The United States is one of the countries with an obesity problem. Too many Americans are eating a lot of junk of food.  The most common fast food restaurants are McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). Americans don’t burn off the calories they consume. Americans are too lazy. They don’t burn off the fat and sugar that’s consume. Instead of exercising or doing physical activities, we’re in bed all day, playing video games, or just eat more junk food. Obesity is harming the younger generation more. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), Americans who were younger dined on fast food more than older folks: Nearly 45% of people aged 20-39, compared with only 24% of consumers 60 years and older. However, the United States is not the fattest country in the world. It’s Nauru. The U.S. is not even on the list of the top ten fattest countries.  Yet as seen below, the United States ranks number one on the list of industrialized countries. The World Population Review list the most obese countries:

1. Nauru (Average Body Mass Index: 32.5)

2. Tonga (Average Body Mass Index: 31.9)

3. Samoa (Average Body Mass Index: 31.7)

4. Kuwait (Average Body Mass Index: 30)

5. Saint Kitts and Nevis (Average Body Mass Index: 29.7)

6. Saint Lucia (Average Body Mass Index: 29.6)

7. Kiribati (Average Body Mass Index: 29.6)

8. Palau (Average Body Mass Index: 29.4)

9. Micronesia (Average Body Mass Index: 29.4)

10. Tuvalu (Average Body Mass Index: 29.3)

America is 16th on the list of the fattest countries in the world.   Yet the United States seems to be number one on the list for developed, “first world” countries with obesity issues. The world sees us as the country of the fattest people on earth.

We just eat food without looking at the nutrition facts labels–either because we don’t understand it or it is too difficult to understand.  Perhaps we’re in too much of a hurry to slow down and examine what we eat and what we buy.

 Fast food commercials are one of the causes of obesity. They get you to buy that delicious cheeseburger with french fries and a large drink. Come on down to buy it! After watching the commercial, it’s very unlikely for the individual to ask themselves how many calories does that cheeseburger have or the percentage of sodium or cholesterol included.  Commercials have a negative impact on children. They can be easily influenced to buy junk food since kids are exposed to television a lot. The University of Adelaide, in a study, stated, “Children were exposed to twice as much unhealthy food advertising as healthy food advertising.”

Two athletic students were interviewed about obesity. How can people follow their footsteps or get involved in sports to be physically fit? The athletes hope that whatever foods are causing obesity can be cut back or end the issue by becoming more active and preventing obesity.

Allen Vasquez (12) said, “I think people should join programs to lose mass. People need to be more active to prevent any weight gain. We need to pay attention to the things like food label facts or certain words we need to know to make sure we’re not consuming too much of it. Parents need to be cautious on what they’re feeding their kids because it is really bad for the child to be fat. It’s most likely they will get heart disease easily. There should be opportunities for everyone to join programs of exercising, be in sports, or any physical activities. I’m on the Water Polo team and that helps me to stay in good shape.”

Bryan Barazza (12) said, “I’m in good shape because I stay active. I’m on the Lacrosse team. I understand how people can just eat a lot without considering the consequences. People need to be taught about the nutrition label fact. It shows you if you should eat the food or not. Everyone needs to be more active and stop watching a lot of television. That can be bad for you. One option to consider is to eat more vegetables than meat or become a vegetarian. Drinking a lot of water and cutting back on soda is also a option. It’s hard to watch kids be all fat. That shows you they’re not eating anything nutritious.”