Obesity: A Public Or Private Issue?

12 Pages 2945 Words

homa, Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana), has the second highest rate of obesity among adults with 22.2 percent.

Obesity brings with it many problems. Obese people have a 50-100 percent chance of dying prematurely and 75 percent of people with hypertension are obese (“Overweight and Obesity…”np). Over 80 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes are obese (“Overweight and Obesity…” np), which leads the public to see that if you are obese you have a greater chance of developing Type 2 diabetes. For every two pound weight increase your risk of developing arthritis is increased by 9-13 percent. Obesity also leads to a greater chance of developing heart disease and certain types of cancer (“Overweight and Obesity…”np).

Along with the health complications is the financial aspect of obesity. Many obese people claim disability and receive Medicaid (“Obesity Costs…”np). Over nine percent of all healthcare costs last year were to pay for obesity (“Obesity Costs…”np). As taxpayers, even those who are not overweight, we al...