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Imagine this: a co-worker brings cigarettes to an office meeting for the whole staff to enjoy. Ridiculous, right? Irresponsible, of course! But why, then, is it okay for someone to bring donuts or potato chips to work, especially when we here in the US are in the midst of an obesity epidemic.
We are the fattest nation in the world, and getting fatter; about one third of adults, and approximately 11 percent of youths (6-17 years old) in the US are considered to be overweight. It's not merely a cosmetic issue: being significantly overweight, especially to the point of obesity, is a serious health problem that increases the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and diabetes.
According to former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop, "Except for smoking, obesity is now the number one preventable cause of death in this country. Three hundred thousand people die of obesity every year." A sad truth, not to mention the economic costs on society and the burden on our health care system as a result of this epidemic.
Losing weight is not the issue- what we need to do is learn how to stop gaining it. But how can we do that? Well, just as we changed our view of cigarettes when they were found to be carcinogenic, we need to change the way we approach food and exercise. We need to be more responsible as a society about how we take care of our bodies. Our communities need to offer health education to kids and adults to teach them the principles of PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE.
People should be taught how to create balanced nutritious meals, and how to properly exercise, just as they are taught about science and literature. We need to offer healthier lunch alternatives in schools and the workplace. Good health should be marketed as strongly as junk food is marketed, by organizations that don't have an underlying agenda. Exercise equipment and nutritional information need to be made freely available to everyone. Parents, teachers, and community leaders need to set an example and promote preventative health just like we promote saying no to drugs. It's that important.
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