Epidemiology Paper

Obesity in the United States continues growing alarmingly. Approximately 66 % of adults and 33 % of children and teenagers in the US are overweight. Obesity is the result of fat accumulated over time due to the lack of a balanced diet and exercise. An adult with a BMI (body mass index) higher than thirty percent is considered obese (Whitney & Rolfes, 2011, pg. 271).

“Tuberculosis (TB), a multisystem disease with myriad presentations and manifestations, is the most common cause of infectious disease–related mortality worldwide. Although TB rates are decreasing in the United States, the disease is becoming more common in many parts of the world. In addition, the prevalence of drug-resistant TB is increasing worldwide. TB is caused by M tuberculosis, a slow-growing obligate aerobe and a facultative intracellular parasite. The organism grows in parallel groups called cords (as seen in the image below). It retains many

This paper will discuss the communicable disease influenza. It will discuss the causes, symptoms, and treatments, as well as the demographics of interest. It will also discuss the determinants of health and how these factors contribute to the development of influenza. Included in this paper will be information on host, agent, and environmental factors. Lastly it will explain the role of the community health nurse in caring for those affected with influenza and the role they play in education and prevention.

Obesity and being overweight are problems in America that are continuing to exacerbate each and everyday.  According to Jan Simmonds, being a few pounds above an individual's ideal weight is considered overweight; while obesity is being more than twenty percent above an individual's ideal weight (3).  Ideal weight is a number based on one's height and body frame.  TeensHealth states, "Obese people are very overweight and at risk for serious health problems" (1).  Obesity is life threatening and there are many side effects associated with being obese.

Obesity is defined as having excess body fat. To be considered obese, you must have a BMI of 30 or higher. Your BMI, Body Mass Index, is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. While obesity can affect all ages, sexes and ethnic groups, compared with whites, African-Americans have 51% higher and Hispanics have 21% higher obesity rates (CDC, 2010). Along with that, it has been found that women with higher education are less likely to be obese compared to those with less education (Rodrigo, 2013). Also, obesity is affecting younger ages each year; childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. It is said that one-in-three children are affected by excess body weight, which then carries into adulthood. According to the AACAP (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry), if one parent is obese, there is a 50% chance their child will be obese and if both parents are obese their child has an 80% chance of being obese.

There is a new epidemic that is hitting America by storm in this day and age. It is a serious concern that can lead to serious health problems, social ostracism and, if left untreated, fatality. This disease is obesity, more specially child and teenage obesity in America which statistics show has reached an alarming 2.5 million for children ranging from 2 to 19. This teeming number is continually increasing and as a result, children are at an increased risk for diseases traditionally correlated with adults such as heart disease and Type II diabetes. Sadly enough, this can and will shorten the life span of children if measures are not taken. Now, there are many unknowns as to the actual causes of teen obesity and not just gluttony or

An individual is often labeled “obese” when his or her weight is greater than what is considered to be healthy for his or her given height. The individual’s body mass index (BMI) is a reliable

Today’s children are at risk to be the first generation in the modern era to have a life expectancy less than that of their parents (Lemonick, 3). This is because of obesity. In the last thirty years, the rate of obesity among adolescents in the United States has quadrupled, and the anatomical health repercussions are being felt (“A Comparison” 16). Ailments like heart disease and diabetes, that have a direct correlation with obesity, are all on the rise. The issue within society is that few people recognize that obesity is the root of these problems (Ward-Smith, 242). For this reason, Americans have allowed themselves to create a lifestyle where obesity will continue to exist. With a fast paced culture that demands results instantly, society

Obesity is an epidemic that is putting uncomfortable strains on the American health care system. With just under two-thirds of the American adult population being overweight or obese, a lot of time and effort has gone into uncovering the causes of this rise in the weights of American citizens. Several theories have been developed to help solve the mystery of America’s rising size. Obesity cannot be traced back to a single factor, but rather many aspects have contributed to the rise of obesity in America. Parental influence, media exposure, and individual’s rate at which they metabolize food all play a significant role in contributing to obesity in America. The threat of obesity in this country is growing, and as a nation it is imperative that we understand the underlying cause of the epidemic, and prepare a comprehensive plan on how to tackle it. It is imperative for the nation heath to better understand the causes of obesity in America.

The topic of obesity is a current American issue that is in the midst of being solved. Obesity, the condition of being overweight, was named a disease in 2013. Obesity has rapidly emerged as an American problem and poses as a serious health challenge. The cause of obesity has a lot to deal with America’s social dynamics. Today, advertisements are in all places promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. Considering the great expense of healthy foods, low income families can barely afford fruits and vegetables. These two ideas are greatly connected with the increasing obesity rate in the United States. Seventeen percent of American adolescents were considered obese from 2011 to 2014. This is double the amount of obese

This article is helpful for access to some statics about obesity such as “Nearly 78 million adults and 13 million children in the United States deal with the health and emotional effects of obesity every day”. I am going to use a few statistics like this in my main paper. The point of the article is to get at the facts about obesity and show that it’s a main problem in America today and that’s what I like about this source. It covers topics such as statistics to ways to cure obesity. The most

The WHO classifies an adult with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or above as being obese. The BMI tool is used globally, and is calculated by dividing a person’s body weight in kilograms by their height in inches. Bostram and Eliasson (2006) argue a serious weakness with BMI is that the measure cannot differentiate between fat and muscle mass, and that a change in girth or abdominal circumference is a better reflection on the onset of obesity among other associated problems such as type 2 diabetes. Obesity is one of the major public health issues affecting society and is fast becoming a major cause of death across the globe. Seidell & Halberstadt (2015) indicate that the prevalence of obesity is growing at an alarming rate, and over the last thirty years, overnutrition and obesity has transformed from a minor health issue which affected only the most affluent of societies, to being a major threat to public health throughout the world.

For the first time in 200 years, the increased prevalence of adolescent obesity may result in decreased life expectancy (Goodman, Slap, & Huang, 2003). According to Tsiros (2009), epidemiological projections indicate that “not only will obese adolescents suffer these adverse consequences but all citizens will literally pay dearly due to this health crisis.” Tsiros goes on to assert that 86.3% of American adults will be overweight or obese in less than 20 years.

Obesity is a growing problem among U.S. children. In 1994, one in five children between the ages of 6 and 17 was overweight. This is double the rate of 30 years ago (National Center for Health Statistics, 1999). This adverse trend has potentially profound effects on children's health, including their long-term health. The terms "obese" and "overweight" often are used interchangeably. Technically, "obesity" is the upper end of "overweight." Obesity is clinically diagnosed as: greater than 90th percentile for weight for height; or greater than or equal to the 95th percentile Body Mass Index (BMI), age and sex specific. The gold standard is becoming the BMI, since this is also used

Part 1 Cofounding Factors Cofounding factors are extraneous variables that correlate either positively or negatively with both eh dependent and independent variable within a study. Any research method and analysis must account for these variables through the actual design of the study or through statistical means that accounts for them. Operational cofound is one that can occur in both experimental and nonexperimental design when a measure for one variable inadvertently measures something else as well. A procedural cofound occurs in a lab experiment when the researchers allows another variable to change along with the manipulated variable in question. Perhaps the best way of thinking about this issue is that there are variables that tend to influence the outcome of the experiment that may add error but are of no real interest to the hypothesis. One of the most common is when the designer of the experiment cannot randomly assign participants to groups and some of the individual differences (e.g. height, weight, personality, genetics, predisposition to disease, etc.) act as variables (Mayrent, 1987).