Obesity is a global epidemic issue that has refused to disappear despite all the means put in place to curb it. Since the 20th century, the rate of obesity in the United States has continued to increase markedly, and as it is, obesity rates in the United States are the highest in the world.

In the United States, the prevalence of obesity has continued to hike in all races, age groups, genders, ethnicities and socioeconomic groups; no single incidence of reduction in the prevalence of obesity has been observed so far.

Some factors that have been found to contribute to the continuous increase in obesity rates include:

Poor Dietary Patterns: Ingestion of junk foods high in unhealthy snacks and consumption of excessive calories have been linked to obesity. The Dietary Guideline for Americans states that a healthy diet should comprise of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lots of water.

Lack of Physical Activity: While the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends at least 30minutes of physical activity daily, many people fail to abide by this recommendation due to one reason or the other.

Medications: Some drugs used in the treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome and depression have been discovered to cause unexplained weight gain in users. Some of these drugs are steroids, hormone therapy drugs, and antidepressants

Genetics: Several genes have been linked to obesity by either increasing hunger and food intake, or reducing the body’s metabolism.

It is best advised that anyone with a risk factor for obesity should do all it takes to make some lifestyle modifications because not only is obesity  the leading cause of death in the United States, it also increases one’s risk of having arteriosclerosis, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and a cascade of other diseases.