Obesity in Arkansas and State-wide

For the first time in generations, life expectancy of Americans may decrease due to an obesity epidemic. In Arkansas, research revealed that the state had one of the highest rates about obese young people in the nation: 20.9% of the state's youngsters were overweight while another 17% fell into the borderline "at risk" category.

In an analysis that might impact the debate over Social Security reform, experts concluded that the continuous increase in life expectancy can be reversed in coming decades, because more people are dying prematurely from diseases related to excess weight, including stroke, diabetes and kidney failure. They said that among adults, obesity increased 50% per decade between the years 1980 and 1990, to the point that today, almost one in three Americans is obese.

Near to us, in our state of Arkansas, it is possible see how obesity is affecting society. We can compare the epidemic of childhood obesity with a massive tsunami heading toward not just Arkansas, but for the entire United States! Obesity affects Arkansans in all areas of the state and across all levels of income, education, health care access, race, and ethnicity. Attention needs to be given to community centers, faith-based organizations, worksites, schools, rural or urban areas, and recreation facilities.

The country spends between  70 and  100 billion dollars  per year to deal with problems linked to obesity, like diabetes, dyspnea and fatigue, and dngina infarction, hypertension and a lot of other things.

People are adopting healthier habits, like quitting smoking, avoiding cholesterol and practicing safe sex. Still, that does not solve the problem of obesity, which can prevent the increase in life expectancy.

The U.S. is labeled in other countries, including Brazil, France, Japan, China, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina and most other countries all over the world as a country of unhealthy food.

But modifying the alimentation habits of a whole nation or even a whole state seems impossible, and principally in a country that is so expensive to eat healthy food, in a state that the taxes are always higher. The government should try a program of incentives for agriculture on American land to help decrease the prices of vegetables. This way, they can try to help the problem of obesity in the country. Arkansas, the land of rich barbecue, fried chicken and an infamously overindulgent former President should take steps to be a rare bright spot in America's battle against obesity.

Paulina Valamiel Lopes