The prevalence of overweight individuals and obesity has increased dramatically in the Unites States. Obesity has become a disease of epidemic proportions. One billion adults worldwide are overweight and of these 300,000 are obese. In particular, 64% of U.S adults and 15% of children and adolescents are overweight. Two major factors have contributed to the epidemic of obesity: changes in individual’s behavior and environment. Data indicates that by 1970, Americans were spending $6 billion on fast food, and by 2000 they were spending about $110 billion. By 2002, fast food consumption accounted for more than 40% of a family’s food budget. This and fast-food accessibility is partly to blame for observed patterns of obesity and overweight. The aim of this project is to study the potential role of peer-pressure in fast-food consumption as well as its effect on an individual’s weight. Technology has adversely affected the life style and health of Americans. Everywhere in the world, the richest people build the biggest homes, but as the world's wealthiest nation, the United States is also building the biggest bodies. It's hardly cause for patriotic pride. "We're leading a race we shouldn't want to win," says associate professor of pediatrics David Ludwig. Many foreigners already view Americans as rich, greedy over-consumers, stuffing themselves with far more than their share of the planet's resources, and obese American travelers waddling through international airports and hotel lobbies only reinforce that image. Yet our fat problem is becoming a global one as food corporations export our sugary, salty, fatty diet: Beijing has more than a hundred McDonald's franchises, which advertise and price the same food in the same way, and with the same level of success.
Two-thirds of American adults are overweight, and half of these are obese........................
