The going prices for carbonated beverages are seen at the West End Cinema on December 25, 2014, in … [+]
Is America really the most obese country in the world? Well, not quite, it ranks as the 12th most obese country worldwide, but number 1 when considering high-income countries. Obesity refers to a medical condition in which one has an excess amount of fat in the body, and one’s Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 or more (BMI is a measurement that factors in one’s height, weight, age, and sex).
According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, more than 2 in 5 adults are obese, and nearly 1 in 5 children are obese. Furthermore, 19 states in America have obesity rates over 35 percent, increased from 16 states just last year. A decade ago, no states had obesity rates above 35 percent! Obesity is linked to a number of health ailments, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and a number of cancers such as breast and colorectal. If that wasn’t enough, the annual medical cost of obesity was nearly 173 billion dollars in 2019 alone.
Although a multitude of factors are responsible for the obesity epidemic in America, a major concern is food portion size. Seriously, why do we eat more than any other country on Earth? A prior research study compared American food portions with those elsewhere throughout the world. In this study, Paris portion sizes were on average 1/4 the size of Philadelphia sizes, when comparing 11 similar eateries between the two cities. Even within the US, fast food portions are 4 times larger now than they were dating back to the 1950s. Having recently traveled abroad, you literally cannot get the amount of fries that are in an extra-large order at McDonald’s in any other country outside of America!
A Cornell study also demonstrated that people eat more if they are given more to eat. It is of no surprise that larger portion sizes lead to increased caloric intake, and increase pounds for many Americans who dine out on a regular basis.
An equally concerning issue is the rise of a sedentary lifestyle amongst Americans. Up to 84% of Americans spend at least 2 hours a day watching TV. According to a study that followed American behavioral patterns over a span of 15 years, total sitting time increased from 7 to 8.2 hours a day among adolescents and increased from 5.5 to 6.4 hours for adults. The less active Americans are, the less calories that get burnt throughout the course of the day, and the more likely it is that calories accumulate eventually leading to increase pounds on the weight machine. The ubiquitous rise of screen time with technology such as cellphones, iPads, and computers also does not help the cause of increasing fitness and activity for Americans. According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans published in 2018 by the American Department of Health and Human Services, adults should engage in 150-300 minutes per week of moderate physical activity or 75-150 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity.
Curbing obesity in America will not be successful at the individual level alone by changing diet and exercising. Obesity will only be curtailed through a public health approach that targets structural factors like discrimination, food insecurity, and lack of access to key health resources. As an example, food insecurity refers to the inability to consume healthy foods because of insufficient funds or resources. This is of particular importance amongst the poorest populations in America, who often cannot afford more costly foods at supermarkets that have the highest nutritional value. Instead, they must purchase cheaper fast foods that tend to be higher in calories but lower in nutritional value. It is of no surprise that obesity is more prevalent in minorities and those of lower socioeconomic status. Non-Hispanic Blacks have the highest prevalence of obesity in America, followed by Hispanic adults, and this is often a result of where they live and their lack of resources to purchase healthy foods.
Federal and state policymakers must make combatting obesity a priority. This can be done by increasing funding to federal programs such as nutrition assist programs, as well as providing healthy school meals for all public school kids; as was done in many states during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For those of us that can afford high quality meals, ending obesity starts with the decisions we make- particularly eating healthier, in smaller quantities, and staying active physically. There is an Islamic teaching whereby Prophet Muhammad admonishes his companions to keep 1/3 of the stomach filled with food, 1/3 with water, and 1/3 with air. Perhaps all of us can benefit from this advice that was given over 1400 years ago!
