By Pablo Nieto
Being out of breath, getting tired easily, and limited mobility due to are just the exterior signs of obesity.
What happens in the interior is much worse. Obesity has been linked to heart problems, Type II diabetes, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer. Obesity is a growing epidemic in America, even though public awareness for the dangers of obesity has increased.
Obesity rates in America have risen so high that nearly 40% of all adults are obese. Nine out of 11 states with the highest obesity rates are all in the South.
Childhood obesity is also on the rise with 15% of children and adolescents being obese. Without proper intervention, it can cause serious long-term health problems as an adult.
Obesity has even made getting into a car crash more dangerous. Crash test dummy models are being made at 274 pounds, more than 100 pounds heavier than a regular crash test dummy.
This growing problem in America has led to a drastic change in vehicular safety stimulation.
Results from the repeated crash test dummies stimulations show that obese people are at an increased risk of suffering severe damage to their lower extremities in a car accident. The reason behind these lower limb injuries is because overweight people tend to slide down the lap belt during car crashes.
As America gets older and heavier, so do the test crash dummies. The dummies must evolve to see how a heavier body gets impacted during a car crash. The results of these crash test simulations will hopefully lead to car manufactures to create safer systems to minimize injury to obese people, whose numbers are growing at an alarmingly dangerous rate.
