Obesity in New Orleans - Essay Example

New Orleans is the city that loves to eat. It's no wonder, that this passion is reflected in the appearance and health of dwellers. The estimated quantity of overweight people in New Orleans is 60% percent. The officials say it is obesity that is the cause for most diseases the New Orleans dwellers suffer from. They also add that obesity-related diseases account for more than half of Louisiana's health care budget. (Sell)In 2005 Men's Fitness ranked New Orleans the seventh fattest city in the country.

In 2004 it was on the twenty-second place. The quantity of obese people in New Orleans is growing rapidly with each passing year, and thus the quantity of those, who suffer from obesity-related diseases, also increases. New Orleans dwellers become less active and eat more. One of the reasons for this process is that fast foods are gaining popularity in New Orleans, the same as in the other American cities. The contemporary pace of life often doesn't allow time for cooking at home, thus the families either eat out or order food home.

It is rare that families order home healthy foods like salad. Most Americans prefer pizza, where it is lots of fat and carbohydrates. In addition, lots of parents prefer to stock the fridge with high-calorie snacks the children can eat while watching TV or playing computer games. Chocolate bars, soft drinks, and chips are the main ration for many American children. Over and above, there are few kids in New Orleans that are involved in some kind of physical activity. It's no wonder the statistic says that 14% of high school students in this city are overweight, and 18% are under the risk of becoming overweight (The Obesity Epidemic: New Orleans Students).

Television and computer games contribute greatly to weight problems, as today 43% of American adolescents watch TV more than two hours a day, sitting still near the TV set and often eating snacks. Genetic predisposition factors also shouldn't be neglected, as their combination with the unhealthy lifestyle usually leads to severe weight problems. And it is often that obese teenagers become obese adults. The situation that existed in New Orleans soon after the Katrina Hurricane also contributed to the weight problem that existed in New Orleans.

Everyone knows that most people, whose homes were ruined by the disaster, lived in hotels. Some of them still have to live there. There are no conditions in the hotel rooms that would allow cooking, thus those, who live there, have to eat out, or eat something that doesn't have to be cooked. The news reports and the New Orleans dwellers say it is extremely hard now to find a place in a restaurant or caf even in work hours, as there are too few of them left. Thus most of those, who suffered from the disaster, have to feed on snacks they can purchase in the nearest grocery store, and this is the best way to become obese in a very short period of time.

The New Orleans citizens should care more for their health to prevent heart diseases and other weight-related problems. The government and health specialists have to provide information about the consequences of these diseases, and guidelines for fighting it.