A new report from the federal National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) shed a small ray of optimism on the problem of obesity in the U.S. when it reported that for the first time in several decades the overall levels of obesity in this country may now be holding steady. The January report from the NCHS noted that although the obesity levels in the U.S. rose steadily throughout the 1980s and 1990s, those levels stopped rising and held steady from 2007 to 2010. The NCHS also found that as obesity levels among young girls and women leveled out in the last decade, the levels of obesity for boys and men did rise slightly.
Although many health and fitness experts say that more people are now aware of the nation’s obesity problem and are learning how to deal with it, whether of not the leveling out of the obesity levels in this nation mean that more Americans are finally committing themselves to healthier lifestyles remains to be seen. Watching what you eat and making sure you get plenty of exercise is a struggle for many, even though there are many programs available to help people lose weight and get in shape these days. The popularity of health-conscious television shows like "The Biggest Loser" have helped many people to recognize the dangers of being obese as well as offering solutions like healthier eating habits and a variety of different fitness activities.
The report notes that more Americans seem to be getting the message and it is slowly starting to have an effect in many different aspects of daily life. Many employers are now offering their employees’ incentives to lose weight, more schools are teaching children healthier lifestyle habits and most restaurants now offer healthier meal options as well as showing accurate calorie totals on their menus.
The effect of the focus on obesity has created a situation where more people are aware that obesity can contribute to or create other serious health problems including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. After years of modern medicine pushing up the average life expectancy in this country, American children born in the last decade might be the first generation in recent years to have a shorter overall life expectancy due to their continued unhealthy lifestyle habits and not because of diseases. In that light, it is obvious that more Americans need to shift toward healthier lifestyles and make regular physical activities like going to the gym, a much bigger part of their lives.