Obesity In The 1900's Essay

678 Words3 Pages

Today in our abundance of filling grocery stores and fast food restaurants, most is comforted in knowing when and where their next meal will come from. Although, days in the past where food shortages ran rampant; sanitation was unheard of; and obesity was the last obstacle the American people thought to face have faded. Yet, in the beginning of this 21st century, we are nearing the 40% percent mark of obese adults, and the 13.4% percent back in 1962 has become a short, but a distant memory. The average adult today is heavier compared to the 1950 's, due to changes in our socioeconomic structure; sedentary lifestyle changes; and easy access to unhealthy food choices. Did we know that obesity in the early 1900 's would soon be the cause of …show more content…

In the United States, with an abundant, inexpensive food supply and a largely sedentary population, over nutrition has become an important contributor to morbidity and mortality in adults." In continuation, " As early as 1902, USDA 's W.O. Atwater linked dietary intake to health, noting that "that the evils of overeating may not be felt at once, but sooner or later they are sure to appear - perhaps in an excessive amount of fatty tissue, perhaps in general debility, perhaps in actual disease" (Atwater, 1894). Somehow, I told you so doesn 't get the message across when it comes to the previous statement given more than a century ago. The last part I underlined because it drives home a very important part of our challenge today, perhaps in actual disease. What obesity related diseases do we currently have today? High blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol levels, cancer, infertility, back and joint pain, skin infections, ulcers, and gallstones. Here are 10 health related diseases of obesity. Although there are several more, but hopefully this gets the point across that 100 years ago through patterns of data analysis studied predicted the outcomes we see today. This project too requires the collection of data in the form of various journals chosen to discuss socioeconomic patterns also helping

Open Document