Jordan Burke Qualls—English Comp. II/1203 February 12, 2009 Informative Essay “Alabama Fat Fee” Overweight is a word that means someone’s mass body index, or BMI, is between 25.0 and 29.9 and obesity is a term used to describe someone when their BMI is equal to or greater than 30.0 (CDC). “BMI is used as a screening tool to identify possible weight problems for adults” (CDC). BMI is determined by a person’s height and weight. To calculate some one’s BMI their weight is divided by their height, in inches, squared. The product of that is then multiplied by a conversion factor of 703 (CDC). The result will be a number that ranges from below 18.5 toabove 30. Being overweight or obese has now been linked to many serious, maybe even deadly health problems. These problems may include, but are not limited to: coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, endometrial, breast, and/or colon cancers, hypertension (high blood pressure), dyslipidemia (which can be high cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides), strokes, liver and gallbladder diseases, sleep apnea (breathing stops while someone is asleep), respiratory problems, osteoarthritis (the breakdown of cartilage and bones), and for women it may cause gynecological problems such as irregular menses and infertility (CDC). Each of these ailments can be very harmful to the person and can cause disturbance to their everyday lives. The state of Alabama has started taking control of the issue by making the people deemed as overweight that are currently employed by the state start paying for their health insurance that would be free if they were not overweight (State to Hit Workers). The workers will have to get a health screening, at no charge to them, and if they have a BMI of 35 or higher, they will have to start living healthy to avoid the fee (State to Hit Workers). To gain immunity from the fee the workers will have a yearto show progress at a follow-up appointment. However, if there is no effort put forth by the...