In a study released by the National Center for Health Statistics, more American adults
are more obese now, than at any other time in U.S. history. This study revealed that almost 40%
of adults and 18.5% of children in the United States are obese. The rates in children are more
stable than the alarming rise in the numbers of obese adults.
The highest obesity rates were seen among Hispanics and non-Hispanic Blacks whose obesity
rates are at 47% and 46.8% respectively. Asian adults had the lowest rates of obesity at 12.7%
and non-Hispanic white adults were at 37.9%.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), lists risk factors for obesity as: “unhealthy lifestyle
habits, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating behaviors, not enough sleep, high amounts of
stress, age, unhealthy environments, family history, and genetics.” The NIH suggests that
screening for risk factors and intervention before one becomes obese is the best approach.
However, for those already battling extreme weight gain, there are weapons available such as
adopting healthy lifestyle changes, behavioral weight loss programs, medicines, and surgical
procedures.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lists some of the health effects of
obesity as “heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer that are some of the
leading causes of premature death.” A diagnosis can be easily made at a primary medical care
center or urgent care clinic where the first steps to a healthy lifestyle can begin.
Highly trained healthcare professionals can provide the resources to assist obese patients in
losing weight and living healthier lives.
A visit to a healthcare provider can make the difference between life and death for an obese
person who is at risk for some life-threatening complications. To schedule an annual physical at
any of our convenient Primary Medical Care Center community clinics, you may visit our
website at www.primarymed.com, or call (305)751-1500 for our Miami-Dade clinic, or
(954)289-0000 for our Broward clinic.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html