Impact of Natural Disaster on obesity of the residents of New Orleans Essay

Impact of Natural Disaster on obesity of the residents of New Orleans - Essay Example However, the main focus of the paper shall be obesity in New Orelean, and the impact it is having on it's inhabitants, and lastly the conclusions and recommendations by our study shall be presented. But before discussing about Obesity in Nre Orleans, it is important to know what we mean by obesity. According to Graves, " obesity referes to having a body mass index (BMI) over 30. That ... would be like a 5-foot-8-inch person weighing 197 pounds. The National Institutes of Health defines morbid obesity as a BMI above 40." (Graves, bestofneworleans.com). It is a well known fact that New Orleans is the city that loves to eat. It's no wonder, that this passion is reflected on the appearance and health of dwellers. The estimated quantity of overweight people in the New Orleans is 60% percent. The officials say it is obesity that is the cause for most diseases the New Orleans dwellers suffer from. They also add that the obesity-related diseases account for more than half of Louisiana's health care budget. (Sell, bizneworleans.com) However, obesity has serious, long-term consequences. The incidence of type II diabetes has increased in U.S. children in parallel with the rising prevalence of obesity (Rocchini 854-855). Hypertension, hyper-cholesterolemia, heart disease, asthma, mental health concerns (e.g., depression and low self-esteem), and orthopedic disorders have all been linked to obesity (American Academy of Pediatrics 424-430). However, obesity is the single major health problem in the United States that is rapidly becoming worse (Sturm 2002). Nevertheless, the problem of Adult Obesity is related to children's food habits, the foundation of which lies in the understanding that a juvenile's physical and mental environment is a primary determinant of his or her health and well-being when they grow up(World Health Organization (WHO) 2003). The knowledge that complex interactions exist between the childhood obesity and adult obesity is not new. Indeed, one of Hippocrates' aphorisms was "for, in general, you will find the forms and dispositions of mankind to correspond with the nature of the country." (Sallis et al. 179-185) As the field of community health grows as a specialty, so does the body of research by leading scientists and clinicians who seek to further our understanding of the impact of environmental disasters on the physical growth on the residents, such as obesity. (MacIntyre et al. 213-243) In 2005 Men's Fitness ranked New Orleans the seventh fattest city in the country. In 2004 it was on the twenty second place. The quantity of obese people in New Orleans is growing rapidly with each passing year, and thus the quantity of those, who suffer from the obesity-related diseases, also increases. New Orleans dwellers become less active, and eat more. On the contrary, one of the reasons of this process is that the fast foods are gaining popularity in New Orleans, like in other American cities. The contemporary pace of life often