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 The
sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating patterns of many
Americans are key contributors to a new and troubling national
epidemic. In the past two decades, the prevalence of obesity
in the United States has doubled among adults. The number
of children who are overweight also has doubled, and the number
of overweight adolescents has nearly tripled. Overall, 64.5
percent of adults are overweight; 30.5 percent are obese,
putting them at significant risk for chronic and acute health
conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease to depression
to some forms of cancer. In addition to negative medical,
emotional, social and economic consequences for individuals,
obesity produces serious economic consequences for society,
including the rising costs of treating the chronic conditions
linked to obesity. The causes of this epidemic are primarily
based in environmental and social factors, among which are
declining physical activity levels and inadequate nutrition
of the American public. More than 60 percent of adults are
inactive or underactive, nearly half of America's youth ages
12 to 21 are not engaged in vigorous physical activity on
a regular basis, and only 20 percent of children eat the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s recommended five daily servings
of fruits and vegetables.
Americans also are grappling with another threat to our nation’s
health. The events of September 11th and the anthrax attacks
one month later alerted the nation to the serious threat of
bioterrorism. While the country’s 3,000 public health
departments are somewhat better prepared to deal with bioterrorism
than they were in 2001, they still are not equipped to handle
either the overwhelming demands a major crisis would place
on the public health system or the increasing burden of chronic
disease.
Finally, the growing unemployment and poverty wrought by
the recent economic downturn have worsened an already difficult
struggle to maintain good health among families and individuals
in America's more impoverished neighborhoods. The number of
economically disadvantaged families rose in 2001 to 13.4 million,
up 800,000 from the year before, highlighting the need to
keep them connected to community-based support and services.
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