Obesity
What’s the Problem?
Obesity is a global issue that stems from a large amount of fat in the human body. The problems with this fat increase are the greater risks of:
stroke, heart disease
type 2 diabetes
specific cancers
higher blood pressure
Why Is This Important?
Obesity is the leading cause of death, both in the United States and worldwide, as it is the cause of several chronic diseases that only worsen with age. The leading causes of obesity are:
physical inactivity
increased consumption of foods that are high in fat
The increase of unhealthy and prepackaged processed foods increases the risk of heart diseases and muscle and bone disorders. Thus, it is important that the obesity epidemic is reduced, to lower the risk of such harmful diseases and promote longer-lasting and healthier lifestyles.
How Can YOU Help?
To help out with combating obesity, you can:
create a dietary plan for yourself to limit your energy intake from fats and complex sugars.
You can also increase your daily consumption of nutrient-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains and nuts, and legumes.
The last component of a healthy lifestyle is participating consistently in physical activity.
The WHO recommends at least 1 hour per day for children under the age of 18 and 2-3 hours per week for adults.
Most importantly, reducing obesity rates require supportive communities and environments for people to adjust their lifestyles to achieve their nutritional, dietary, and exercise goals!
Want a background? Listen to Mia at TED-Ed Talk about it:
Get Involved:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016, 27% (1.9 billion) of the world’s adults were overweight and one-third of those adults were obese.
Learn ways that you can prevent obesity rates from increasing.
Organizations to Support
“Our mission is to work with and through our members and partners, to achieve global obesity-related targets including halting the rise of obesity, and to shape the global narrative” (About, World Obesity Foundation).
Alliance for a Healthier Generation
“For more than a decade, Healthier Generation has worked with schools, youth-serving organizations, businesses, and communities to empower kids to develop lifelong healthy habits by ensuring the environments that surround them provide and promote good health” (About, Alliance for a Healthier Generation).
Learn More Here