Americans are becoming more and more obese due to economic challenges, such as healthy foods being too expensive, fast food on every corner, and a lack of motivation to do of exercise. If we want to make a change, we have to take small steps. A healthy world is a happy world. Did you know that obesity and overweight are responsible for nearly one in 10 deaths in the United States and that they also drain our society of $223 billion per year? This simply means that obesity is the cause of most deaths in America. In order to understand obesity and the harm it causes to those who suffer from it, we must understand its causes, as stated by Harvard Health Publications. Since there have been changes in the way we eat, in leisure activities, and in the nature of work, these contribute the most to obesity in America. Some scientists still struggle to understand. Did you know that people without a high school diploma have the highest obesity rate at 32.9%? Additionally, non-Hispanic blacks have the highest obesity rate at 36.8%. Hispanics have an obesity rate of 30.7%. Non-Hispanic whites have an obesity rate of 25.2%. Asians have the lowest obesity rate at 16.7%. Obesity is expensive to treat. All these facts come from Business Insider. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, “More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese.” With rates this high, it shows that non-Hispanic blacks are more influenced by food savings. How can you choose healthy food over junk food if healthy food is too expensive? I know most teens prefer soda over protein shakes to accompany them throughout the day because of course soda is cheaper and tastes better. If healthy foods were cheaper, their value would change. Middle of paper... America, there has to be a change. We must not only change the person, but also the economy. Let's make a change for future generations. /obesity-in-america-whats-driving-the-epidemic-1 http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2013/12/05/healthy-eating-costs-you-1-50-more-a- day/ http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2013/12/05/healthy-eating-costs-you-1-50-more-a-day/ http://www.nber.org/papers/ w14721" "_blank" http://www.nber.org/papers/w14721 http://www.businessinsider.com/shocking-facts-obesity-america-2010-12?op=1" www.businessinsider.com/ shocking facts-obesity-america-2010-12?op=1 http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html" www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html