Free Thesis Proposal On Obesity In The United States

Thesis Proposal

Abstract
This project involves discovering the main reasons of being overweight, major group of people who affected by the problem. The study is to show how obesity increases risk of many serious health problems. This will allow to reduce the number of people who are overweight and make young generation more aware of the causes of obesity.

Introduction

Over the past decades, obesity has grown into a huge worldwide problem. In the United States, more than a half of the population is overweight and one – third is obese. In early 1960-s, the rate of obese adults was 48%. By the 2010 this number has increased to 65% (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). Another problem is childhood obesity, which is a serious US public health problem.
The term “obese” describes people who have a body mass index (BMI) above the 95th percentile. The problem of obesity is rising and attracting more attention. Understanding the core of the problem can help to create healthier environments on personal and national levels.
Research studies in this area might help to motivate legislative activity by regulating the number of fast foods suppliers, limiting the prevalence of unhealthy products in schools and universities.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze problems of obesity in the USA and identify the main reasons of weight problems.
Obesity is a complex problem with many factors of influence. That’s why it is so challenging to solve this problem in the USA. Government’s role is only partial. Social status and lifestyle factors have a great impact on weight.

Thesis statement

Because of lifestyle, hereditary and economic reasons, every six adolescent in the US is struggling with weight problems.
Obesity in the United States has a bad influence on the health and well – being of the individual and society in general. Negative impacts on health include increased chronic health disorders, psychological disorders, and premature death. Direct medical spending on treatment of such serious health conditions as type 2 diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, and asthma is likely to increase proportionally due to the obesity level.

Methods

The study originated from a need to find the group of people who are at risk of being overweight. The data for this thesis proposal were gathered from two surveys conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NMANES) and the National Health Interview Survey (NMIS). The researchers were conducted in the United States between 2009-2010, among adults age 20 and older. The number of males and females was almost equal (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012).

Results and discussion

According to the studies more than 68.8 percent of adults are considered to have serious weight problems. More than 35.7 percent of people are considered to be obese. 6.3 percent of Americans have extreme obesity. The prevalence of obesity is almost equal for men and women (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012).

Many weight problems originate from adolescence because it is a crucial period for establishing healthy behaviour.

Lifestyle factors play a great role at obesity level. Many families eat more food outside the home. Most restaurants put a lot of food on the plates, which leads to consuming more calories. Many areas have low access to supermarkets while fast food cafes are in every city. Amount of high school students engaged in the recommended amount of physical activity is not enough.

All the consequences of obesity can be divided into several major groups:

Health consequences
Being overweight increases the risk for many health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis and stroke. Overweight adolescents are more likely to become overweight adults. The obese people live shorter lives than their peers.

Economic consequences

Government spends more than $ 140 billion annually on diagnosis and treatment of illnesses caused by obesity (Schwarz S., Peterson J., 2010).
Solution of the problem would be beneficial not only for health and well – being of affected people, but also for the economic situation in the country. But many food suppliers might become bankrupts. Unhealthy food is usually cheaper. New time – saving technologies helped to reduce time costs and raise consumption. A rational consumer takes into account that fast food products are cheaper. Most people, however, forget that it may be harmful for health. “American technological leadership and the large size of the American market” enables to affect food flavor, ability to kill harmful microorganisms and extend the expiration date. Such food is lacking many useful vitamins and minerals but have more calories that leads to obesity (Cutler D., Glaeser E., Shapiro J., 2003).

References

Cutler D., Glaeser E., Shapiro J. (2003). Why Have Americans Become More Obese? Journal of Economic Perspectives, 17, 93 – 118.
Schwarz S., Peterson J. (2010). Adolescent Obesity in the United States. Facts for Policymakers. New York: National Center for Children in Poverty.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). Overweight and Obesity Statistics. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease. Retrieved from http:// www.win.niddk.nih.gov.