctors and specialists are linking obesity |
| in the fatty tissue of humans and other mammals, is | | | | to increased medical debt as well as the rise of |
| increased to a point where it is associated with | | | | insurance premiums. In some extreme cases, people |
| certain health conditions or increased mortality. | | | | battling obesity are even being denied medical |
| Translation: obesity is not good, but the bad news is | | | | coverage because they are more of a liability to the |
| that it isn't getting better, but rather, worse. | | | | insurance carriers. |
| According to the World Health Organization (WHO), | | | | This, in turn, raises another controversial concern as |
| by 2015, approximately 2.3 billion adults will be | | | | the very people who need the medical help are the |
| overweight and more than 700 million will be obese. | | | | same ones being denied. Who thought that being |
| Equally shocking was that in 2005 (globally), at least | | | | overweight could be so expensive and cause so |
| 20 million children under the age of five years old | | | | many problems? |
| were overweight. | | | | The good news in all of this is that obesity is |
| So, what is causing this monumental shift in obesity | | | | preventable. Through such tactics as public service |
| today, and what are the consequences of being | | | | advertisements (PSA's), Americans are being coached |
| obese? For all the talk about diet pills, nutritionists, | | | | through how to make small, yet significant changes |
| personal trainers and other various types of | | | | to their physical activities as well as dietary intake. |
| resources, there is still an overall trend towards | | | | For example, for all of those out there who would |
| consuming foods that are high in sugar and fat. Add | | | | rather run the risk of getting a ticket by parking in |
| in a downward trend in the amount of physical | | | | the fire lane at the supermarket, try parking your |
| activity a person engages in (aka: sedentary lifestyle), | | | | vehicle as far away from the entrance as possible. |
| as well as changing trends in transportation and | | | | This will force you to walk a little, thereby throwing a |
| amount of hours spent at work, and you suddenly | | | | little added exercise into your routine that you |
| have the perfect formula for gaining weight. | | | | wouldn't have had otherwise. |
| If getting fatter wasn't bad enough, the | | | | Designed for the United States Health and Human |
| consequences of being overweight are devastating. | | | | Services in cooperation with the Ad Council, PSA's as |
| People struggling with obesity are at risk for a | | | | well as other forms of advertising offer some small, |
| number of chronic diseases which include but are not | | | | yet sound advice for Americans. It reminds them |
| limited to: diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In | | | | that when dealing with the issue of obesity, not all |
| 2007, the Wall Street Journal reported that because | | | | hope should be lost...but the weight should. |
| obesity contributes to so many health problems, this | | | | |