Obesity Of North America, The Shrinking Population Of Europe

Just like we have learned that each continent has its physical characteristics that make it unique, each continent also has it’s share of problems. For the purpose of this paper I will research a dilemma each continent may have. I will address the obesity of North America, the shrinking population of Europe, and access to clean water in Asia. North America (Obesity): Obesity has been an issue that Americans have been fighting for a long time, yet it is not a problem that we have been able to completely get rid of. I will touch base on how obesity is affecting children, how medical costs have increased because of obesity, what factors have contributed to America’s obesity, and how it relates to health and economic factors. To start†¦show more content†¦In Tuckson’s article, it describes a wellness program that had been implemented in the school districts called Activate for Kids. This wellness program has many requirements, some being: having a wellness coordinator on campus, making sure that the nurses at school have completed the Child Obesity Prevention Education training and BMI assessments, and giving students access to positive healthy relationships if necessary. The wellness program is there to make sure that the at-risk obese students are given the help that is needed and that the other stude nts are taking care of themselves as well. The good thing about the program is that it also helps the community by having an interactive website where parents and children can find resources. According to the article, it also hosts community events/activities in the school district to educate families about healthy lifestyle choices. By having a healthier lifestyle, families won’t have as many health issues. This next article goes more into depth of the higher medical costs of being obese. According to Mokdad and associates in 2003, obesity has increased nation-wide by 74% between 1991 and 2001 (p. 242). The article goes on to state that in 2000, overweight and obese Americans cost the economy around $117 billion with $61 billion going to direct medical costs. Reading further into the article, it points out many diseases that can affect a person for a lifetime; because of that,