In 2016, being overweight is more common than being a healthy weight. Approximately 65% of adults in the United States are either overweight or obese and 23% of the United States are obese (Daniels, 40). According to the World Health organization, "after 15% of a population suffers from a health problem it is considered an epidemic." Why are US citizens not afraid of becoming overweight like they were of the polio epidemic?  Why is being overweight a problem that is over looked on so many occasions? Why is being overweight just considered an appearance problem and not a health problem? Being overweight or obese is an epidemic that isn't recognized as important. American's need to become educated on the problems associated with obesity, become conscious of their eating, and exercise more. 

In the article Prognosis In Obesity: We All Need To Move A Little More, Eat A Little Less, explains "Americans believe they have less time to do things but in reality are spending more time watching television and being inactive."  This inactivity leads to increased food consumption during periods of time where there is no appetite. Inactivity is also associated with the rise in childhood obesity. The percent of children that are becoming obese is growing and can be caused by watching television for more than four hours a day, not getting the proper amount of sleep, and maternal smoking. Overweight children are suffering from low self-esteem, decreased activity, overeating and are at risk of becoming obese adults (Lean, 1339). 

What factors determine if a person is considered overweight or obese?  The most common way to determine whether someone is overweight or obese is through the Body Mass Index (BMI). According to The American Journal of Nursing BMI is "calculated by dividing one's weight (in kilograms) by one's height (in meters squared)."  If the quotient is between 25 and 29.9 the person is considered overweight. If the quotient is between 30 and 39.9 the person is considered obese. If the quotient is 40 or higher the person is considered morbidly obese (Daniels, 41). Morbidly obese people have an increased "risk of morbidity and death because of their weight," according to The American Journal of Nursing. The main age range for people that are overweight is between 35 to 75 years old (Daniels, 41).

Lack of education can be linked to the cause of obesity in children and adults. Amy Jordan explores how children's eating behaviors are shaped through experience in her article Overweight and Obesity in America's children: Causes, Consequences, Solutions. Jordan believes that the way children are fed by their parents and what they are served at school effects their eating habits as adults (Jordan, 226). If fruits and vegetables are not a part of a child's daily diet, then they most likely will not become a part of their diet as they grow up. Portion control is also important to implement in a child's lifestyle. By serving a child an age appropriate portion parents are able to protect against building a habit of overeating. Parents can also lead by example by having a positive relationship with food to protect children from developing emotional eating or poor body image (Jordan, 227). Schools are a place for learning and not just subject learning but also behavioral learning. Eating, just like sharing, is a learned behavior. What a child eats at school contributes to how they view eating.   Many schools serve foods that have little nutritional value (although they are required by law to meet some low standards of nutrition), which in turn teaches children that nutrition is not a priority (Jordan, 228). Schools struggle to provide nutritional food because they lack the finances to be able to provide a well rounded meal of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. School are forced to put most of their money into their academics instead of the school's food.  This strategy is understandable, but when the country is facing an epidemic it is a choice that needs to be reevaluated. By increasing the amount of time a child is participating in physical activity and decreasing the time they are spending watching TV or playing video games will help to prevent mindless snacking and keep them at a normal weight (Jordan, 229). The key to reversing obesity is to implement healthier practices in schools and in children's daily routines. This type of change is difficult because changing to a healthier routine requires a lot of planning and effort.  

The struggle students in college face is widely know by most people and "the freshmen fifteen" is a common term to describe the weight gain that occurs in college. "The freshmen fifteen" is an expected outcome for new college students. But the fact that "a 15-lb. weight gain increases a person's risk of diabetes by 50%" is not being taken into account (Daniels, 40). As a result, poorly educated Americans do not understand the health risk of weight gain.  Even though these students are an educated group of people they still suffer from weight gain. 

Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, dyslipidemia, arthritis, sleep apnea, gallstone formation, and certain cancers, including cancers of the breast, colon, uterus, pancreas, and kidney disease.  Morbidly obese women have a 1.62 times greater risk of developing cancer than do women of normal weight. This is because of the excess weight burden that fat has on a person's bodily functions. The excess fat of an overweight person burdens different organs and joints and impairs the immune system (Daniels, 41). 

American obesity is overlooked and citizens need to become educated on the problems associated with obesity, become conscious of their eating, and exercise more. In Prognosis In Obesity: We All Need To Move A Little, More, Eat A Little Less, Lean says "the necessary changes are small: 90% of obesity in the United States could be abolished by walking an extra 2000 steps a day and decreasing consumption by .418 MJ [99.84 calories]" (Lean, 1340). American's need to get educated on nutrition and an emphasis needs to be put on healthy living in schools. America's On The Move Campaign says it best, "move a little more, eat a little less" (Lean, 1339). 

