Obesity in Memphis
Obesity is the leading contributor to so many health problems. Obesity has been linked the top diseases suffered by Americans today. Obesity has been linked to such illness as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and many others. In a land where food is a show of affection, quick, or convenient is not surprising that many Americans suffer from obesity. Research has been conducted by Gallup's Well-Being Index, has narrowed the highest level of obesity to the city of Memphis, TN (Memphis Business Journal, 2012). While Memphis is known for its barbeque, the expense is at the weight of its citizens as noted by Newsweek. According to the article in Memphis Business Journal, nearly 30 percent of Memphians (adults) are obese. While 12.4 have diabetes and only y 51.7 percent exercise regularly. However, that number of exercisers and dieters are increasing in Memphis. Memphians have begun to forge a war against obesity with the help of local government. Shelby County's tally of overweight adults dropped below the statewide rate in 2011, according to the Institute for Obesity & Metabolism at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (Katti Gray, 2012). More routes have sprung up to accommodate those who run, walk, and cycle in the outdoors. A greenline, hundreds of miles constructed for those outside exercisers to have safe zones. Demographers from Vanderbilt conceded that there is a link between obesity and poverty (Gray, 2012). The poor often times stretch their dollars by the cheapest foods which are not high in nutritional value but filling. However, more efforts have been made to educate and assist families to make the right nutritional choices at an affordable cost. Fresh markets are appearing more, organizations are help the community organize meal plans, and churches of have step up to educate within their congregations and communities. The article shows that a conglomerate effort of the individual, local government, health organizations, and