Today at current era June 23, 2015 after nearly five years of focusing on health, informing my fellow Americans of the importance of embedding a healthy lifestyle into their culture, lets take this time and opportunity to take a look back and reflect on how far we have come or how far we have digressed.
We will take a look at the overall health condition of the majority populace over the last five years whether people have become much more conscious of their need to live a healthy lifestyle and whether they have taken the action to implement it. Also we we take a look at the overall feel and consensus of health in America.
We will look at how the Health and Wellness syndrome has been bottled up and turned into a tool of capitalism playing on our desires and vanities.
We will take a look at new studies, new discoveries and sciences, get reports and articles from scholars who are on both sides of the same coin those, looking to push the agenda of major Pharma and the medical system as well as those looking to push their own agenda for financial gain using the health and wellness concept as a vehicle.
Last and not least we will discuss steps and actions for the future, tips, exercises, and educational recommendations that will assist in embedding healthy living into our lifestyles.
Obesity Rates & Trends Overview
There is increasing evidence that obesity rates are stabilizing for
adults and children — but the rates remain high, putting millions of
Americans at risk for increased health problems. Rates of severe obesity
are continuing to increase in adults, and more than one-in-ten children
becomes obese as early as the ages of 2 to 5.
Moreover, racial and ethnic disparities persist, with Blacks and Latinos experiencing higher rates of obesity compared with Whites. Inequities also persist in income and education, with poorer and less educated Americans experiencing higher rates of obesity than more affluent and higher educated populations.
Moreover, racial and ethnic disparities persist, with Blacks and Latinos experiencing higher rates of obesity compared with Whites. Inequities also persist in income and education, with poorer and less educated Americans experiencing higher rates of obesity than more affluent and higher educated populations.
Obesity Rates Remain High1
Adults
- More than a third of adults (34.9 percent) were obese as of 2011 to 2012.2 More than two-thirds of adults were overweight or obese (68.5 percent).3
- Nearly 40 percent of middle-aged adults, ages 40 to 59, were obese (39.5 percent), compared with younger adults, ages 20-39, (30.3 percent) or older adults, ages 60 and over, (35.4 percent).4
- More than 6 percent of adults were severely obese (body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher).
Children
- Approximately 16.9 percent of children (ages 2 to 19) were obese in 2011 to 2012, and 31.8 percent were either overweight or obese.5
- More than one-in-ten children (8.4 percent) were obese starting in early childhood (2- to 5-year-olds).
- By ages 12 to 19, 20.5 percent of children and adolescents were obese.
- More than 2 percent of young children were severely obese, 5 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds were severely obese and 6.5 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds were severely obese.6
Stabilizing at a High Rate
Adults
- Over the past 35 years, obesity rates have more than doubled. From 2009 to 2010 to 2011 to 2012, rates remained the same. The average American is more than 24 pounds heavier today than in 1960.7
Children
- Childhood obesity rates have more than tripled since 1980.8 The rates have remained the same for the past 10 years.9
Racial and Ethnic Disparities
Special Report: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Obesity
Adults
- 47.8 percent of African Americans, 42.5 percent of Latinos, 32.6 percent of Whites and 10.8 percent of Asian Americans were obese (2011 to 2012).10
Adult Obesity by Race
Children
- 20.2 percent of African American, 22.4 percent of Latino and 14.3 percent of White children ages 2 to 19 were obese.11
- 8.5 percent of African American children and 6.6 percent of Latino children were severely obese (1999 to 2012).
Obesity and Overweight Rates for Adults, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2011 to 201212,13
| White Both Genders | Latino Both Genders | African American Both Genders | White Men | Latino Men | African American Men | White Women | Latino Women | African American Women | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obese | 32.6% | 42.5% | 47.8% | 32.4% | 40.1% | 37.1% | 32.8% | 44.4% | 56.6% |
| Obese and Overweight Combined | 67.2% | 77.9% | 76.2% | 71.4% | 78.6% | 69.2% | 63.2% | 77.2% | 82.0% |
| Note: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses the term Hispanic in analysis. White = Non-Hispanic Whites; African Americans = Non-Hispanic African Americans | |||||||||
Obesity and Overweight Rates for Children Ages 2 to 19, NHANES, 2011 to 201214
| All Girls | White Girls | Latino Girls | African American Girls | All Boys | White Boys | Latino Boys | African American Boys | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severely Obese | N/A | 4.8% | 7.3% | 10.1% | N/A | 3.3% | 7.9% | 10.1% |
| Obese (including Severely Obese) | 17.2% | 15.6% | 20.6% | 20.5% | 16.7% | 12.6% | 24.1% | 19.9% |
| Obese and Overweight Combined | 31.6% | 29.2% | 37.0% | 36.1% | 32.0% | 27.8% | 40.7% | 34.4% |
| White = Non-Hispanic Whites; African Americans = Non-Hispanic African Americans. Adult Overweight = BMI for 25 to 29.9; Adult Obesity = BMI of 30 or more; Adult Severe Obesity = BMI of 40 or more. Childhood Overweight = BMI at or above the 85th percentile and lower than the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex; Childhood Obesity = BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex; Severe Childhood Obesity = BMI greater than 120 percent of 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex. | ||||||||
Stress in America™: Our Health at Risk
Researchers have long known that there is a strong link between stress and overall health Year after year, findings from the
Stress in America™ survey have reinforced this research
Participants’ responses have revealed high stress levels, reliance on unhealthy behaviors to manage stress and alarming
physical health consequences of stress — a combination that suggests the nation is on the verge of a stress-induced public health crisis
.
Data from the latest Stress in America survey suggest that
the concern about stress and health is especially critical among adults 50 and older who serve as caregivers for a family member and those who have been diagnosed with obesity and/or depression
Health and Wellness the Trillion Dollar Industry in 2017: Key Research Highlights
"Analyst Insight by Ewa Hudson, Global Head of Health and Wellness Research at Euromonitor International
Strong recovery of the global health and wellness market is on the way, with sales recording 6.5% value growth (fixed exchange rates) in 2011. Products offering specific health benefits, such as fortified/functional, or those renowned for their natural health properties drove value sales, with rates above 7%. Growth was further fuelled by the developments in the emerging markets as China and Brazil alone contributed US$15 billion in new sales that year. Steady real term growth of 7.2% (current prices) is expected to continue to 2017, with global health and wellness sales on the way to hit a record high of US$1 trillion by 2017.
Source: Euromonitor International
Health and Wellness Outperforms Wider Soft and Hot Drinks Industry
Health and wellness continued to drive growth and innovation in the wider food and beverage industries, with value sales at 19% of packaged food, and 43% of combined soft and hot drinks in 2011.
Health and Wellness Versus Non-Health and Wellness Packaged Food and Beverages, Retail Sales 2002-2017
Source: Euromonitor International
2011 was the year of Asia Pacific and Latin America. Having come through the global downturn relatively unscathed, the Chinese economy continued to outperform. Living standards and disposable incomes continued to rise, which greatly boosted sales of healthy nutrition. As a result, China added US$10 billion in new sales to global health and wellness - equal to 25% of global absolute growth. China will continue to grow, adding another US$11 billion in 2012. Latin America also greatly contributed to the recovery of health and wellness, recording some of the most spectacular growth in Venezuela and Argentina (value sales up by 36% and 25% respectively in 2011). And between 2012 and 2017 China and Brazil alone are expected to add US$103 billion in new sales to the global market.
Top 30 Health and Wellness Growth Markets 2011-2012
Healthy convenience on the rise
Raising health awareness is more important than ever and continues to translate into substantial sales gains. Led by PepsiCo's Gatorade, with sales up by US$956 million in 2011, over 40 brands in the Health and Wellness top 100 world ranking saw their sales rising by over US$100 million that year, a clear statement that combining four key factors: health, convenience, fashionable packaging and affordable price is the winning strategy behind some of the most spectacular health and wellness developments. These four factors played a key role in the success of products such as RTD green tea. Overtaking sales of traditional green tea, the ready to drink format spread from Asia all over the world, and the expected annual growth rate is 12% to 2017.
Despite numerous attempts to curb the growing obesity epidemic, the obese and overweight population is on the rise, crossing the 70% benchmark in Mexico, Venezuela, Australia and US (amongst the population aged 15+). Long-term solutions leading to calorie reduction via healthy lifestyle changes rather than short-term diets are becoming a necessity, hugely benefiting global sales of weight management positioned food and beverages, already at a staggering US$149 billion in 2011.
With fat reduction no longer sufficient on its own, the growing fashion for natural and less conventional slimming solutions has seen companies innovate further, this time with natural high intensity sweetener: stevia. Stevia sweetened products are thriving in the US and since the authorisation of stevia in the EU in December 2011, numerous new products have hit the shelves, opening up the chase for the first global brand.
Innovation – the heart of health and wellness
Innovation and product reformulation are, in fact, the heart of health and wellness, with the challenge being to deliver healthier, and ideally naturally sourced, food and drink formats tasting just like the beloved fully sugarised and full fat non health and wellness “parents”. Coca-Cola Zero (Coca-Cola, The) is a good example of how to do it successfully. Following the original Coca-Cola recipe (unlike Diet Coke), the brand managed to overtake the growth of the flagship Diet Coke increasing its sales by US$565 million in 2011, that is US$160 million more than Diet Coke. Are stevia-sweetened Coca-Cola variants on the horizon or will the focus remain on Sprite?
Science continues, however, to outpace the regulators and legislative constraints prove hard for the health and wellness players. Restrictions continue to close down across the world and Europe has become one of the toughest regulatory environments. The new laws, especially the list of generic health claims legalised in May 2012, offer opportunities industry wide but have also finally closed the door on many long-used health claims.
Probiotics, without a single approved health claim in the EU, are amongst the most adversely affected, and Western Europe is expected to witness the second consecutive year of sales decline in 2012 for pro/pre biotic yoghurt after years of spectacular growth prior to 2008. Whilst this negative performance pulls the global performance of pro/pre biotic yoghurt down to 9%, other regions show no signs of weakness with double-digit growth rates in both 2011 and 2012. Even the recession-stricken US saw pro/prebiotic yoghurt sales up by 26% in 2011 and a further advance of 13% is expected in 2012.
Finally, the pinnacle of health and wellness – 'nutrigenomics' or personalised nutrition, in which food scientists seek to treat chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer's disease with a diet - is a step closer, with the leaders including NestlĂ©, PepsiCo and Danone heavily investing in institutes of nutrition, research and development. Whilst the movement towards prevention grows, convergence of nutrition and 'pharma' is starting to attract attention of the big pharmaceutical players with substantial investments likely to follow. " /health-and-wellness-the-trillion-dollar-industry-in-2017-key-research-highlights
Tune back in as we finish this three part post What is The Current Shape of America!!!
Resources:
American Psychological Association:
eBook on Stress in America
State Of Obesity.org
