Obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat or adipose tissue in relation to lean mass.[2] According to data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), during the years between 1988 and 1994, 45.3 percent of white American males and females, 60.1 percent of black males and females, and 64, 5% of Hispanic males and females were obese.[3] ] As obesity has increased at an epidemic rate over the past 20 years in the United States, reducing its prevalence among adults to less than 15% has become one of our country's national health goals for the year 2020.[4]This Recent epidemic of obesity has created many health problems nationwide, such as increased rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and stroke, among others. Clearly, trying to address this problem only on an individual level will not lead to satisfactory results. Each year in the United States, approximately 280,000 adult deaths are linked to obesity, and obesity is also linked to the causes of some cancers, such as colon, rectal, ovarian, and prostate cancers. [5] Given the growing prevalence of these diseases and the enormous increase in the social and economic costs of obesity, a portion of the national budget must be set aside to provide education and support programs to help people and communities address this problem . industries actively participate in reducing obesity by promoting the use of diet pills, low-fat recipes, surgical treatments to reduce fat and topical creams. Although obesity is often the result of an unhealthy lifestyle, the media has chosen to address the problem by promoting the quick fixes mentioned above, rather than challenging the habits of exercise and food choices that promote obesity. At...... half of the document ...... I will be a powerful tool to help solve public health problems as well as social problems. Sources consulted[1] Dam, Julie KL, and Wihlborg, Ulrica, Weigh to vai!, People Weekly, 15 January 2001.[2] Stunkard AJ, Wadden TA. (ed.) Obesity: theory and therapy, second edition. New York: Raven Press, 1993.[3] Center for Disease Control. HHS releases a report on community health in rural and urban areas. retrieved October 10, 2001.[4] Center for Disease Control. Obesity and overweight. retrieved November 14, 2001.[5] A public health epidemic.[6] Working Woman, September 2001, special anniversary issue.[7] Dam, Julie KL, and Wihlborg, Ulrica, Weigh to go!, People Weekly, January 15, 2001.[8] Herbs for weight loss: they work and they are SAFE! Prevention, August 2001.[9] Understanding obesity in adults. November 14, 2001.