Internal and External Components influencing the Prevalence of Obesity

Abstract

The United States is enduring a battle against an epidemic of detrimental weight gain engendered by abnormal eating behaviors and distorted mindsets about food. Waist lines continue to enlarge, while efforts to counteract excessive weight gain and maintain weight lost continue to remain unsuccessful. Recent field work has revealed that both male and female adolescents who proclaim they diet strongly predict future binge eating episodes and weight gain. Eating behaviors learned during adolescence continue through adulthood alongside misinformed knowledge about weight loss and appropriate diets. The struggle Americans face in regards to their diet is evident by the high instances of morbidity and failure rates of weight loss. Research continues to unveil new field work about internal mechanisms involved in food intake and appetite regulation that facilitates new intervening actions against the obesogenic environment plaguing the United States. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the internal and external components influencing the prevalence of obesity.