1. Body-Fat Loss and Weight Control chapter 8

2. Societal Change During the late 19th century in the United States, human muscle power provided 33% of the energy needed to run the farms, homes, and factories. Today muscular effort contributes less than 1% of the energy.

3. Current Situation In the year 2000, the prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults was 19.8 percent—a 61% increase since 1991. An estimated 61% of U.S. adults are overweight, defined as having a body- mass index (BMI) of 25 or more. A total of 38.8 million American adults met the classification for obesity.

4. Overweight and Obese Individuals Are at Increased Risk For high blood pressure and hypertension, high blood cholesterol and dyslipidemia, type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes, insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, congestive heart failure, stroke, osteoarthritis, and gallstones.

5. Death Rates The death rate for obese men ages 15 to 69 is 50% higher than that of normal-weight persons and 30% higher than that of people classified as merely overweight.

6. Causes of Obesity According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), numerous factors influence overweight and obesity, including the following:

7. Behavior Eating too many calories while not getting enough physical activity will lead to overweight or obesity.

8. Environment Home, work, school, or community can provide barriers to or opportunities for an active lifestyle.

9. Genetics Heredity plays a large role in determining how susceptible people are to overweight and obesity. Genes also influence how the body turns calories for energy or stores fat.

10. Obesity Crisis Among Youth Studies show that children are spending more time watching TV, using computers, and playing video games. The limited proximity and availability of food and time devoted to free play and exercise, are producing a nation of overfat and obese youth, who will eventually become overfat and obese adults.

11. Early Eating Patterns Most experts agree that the eating habits formed in infancy and childhood carry over into adult years. Children who are inactive and who overeat are also more likely to continue these behaviors later in life and become overfat adults.