The Health and Economic Impact of Obesity in the U.S. and Globally

• Activity Number: 187
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, July 30, 2012 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Social Statistics Section
• Author(s): Mohammad Quasem*+ and Akmmaksudul Alam
• Companies: Howard University and
• Keywords: obesity ; life expectancy ; medical system ; cause of death ; prevention ; financial burden

Abstract

Obesity is an accumulation of excess fat on the human body. When individuals consume higher calorie foods they may see an adverse effect on their health, oftentimes leading to reduced life expectancy and increased health problems. Over the past few decades, obesity has become a growing epidemic with more Americans putting on excess weight. Obesity can be caused by many factors including behavioral and lifestyle choices, genes, endocrine disorders, medications, and psychiatric illnesses. The consequences of the rapid growth of obesity are seen in mounting financial burdens on the medical system as obesity leads to an increased risk for many preventable disease including heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and high blood pressure. This study explores the impact that obesity has on death rates in the United States as well as globally. I