1970s: In 1978, there are 1,130,000 divorces among the American population—or 5.2 divorces for every 1,000 Americans. This number reflects an increasing divorce rate from past eras.

Today: In 1990 there were 4.7 divorces for every 1,000 Americans—or 1,182,000 total divorces among the American population. If this trend continues, younger Americans marrying for the first time have a 40-50 percent chance of divorcing in their lifetime. By the mid-1990s, around eighteen million Americans have gone through a divorce.

1970s: Around five percent of all children and adolescents are overweight. Approximately 25% of American adults, and 27% of all American women, are overweight.

Today: Studies show that one of three American adults aged twenty through seventy-four (fiftyeight million people) are overweight. This number has increased over the past decade. Eleven percent of all children and adolescents (4.7 million children) are overweight.

1970s: The diet industry earns ten billion dollars in 1970.

1990s...