Annotated Bibliography for Obesity in The United States Investigation

In my research I examined obesity in the United States. More specifically how

much obesity in the United States has grown over the years and become an epidemic

causing chronic health problems such as Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, High Blood

Pressure, and cancer. Obesity is a disease when a person has excessive fat deposits that

can potentially impair health and quality of life. This has become a controversial topic in

the Exercise Science field due to the new world of body positivity glorifying obesity.

However, recently due to The Body Positivity Movement, there has been many

discussions surrounding obesity. The objective of my research is to take a deeper look at

the prevalence of obesity in the United States and how it has grown over the last few

decades.

Awan, O. (2024, February 20). How obesity in the U.S. has grown and what to do about it.
Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/omerawan/2023/01/25/has-the-obesity-epidemic-gotten
-out-of-hand-in-america/?sh=272c843d66e6
In this article Omer Awan examines how obesity in America has grown. Awan is a
practicing Radiologist Physician based in Baltimore Maryland. The article begs the
question of “Is America really the most obese country in the world?” when in fact we are
top 15 ranking at number 12, but number 1 when discussing high-income countries. The
article uses yearly statistics to illustrate the rise of obesity across all 50 states. As 19
states have obesity rates of 35% when in 2022 that number was 16 states. Awan notes that
although there are multiple factors responsible for obesity, the biggest concern is food
portion size, comparing them to portion sizes of Paris. In addition to portion sizes the
article also talks about human nature to eat what's put in front of them, the rise of
sedimentary lifestyles among Americans, personal food insecurities, and decision
making. At the end of the article he jokingly pushes the Islamic teaching of keeping our
stomachs filled with ⅓ food, ⅓ water, and ⅓ air, which could limit his research.

Blumenthal, D., & Seervai S. (2018, April 24). Rising Obesity in the United States Is a
Public Health Crisis. The Commonwealth Fund.
 https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2018/rising-obesity-united-states-public-healt
h-crisis

In this article David Blumenthal and Shanoor Seervai discuss the trends of obesity in the
United States in the late 2010s. Examining data showing a rise in obesity rates from
2007-2007 to 2015-2016. In this article obesity is subsequently compared to the opioid
epidemic as obesity is linked to more chronic diseases including T2 Diabetes,
hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure, CVD, and cancer. The article uses the comparison
between opioids to make its case for obesity being classified as an epidemic. Other topics
that were discussed in this article are the thriving weight loss market, economic losses
associated with obesity, and solutions. Although Blumenthal and Seervai discuss the idea
of solutions they also include something that could limit their research in saying
“comprehensive discussion of the policy solutions to obesity is beyond the scope of this
piece, and the jury is still out on which policies.”

Fleck, A., & Richter, F. (2024, March 4). Infographic: Obesity is rising in the U.S. Statista
Daily Data. https://www.statista.com/chart/11497/obesity-in-the-us/

In this article Anna Fleck discusses obesity rising in the United States. In this article
Fleck discusses data from the CDC that details the prevalence of obesity in the United
States is increasing. Detailing that recent figures show that 4 in 10 American adults have
a body mass index of 30 or higher. Fleck also emphasizes the trends in childhood obesity,
as obesity is not limited to adults. Using data that shows from 1999-2000 to 2017-2020
there has been an increase in obesity rates among children ages 2-19. In addition to the
trends of obesity in children, Fleck also includes topics such as, health implications, the
prevalence of overweight and obesity, and data collection. Along with these topics the
article Fleck includes a number of health risks that are associated with obesity such as,
heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes, as well as cancer. Despite the valuable points made
in this article the time period at which the data used was collected could limit the article.

Gonzalez-Campoy, J. M. (2015, March 25). Obesity in America: A growing concern. Health

Central.
https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/obesity/obesity-america-growing-concern

In this article J. Michael Gonzalez-Campoy discusses obesity in America and how and
why it is a growing concern. In this article he explains how, over the years, obesity has
become a chronic disease as nearly 35% of Americans are obese, while explaining what
classifies as obese (BMI > 29 kg). The article focuses on some of the major discussions
 that surround obesity in America. Touching on topics that include “morbid obesity”,
Stage 3 obesity, prevention methods, societal impact, workplace impact, and finances.
One of the main topics being the prevalence of obesity in America. Gonzalez-Campoy
talks about how more than one-third of US adults have obesity, pointing out specific data
related to race, environment, and age. In the article he points out the susceptibilities of the
rise of obesity and its costs and effects but in the same sections talks about the
incalculable impact on quality of life and family which could limit his research.

Holland, K., Ajmera, R., & Sharon, A. (2023, March 3). Obesity facts in America.
Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/obesity-facts

In this article Holland et al. discusses the stigma associated with weight gain. The article
discusses how obesity occurs from factors other than diet and exercise, and it can also
occur from genetics and social and economic factors. The article defines obesity as an
increase in the size and amount of fat cells in the body that affect the body mass index.
Not only does the article define obesity it includes the geographical trends, noting that
there is a higher prevalence of obesity in the South and Midwest compared to the
Northeast and the West. Topics that were also covered in this article are social
determinants of obesity, obesity and health inequities, and dietary factors. Pointing out
that there are many factors that play a role in the growing epidemic of obesity, as social
determinants such as access to healthcare and the availability of healthy foods. Holland et
al. also highlights the rates at which Black and Hispanic individuals become obese to that
of a White or Asian individual. Though the article has many valuable points it tends to
oversimplify certain aspects, such as dietary factors and genetics, which could provide
limitations to the article.

Lesnikova, A. (2024, January 31). Glorifying obesity - obesity & body positivity can be
damaging. VIP ITALIA. https://vipitalia.com/blog/are-we-glorifying-obesity/

In this article Anastasia Lesnikova discusses the debate between the issue of obesity and
body positivity. Focusing on the question of whether or not body positivity is glorifying
obesity, while acknowledging the associated health risks. The article highlights statistics
regarding how prevalent obesity has become in the United States, along with how
important it is to place health over body size. The article uses maps and diagrams to show
the percentage of states and their obesity rates in 2011, with 30 states having 25% < 30
BMI, and their obesity rates in 2022, with only 5 states 25% < 30 BMI. The article
explains how media, art, and social platforms have begun to glorify obesity through body
positivity avocation, promoting social beauty standards despite health risks. Lesnikova
points out that The Body Positivity Movement is not used to promote obesity but to help
 people feel comfortable in their skin regardless of the beauty standards created by the
media, fashion industry, and society. Lesnikova suggests there be a balance between body
positivity and addressing obesity, but includes the idea of using technology to manage
excess fat which could limit the research.

McPhillips, D. (2023, September 21). Obesity is becoming more common in a growing

number of states, CDC Data show. CNN.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/21/health/obesity-more-common-states-cdc-data/index
.html

In this article Deidre McPhillips discusses obesity and how it has become more and more
common in states across the US. The article highlights the increase of obesity in various
states, surpassing the previous number of 19 states with at least 35% of adults classified
as obese to 22 in 2022. Noting that a decade ago no state reached that mark. The article
points out that states located in the South and Midwest have reported having a higher
obesity rate to that of the Northeast and West. The article receives most of its data from a
CDC survey that relied on self-reported height and weight, which determined the
prevalence of obesity, which could potentially limit the quality of that data, due to the
data being self-reported to the CDC. In addition to this the article also examines the
disparities of obesity prevalence in different racial and ethnic groups, pointing out that
adults in the Black, American Indian, and Hispanic communities have higher obesity
rates than adults in Asian and White communities. As well as the trends of obesity in
adolescents increases with age but decreases as the level of education increases.

Menifield, C. E., Doty, N., & Fletcher, A. (2008). Obesity in America. The ABNF journal :
official journal of the Association of Black Nursing Faculty in Higher Education, Inc,
19(3), 83–88. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18717205/

In this article Minefield et al. discuss obesity in America. The article analyzes data from
the CDC regarding the concerning rate at which obesity has grown. The data shows the
obesity rate in 1990 was 12% and in 2005 the obesity rate was 23%. Not only does the
article provide data regarding the rise of obesity over the years, it also highlights regional
disparities of obesity. Obesity is more prevalent in southern states compared to others,
making the notion that geography plays a role in the rise in obesity. The article argues
that the government and policymakers should find an approach to tackling obesity as well
as other related health risks. The article breaks down the objective of the study where the
data was found, which was to identify whether demographic, educational, healthcare, and
economic factors play a key role in obesity. Despite the valuable information in this
 article provided, especially regarding the geographical concerns and obesity it doesn't
delve into environmental factors that drive these disparities, which could limit the article.

Rains, M. (2023, September 13). The origins of the obesity epidemic may be further back than
we thought. Science.
https://www.science.org/content/article/origins-obesity-epidemic-may-be-further-ba
ck-we-thought

In this article Molly Rains analyzes and discusses the obesity epidemic and how far back
it actually goes. The article discusses a recent student that suggests the obesity epidemic
may have begun in the 1930s rather than the 70s as scientists once thought. The article
talks about how, in the study, it uses extensive data from Danish government records to
track physical measurement of children in school and men in the armed forces. The study
indicated that over time there has been a slow increase in obesity rates, solidifying
obesity as a slow burn epidemic instead of a sudden emergence. In the article other topics
are explored such as lifestyle choices, food production, and obesity trends. Although
these topics are discussed, researchers have given alternative factors that could possibly
play a role in increasing obesity, such as genetic predispositions or a shift in a person's
attitude towards food. Despite the study being found as a valuable contribution to
understanding the epidemic, there are some experts who have concerns due to the studies
absence of data on middle-aged adults which could limit this article.

Villar, R. (2022, July 15). The American obesity epidemic: How did we get here? Calcium.
https://calciumhealth.com/the-american-obesity-epidemic-how-did-we-get-here/

In this article Reynaldo Villar discusses how obesity continues to get worse regardless of
our knowledge of the problem. Villar talks about how the article is a part of a three-part
examination of looking at how obesity has become what it has. It discusses a wide range
of sources of obesity. Which include fast food, bigger portions, increasingly sedentary
lifestyles, and early life obesity. Not only does the article give examples for first hand
sources of obesity it gives data from over the years, showing that in the 1980s,
18-year-olds averaged a BMI of 24.2 and today 18-year-olds average 26.1 which is a
significant jump. In the article, Villar also includes topics that have been passed around
throughout the field of Exercise Science and Nutrition such as access to healthy foods,
the environment a person lives in, and the stigma of being overweight. Having the
information dispersed throughout three different articles would limit the article due to
lack of information.