Obesity A Growing Problem - 959 Words

Introduction Today in the United States, obesity is a growing problem. One-third of adults in the United States are obese which is about 78.6 million people (â€Å"Adult Obesity Facts† 1). The number of adults that are obese has quadrupled in the last thirty years. Childhood obesity has doubled in the last thirty years. In 1980, seven percent of children between the ages of six and eleven were obese. In 2012, eighteen percent of children in that same age group were obese. In 1980, five percent of teens between the ages of twelve and nineteen were obese. This percentage grew to around twenty one percent in 2012 (â€Å"Childhood Obesity Facts† 1). Since 1980, obesity rates have drastically increased which is not a positive thing for the United†¦show more content†¦Diet and exercise can keep the weight off and provide the body with the energy it needs and improve overall physical fitness. It is recommended that adults do two hours and thirty minutes of mild aerob ic activity such as walking every week. The amount of recommended time differs depending the intensity of the activity being done. Adults also should do muscle enhancing activities at least twice a week. These exercises need to work the major groups of muscle in the body, such as legs, back, and abdominals (â€Å"How much physical activity do adults need?† 1). It is recommended that children do sixty minutes of exercise a day. Those sixty minutes can be spent doing a variety of different things. Most of that hour should be used to do aerobic exercises. Three times a week children should incorporate some type of muscle enhancing exercise into the hour such as pushups. Also, children should incorporate activities like jump roping, which are bone enhancing exercises at least three times a week (â€Å"How much physical activity do children need?† 1). Likewise, diet can also help a person maintain their weight. To prevent childhood obesity and other risk factors, it is reco mmended that children do not just eat food from one food group, but something from all of them. The recommendation is to eat foods low in fat due to the problems excess fat