This Tuesday, October 25, my fundamentals of biomedical sciences class was visited by three senior nursing students from Springhill College. They gave us a fascinating presentation about the dangers of obesity, especially in children. First we watched Jamie Oliver's TED talk about obesity. Oliver spoke on the dangers of processed foods, lack of food education and quality lunches in schools, and how Americans, and those of other nations, are on a deadly path in terms of our food consumption. Our speakers then spoke about obesity in terms of Body Mass Index (BMI). Obesity is defined as BMI at or above the 95th percentile (often BMI of 30+).
They then gave us some eye-opening statistics about childhood obesity. An average of 19.3% of children and adolescents are obese. These numbers range in ethnic groups and economic classes. Hispanic children, for example, are most likely to face obesity, with just under 25% of Hispanic children being obese. Children of the lower and middle classes are also more likely to face obesity than that of children in the high class. This is due to high prices on healthier options, and low prices on fast/processed foods. Obesity has many negative affects including, but not limited to, asthma, diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, depression, and anxiety. Obesity in children may lead to obesity in adulthood. Obesity in adults is considered a silent killer that plays a role in millions of death each year. The two most common causes of death in the United States, heart disease and cancer, can be caused by obesity/the consumption of unhealthy foods. Obesity can cause many other health issues including type 2 diabetes. Lastly, our guest speakers spoke to us about why obesity isn't expressed in hospitals as much as it should be. The discussion of obesity is a sensitive subject that offends many people into not taking a medical professional's advice seriously. Time constraints in hospitals also lead to lack of discussion on a patient's weight. Many patients don't follow through with a doctor's advice, as dieting can be difficult or too expensive for many people. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from our guests today as they taught me many things about just how important the food we eat is to our bodies. It truly opened my eyes to just how large an epidemic obesity is today.
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