C787 Unit 3 Healthy Nutritional Choices- Western Governors University

Unit 3: Healthy Nutritional Choices (Cohort 1) Reading: Chapter 10: Importance of Public Health Nutrition Programs in Preventing Disease “It appears that the increasing trend of overweight and obesity will likely overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of mortality in the United States” What are the primary diseases associated with poor diet and lifestyle? Many diseases are associated with overweight and obesity, including CHD, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis-related disabilities, sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, and some cancers. How much of the total healthcare expenditures is spent on preventative approaches to preventable disease? Medical expenses for obesity accounted for 9.1% of total U.S. medical expenditures in 1998 and may have reached as high as $92.6 billion in 2002. 68 Another estimate places the total cost of obesity at $117 billion. 4 There is a link between the higher prevalence of obesity and increased medical spending, so there is substantial benefit in addressing obesity from a prevention perspective because once installed it is difficult to revert.