What is Obesity?
Obesity is a disease that affects nearly one-third of the adult American population (approximately 60 million). The number of overweight and obese Americans has continued to increase since 1960, a trend that is not slowing down. Today, 64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are categorized as being overweight or obese. Each year, obesity causes at least 300,000 excess deaths in the U.S., and healthcare costs of American adults with obesity amount to approximately $100 billion.
Obesity is the second leading cause of unnecessary deaths.
- Despite its toll taken in death and disability, obesity does not receive the attention it deserves from government, the health care profession or the insurance industry.
- Research is severely limited by a shortage of funds.
- Inadequate insurance coverage limits access to treatment.
- Discrimination and mistreatment of persons with obesity is widespread and often considered socially acceptable.
Did You Know?
- Obesity is a chronic disease with a strong familial component.
- Obesity increases one's risk of developing conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes (type 2), heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease and cancer of the breast, prostate and colon.
- Health insurance providers rarely pay for treatment of obesity despite its serious effects on health.
- The tendency toward obesity is fostered by our environment: lack of physical activity combined with high-calorie, low-cost foods.
- If maintained, even weight losses as small as 10 percent of body weight can improve one's health.
- The National Institutes of Health annually spends less than 1.0 percent of its budget on obesity research.
- Persons with obesity are victims of employment and other discrimination, and are penalized for their condition despite many federal and state laws and policies.
