The Obesity Epidemic

My name is Gina, I m 17years old, and I weigh 340 pounds (155 kg). I ve been overweight since I was 12 years old. I used to go to school, but I dropped out because people make fun of me. I have missed my entire time in high school because of being obese. 

I suffer from depression, anxiety, and a fear of leaving my house. I hate my body so much it s insane. I wish I could lose all this weight in a heartbeat, but I know it is not possible. All I am able to do is sit around in the house all day. When I do go out, I can t bring myself to get out of the car. I joined a gym, but I don t know what good that s going to do I am too embarrassed even to go. 

I feel so guilty for letting myself get so big. I wish I could just live an ordinary teenage life and have cute boys look at me and not pick on me. I wish I could go out and enjoy life instead of being afraid all the time. I wish I could simply go to a store and buy sexy clothing, bell-bottoms, tank tops, and a bikini, but I can t because they don t make that kind of clothing in my size. 

I know I m not the only obese person in the world, but being a teenager and watching all these other skinny teenage girls makes me feel like I am the only [obese] one. I feel like such a freak. I wish I could change, but it s so hard. I really need some support right now. I wish all these pretty, skinny, in-shape people could just respect me, but that will never happen because of the way I look. 

Most people believe someone is obese if they look fat. This is not true. Health-care professionals and scientists have developed specific definitions for the words overweight and obese. Overweight and obesity are not determined solely by an individual s weight, but are defined in terms of a person s weight relative to his or her height. Doctors and researchers use a special set of measurements and mathematical formulas to determine whether a person is overweight or obese. 

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Hofbauer KG, Nicholson JR, Boss O (2007). The obesity epidemic current and future pharmacological treatments. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 47 565-592... 

In the first paragraph, where the theme is typically introduced, it states that members of Congress have decided they need to do something about the obesity epidemic (lines 5 and 6). 

Bloom SR et al The obesity epidemic pharmacological challenges. Molec Interventions 2008 8 82. [PMID 18403653]... 

James, P. T., N. Rigby and R. Leach (2004). The obesity epidemic, metabolic syndrome and future prevention strategies. Eur J Cardio-vasc Prev Rehabil 11(1) 3-8. 

Hill JO, Peters JC. Environmental contributions to the obesity epidemic. Science 1998 280 1371-1374. 

Pi-Sunyer, F. (2002). The obesity epidemic Pathophysiology and consequences of obesity. Obesity 10, 97S-104S. 

Obesity is among the most common diseases facing physicians. It is a major cause of premature mortality, with enormous economic impact on om society. A recent study estimated the annual cost of obesity in the U.S. as 93 bilhon per year, or 9.1% of all healthcare dollars, of which about half is paid by federal dollars. As frightening as these numbers are, they are based on 1998 data on the prevalence of obesity, and recent studies have indicated that the obesity epidemic has continued unabated, and the percent of adults with BMI >30 kg/m has increased from 18.3% to 22.5% in the 4 years from 1998 to 2002 (CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System). 

Newbold RR, Padilla-Banks E, Snyder RJ, Phillips TM, Jefferson WN. Developmental exposure to endocrine disrupters and the obesity epidemic. Reprod Toxicol 2007a 23 290-296. 

Levin, B.E., 2000. The obesity epidemic metabolic imprinting on genetically susceptible neural circuits. Obes. Res. 8 342-347. 

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