The number of individuals diagnosed with obesity is growing continuously. Obesity rates have doubled among adults in the last twenty years and tripled among children in a one generation. According to the most recent statistics, 66% of American adults are overweight or obese, with 1 in 3 adults meeting the criteria for obesity.
Obesity has been related to many common diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes. There is no distinct reason for obesity. Medical illnesses and drug treatments can also result in obesity. Occurrence of obesity is found to be more common among those of lower socioeconomic and certain minority populations.
Treatment of obesity is very challenging. Most diet plans are not effective and lack long-term success. Countless weight loss drugs have been removed from the market because of their substantial adverse effects.
Weight loss surgery has shown some degree of success in managing obesity in the past years, and the number of individuals undergoing this type of surgery has increased by almost 50% from 2000 to 2005.
According to research, obesity associated health expenditures were estimated to be $147 billion in 2008.
In middle-age men, treatment of common obesity-related disorders stroke, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol levels resulted in roughly $9,000 to $17,000 higher costs compared to normal-weight adults.
Children who are overweight or obese have markedly higher odds of staying overweight or obese into adulthood.
Worldwide, almost 43 million children under age 5 were overweight or obese in 2010, a 60 percent increase since 1990.
source : Obesity And The New Distinction
