The Rise of Americans’ Body Mass Indexes
Body mass index (BMI) represents a measure of a person’s body fat based on their height and weight and applies to adult women and men. BMI is an indicator of obesity and overweight individuals. Individuals considered obese have a BMI higher than or equal to 30, overweight individuals have a BMI of 25 to 29.9, persons with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 are normal or have a healthy weight, and people with a BMI below 18.5 are underweight.
In 2017-2018 the prevalence of obesity was 42.4% showing an increase of roughly11.9% since 1999-2000. For young adults aged between twenty years of age and thirty-nine years the prevalence for obesity is 40%, that of people aged 40 to 59 is 44.8% and individuals aged sixty and above have a prevalence of 42.8% The link between obesity and income or level of education is complicated and appreciably differs with ethnicity and sex.
Weight loss between 5 to 10 % of an individual’s current weight aids in lowering the risk of developing diseases associated with obesity. However, weight loss has been associated with many misconceptions, such as starving yourself, which can be used as a weight-loss strategy. As Wailoo Keith highlighted in How cancer crossed the color line, similar misapprehensions regarding women with cancer led to the stigmatization of these women and the deterioration in their health. Misconceptions such as these have detrimental effects on obese individuals’ health.
As alluded to earlier, the connection between obesity and income is complex, and according to recent research, it differs from race and sex. In the past, society has associated obesity with high income or well-to-do people. The prevalence of obesity is reduced in the highest and lowest income groups for men compared to that of the middle-income group that is significantly higher. The belief that obese people can only come from the top income group of men has led to the characterization of obesity as a rich man’s problem. This was the same problem faced by America as Wailoo Keith demonstrated in “How Cancer Crossed the Color Line.” The disease disproportionately burdened women, and the approach to raise awareness about cancer was meant with a lot of resistance.
It is essential to understand that Obese and overweight people can be found in all income groups. With this understanding, physicians’ approach to raising awareness about the rise in body mass indexes may bear fruit. Obese individuals are facing challenges in creating awareness. Is it their lifestyle that led to their condition? Should they be embarrassed by their state, or should they be discreetly vigilant? Is it their fault that they became obese? Recent campaigns have aimed at answering these questions.
When it comes to race, obesity has the most significant prevalence for non-Hispanic black adults compared to other ethnicities. Among non-Hispanic Asian adults, the incidence of obesity is lowest at 17.4% compared to the prevalence of obesity in non-Hispanic black adults that is at 49.6% and with that of non-Hispanic white at 42.2%. The work of Wailoo Keith has significantly impacted medicine and the approach of medical experts to such conditions as obesity that cross the racial line. Among African American and Hispanic girls, the rates of obesity are exceptionally high, but over the past three decades, the rates have more than doubled for all ethnicities.
Obesity is a serious chronic condition that, if not addressed soon, will have serious detrimental effects not only on the individuals themselves but also to the society and the economy. Obese people are associated with increased absenteeism and much lower productivity creating a significant economic toll on our community. Since obesity is associated with other medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, obese employees are more likely to take more sick days off work, causing a more significant workload for their colleagues at their workplace.
The economic toll of obesity is realized through the health care cost within the country. It is estimated that the medical cost for obese and overweight people to be $1429 greater than that of individuals of healthy weight. As currently, the prevalence continues to rise, and the cost associated with the management of obesity and diseases related to obesity could spike by $60 to $66 billion per year by 2030.
The approach to dealing with the rise in BMI indices has employed the use of group care, care extenders, clinical and public health methods, and providers’ education. The arrival of the patient protection and affordable care act has offered a chance to think about various channels for delivering care for obese individuals. For instance, it was demonstrated that dietetic, medical, and nursing schools do not offer courses on how to start ac discussion about obesity in ways and by using terms that are not offensive. The biased attitudes toward obese and overweight individuals have also not been addressed and have caused the poor quality of care for obese and overweight individuals. Efforts to stem such bias will go a long way to improving the quality of care and correspondingly lower the rising cases of obesity in the country.
Interventions can embrace the knowledge, belief, and attitudes of individuals within a society according to the social-ecological model of public health. To hasten the response, a multi-sectored and multilayered approach is required. Social networks, family, and peers have a significant influence in dealing with this issue. The interventions should be aimed at both preventions of obesity and the implementation of programs and strategies to help those who are already obese and overweight.
For public health programs, it is paramount that the prevalence of obesity is monitored for the appropriate tailoring of the response. Whereas obesity is defined by BMI, this index is not capable of measuring body fat directly. The health risk associated with raised body fat will vary depending on the race, Hispanic origin, and sex at the same BMI.