Despite America’s reputation as a world power, our nation falls short in some frightening ways. Currently, two in three Americans are considered overweight or obese and only one in three adults get the recommended amount of physical activity per week. Not only are Americans exercising less, they’re eating more—between 1970 to 2008, the average number of daily calories consumed per person increased by 600.
But we don’t have to be defined by statistics. Here, we share some of the most sobering facts about the state of health in America. All of them are preventable with lifestyle changes like healthier eating and more exercise. Knowing is half the battle, and if you make these healthy changes now, you can avoid becoming one of these statistics.
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We Don’t Exercise Enough
In order to stay healthy, adults need at least two and a half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity like jogging. Additionally, two or more days a week of muscle-strengthening exercises that work all major muscle groups. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 80 percent of adults don’t meet the guidelines for physical activity and more than 80 percent of youths don’t meet the guidelines for adolescents.
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We’re Eating Too Much Fast Food
In 1972, Americans spent $3 billion on fast food. Today, we spend a whopping $110 billion annually. It’s easy to see how this number can be so high when 1/3 of Americans get nearly 50 percent of their calories from junk food and one in four Americans visit fast food restaurants daily. This drastic increase in the amount of junk food consumed, has left the average American eating 600 more calories each day than in 1985. In addition, the typical person in the U.S. drinks about 44 gallons of soda a year, and adolescents drink more than twice as much soda per day than they do milk.
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Obesity Rates are Climbing
There has also been a dramatic increase in obesity in the past 20 years in the United States. Since 1980, obesity prevalence among children and adolescents has almost tripled. Today, more than 35 percent of adults and nearly 17 percent of children are obese. As of 2012, no state had an obesity rates less than 20 percent. It’s worth noting that low-income individuals are more likely to be obese and one in 7 low-income, preschool-aged children is obese.
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Diabetes is on the Rise
More than 100 million American adults suffer from diabetes or prediabetes, according to the CDC. In 2010, nearly 215,000 people, 20 years and younger, had diabetes and about 79 million people 20 years and older were prediabetic. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, non-traumatic, lower-limb amputations and new cases of blindness among adults in the U.S. It’s also a major cause of heart disease and stroke and the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.
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Heart Disease is (Still) the Leading Cause of Death
Over 600,000 people die of heart disease in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC—that’s one in every four deaths. It’s the leading cause of death for American men and women and each year, nearly 715,000 Americans suffer a heart attack. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and obesity are some key heart disease risk factors.
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We’re Not Treating High Cholesterol
According to the CDC, approximately 95 million American adults have high cholesterol. Having high LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, puts you at greater risk for heart disease—the leading cause of death among Americans. Despite its high occurrence, a little more than than half of adults with high cholesterol get treatment for it.
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High Blood Pressure is a Silent Killer
Nealry one in three adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure, but because it typically has no warning signs, only one in five American adults know they have it. A mere 54 percent of people have their condition under control, which could have something to do with the fact that high blood pressure costs the nation $47.5 billion annually in direct medical expenses.
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Our Lifestyles Increase Cancer Risk
Not all types of cancers are preventable through a healthy diet and exercise. However, research has shown that being overweight or obese substantially raises a person’s risk of getting certain types of cancers such as uterine, breast, prostate, and colon cancers. Being overweight is defined by having a BMI between 25 and 29 and obesity is defined by a BMI of 30 or higher.
