Many factors contribute to a person’s weight, including our surroundings, family history, genetics, metabolism and lifestyle. Obesity is a serious public-health problem facing the United States and other countries today. Obesity is a serious concern, because it is causes or worsens other major medical conditions. The most common obesity-related medical problems (called "co-morbidities") are:

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Hyperlipidemia (elevated cholesterol)
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Joint pain or arthritis
• Coronary artery disease
• Gallbladder disease
• Stress urinary incontinence
• Depression

DID YOU KNOW?

• In the United States, it is estimated that 93 million Americans are obese.
• Obese individuals are at a higher risk for impaired mobility and experience a negative social stigma commonly associated with obesity.
• Socioeconomic status plays a significant role in obesity. Low-income minority populations tend to experience obesity at higher rate and are more likely to be overweight.
• Almost 112,000 annual deaths are attributable to obesity.
• In the United States, 40 percent of adults do not participate in any leisure-time physical activity.
• Being overweight, obese or morbidly obese significantly increases the risk of developing many other diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis and much more.
• Morbid obesity is characterized by an individual weighing more than 100 pounds over their ideal body weight, or having a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher.
• Behavior, genetics and environment are all contributing factors of morbid obesity.
• In 2002, 25 percent of the morbidly obese were being treated for six or more co-morbid conditions.
• The cost of obesity in the United States in 2000 was more than $117 billion.
• Many insurance companies do not cover clinical or non-clinical weight-loss programs.
• Treating an obese individual cost $1,244 more per year in 2002 than treating a healthy-weight person did.
• In 2003, Americans spent about $75 billion in weight-related medical bills.

Source: Obesity Action Coalition

The first step in conquering obesity is asking for help. The Guthrie Weight Loss Center is here for you.