Shocking Obesity Figures From The US

number of obese Americans shot up from 48 million to 59 million

Figures compiled by the American government show the money spent on health care for obese Americans rose by a huge 82 percent between the years 2001 and 2006! The report which was written by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has shocked the American people as well as the American government and hopefully will lead to some affirmative action.

The statistics show that the amount of money that was spent on obese Americans in 2001 was $167 billion and this figure rose to $303 billion by 2006. Healthcare costs right across the board increased also with overweight adults, (with a BMI between 25 and 30) seeing a 36 percent increase in their health care spending and with normal weight adults (BMI less than 25), seeing an increase of 25 percent.

The report also produced clear evidence that health care for obese Americans was costing 35 percent of the health care budget in 2006 as well as noting that the number of obese Americans shot up from 48 million to 59 million over the previous five years.

Every day that the American people fail to confront the magnitude of the nationwide obesity problem the more difficult it will be to solve. Obesity must be curbed in childhood because it is so much more difficult for children to change their eating habits when they become teenagers and the statistics show that obese children normally stay that way for the remainder of their lives.

Initiatives to curb childhood obesity therefore may not show dividends for decades but nevertheless should be a very important priority on any government health care plan. Obese individuals suffer from hundreds of chronic illnesses as a result of their weight, have mobility problems and a poorer quality of life as well as psychological issues.

Barack Obama needs to get the American people healthy and time to start is right now!