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How To Reduce Obesity In America

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How To Reduce Obesity In America
There must be preventative measures implemented in various facets of our society in America to help bring the obesity epidemic to a screeching halt. In a news conference, the former United States Surgeon General, Richard Carmona, had an interesting take on how we should combat obesity within our society (Krisberg 7). He believes that it is actually a good business investment and decision to help take care of obesity with its employees (Krisberg 7). Living a healthier lifestyle has a positive correlation and has actually been proved to have positive effects on things such as morale, productivity, and depression rates (Krisberg 7). By reducing each of these things, a business would run much more effectively and efficiently (Krisberg 7). Richard …show more content…
Studies have shown that with a weight loss of just five percent of a person’s total body weight, the individual’s quality of life would skyrocket because a great deal of health conditions would become avoided (Carpenter, et al. 1). A few different behavioral treatment strategies to prevent or reduce obesity are monitoring weight and food, increasing daily physical activity, and restricting calorie intake to a reasonable amount (Carpenter, et al. 1). All three of these activities have been proven to be beneficial in a long-term management of weight (Carpenter, et al. 1). Employers are beginning to take notice of the effects that employee obesity is having on the profitability of the business. Among employers, there has been a direct relationship between the amount in which employees are absent or money has to be paid out to employees for medical expenses and the amount and severity of which employees are obese or overweight (Lankford, et al. 40). Among men in the United States of America, the cost burden of obesity each year is between $462 and $2,027 (Lankford, et al. 40). Among women in the United States, the cost burden is between $1,372 and $2,164 yearly (Lankford, et al. 40). Employers are beginning to actively respond to obesity and help offer way for their employees to help combat the epidemic. More than seventy percent of

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