Dorena Rode speaks about the current health crisis our Nation faces.
A Health Crises
Right now in the United States one in three people are obese. Researchers at Harvard suggest that the rapid rise in obesity we are experiencing will not plateau until 42% of Americans are obese. We currently spend 10-30% of our health care dollars on obesity related illness. That is 150 to 300 billion dollars each year! And this is only the beginning. The serious health conditions that are increasing as a result of the excessive weight usually take years to come to full fruition. As more and more people become obese and stay obese we will see health care costs skyrocketing. And for every dollar spent on health care, another dollar is 'lost' in terms of missed work and disability costs. This could very well be the economic downfall of our nation.
The animated map below (based on data from the CDC) shows the United States obesity prevalence from 1985 through 2010.
