Obesity Obesity is a growing concern in the United States. (Steele, 2014) Being overweight or obese has been held as the cause for many health problems. The author of the article states, “Being obese increases the risk of serious health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and some cancers.”(Steele, 2014) In Margret Farley Steele’s article Obesity Remains Rampant Across America, we read of the problems and risk factors associated with obesity. Since socioeconomic status and ethnicity are tied into the problem of obesity this issue can be considered a problem of stratification. Being a social problem an analysis will be done through the lens of structural functionalist Robert Merton and critical theorist Theodor …show more content…
Steele informs that “[m]ore than 20 states have obesity rates topping one-third of their population, and six states saw a rise in obesity rates last year.” (Steele, 2014) Steele also quotes Jeffery Levi who is the executive director of Trust for America’s Health, who said “[w]e need to intensify prevention efforts… and do a better job of implementing effective policies and programs in all communities so every American has the greatest opportunity to have a healthy weight and live a healthy life.” (Steele, 2014) Steele then further begins to give statistics of the obese people in the population of different states and emphasizing how high it is. Towards the end of the article Steele ties the issue of obesity to socioeconomic status. Steele does this by stating statistics on how “one-third who earn less than $15,000 annually qualifying as obese, compared with one-quarter of people earning $50,000 or more a year.” (Steele, 2014) Also Steele states in her article that when it comes to ethnicity Blacks and Latinos were said to “have higher obesity rates than …show more content…
Through the institutions in society obesity has been stigmatized. The media, medical field and business world to name a few have looked down on obesity. The media for example uses sex appeal a lot of the time to advertise or draw in ratings and therefore individuals exposed to the media see that everyone in the world should hold these ideal body types. Also in the business domain obese people are viewed either as lazy, lacking in self-control or both, causing them to be less desirable candidates for employment. From this one can then see that any individual who happens to have more body weight than the norm is deviant to the values of society. Deviance being Merton’s concept of “ modes of action that do not conform to the dominant norms or values in a social group or society.” (Appelrouth, Edles, 2012: 814) Since in structural functionalism everything plays a role in society Merton would argue that this deviance of body weight actually is useful. For example, the growing concerns of obesity can help the medical field unite in its focus on researching what is a true healthy body. As scientist and medical professionals investigate the negative causes of obesity on the human body and mind, they can in turn learn new concepts of the human anatomy allowing improved developments in our health system. This outcome of focus on obesity can
This documentary shows great examples on how obesity is a rapidly growing epidemic as important as terrorism according to Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona. He stated, “Obesity is a terror within. It destroys our society from within….” If we don’t take responsibility and change our horrible eating patter we are going to be doomed. One of the main reasons for obesity other than the lack of a healthy diet is the modernization of our world. In the years when our parents...
Fumento uses humor to open the article by stating “the Land of the Fat, Home of the Broad” is how America should be defined. However, this statement might offend people who are obese or anyone in general. Fumento shows that he is unhappy with those people who have been carelessly giving out information on the low-fat diet and claims that much of the obesity epidemic can be laid at the feet of the food industry, diet-book authors, and government health officials. Throughout the piece, Fumento expresses his concern about the rising obesity epidemic and claims that health officials must stick to science if they want to help defeat the epidemic, but “first, do no harm.” The impact of the increasing obesity statistics have concerned Fumento so much that he has also written his own book, “The Fat of the Land,” to discuss this controversy. In the book he discusses the misinformation given out to the public on loosing weight and how they reap billions in profit. Intrinsic ethos takes a positive toll on Fumento’s argument which creates a better chance of getting his point across to the
In “ how obesity became an epidemic disease” J. Eric Oliver discusses the negative impact the perception of obesity as a disease can have on the American people. Oliver begins by explaining the advent of the description of obesity as a disease and explains the fallacies in the argument that supports this description. The author argues that the data was misleadingly presented in a biased way to suggest that obesity is a spreading epidemic rather than a consequence from personal lifestyle choices. Oliver then delves into the ever-changing role of the CDC, explaining that many aspects of the human condition have slowly been medicalized and deemed diseases in need of a cure. According to the author, it appears that the inflation of the severity of obesity is often due to the commodification of the health care system promoted by the weight-loss industry and the need for passing the CDC budget through congress. The author argues that there is no clinical evidence linking some of the most abundant diseases in America to obesity.The author then makes the
Interest in the social aspects of obesity is nothing new. Jeffrey Sobal has written extensively about the social and psychological consequences of obesity , including the stigmatisation and discrimination of obese and even overweight individuals (Sobal 2004).
In order to take a sociological viewpoint into account when one examines obesity, first it is important to understand how obesity is recognized in current society. According to today’s news articles and magazines and advertisements and other mass media about health and healthy life, one can easily realize that a great number of people have an eagerness to be healthy. Also, one can assume through these mass media about health that everyone wants to be attractive, and they are even prone to transform their own behaviors to gain attractiveness. This is because most people live a life where social interaction is frequently required and must engage themselves into social interaction every day of their life. Therefore, based on these ideas and proofs throughout this mass media, obesity is regarded as one of the characteristics that is disgraceful and undesirable in society.
Obesity in America is a very serious problem affecting many Americans currently and is a problem that continues to grow each year. “Over the past 40 years, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in the United States” (Wimalawansa). This issue is known to many but believed not be an issue to care much about but this is not true. Obesity in America affects everyone regardless if they are obese or not. In order to resolve the problem, we can slaughter all the adults that are currently obese in America.
The obesity epidemic and our nation’s health as a whole have many factors that include socioeconomic status in particular. Socioeconomic Status and Childhood Obesity will always shape our nations vision and mission with what we do with healthcare. Healthcare in America is in a major reconstruction faze, and is in much need of it, obesity and socioeconomic status are going to be the major contributors to this reconstruction.
Being obese seems to be a growing epidemic in the United States. It is not, just a problem with appearance and social life. Each person is accountable for its own health, control its own eating habits and the time devoted to exercising. Can we all be responsible to the decisions of a group of people? The answer, that shared by several is probably not. Nevertheless, in the last few years, this medical condition that increases the likelihood of a range of diseases in which excess body fat has accumulated to the point that it may have an unfavorable effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and increase health problems (Wikipedia, par.2). Obesity-related diseases are common these days, for each person there are significant risks of exceeding their own limits. It is difficult knowing that there is a person that can endanger their health, but continue with the same bad habits that can cause permanent damage. Obesity is becoming a problem that slowly gets out of hand, but little is being done to counter its growth. Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions. Also, their symptoms are complex and specific to each person. Finally, society should not accept obesity as a disability. Therefore, obesity it is a growing food dependency problem that must be prevents and fights rather than consider a life style.
Discrimination throughout the country has been frowned upon, restricted and actively discouraged for some groups. ‘New’ discriminations have been found, and levels of harassment have been increasingly seen throughout schools (Bucchianeri, Eisenberg, & Neumark-Sztainer, 2013; Miyair, & Reel, 2011). The most socially acceptable biases are related to weight (Mendoza, 2013). This has been called the weight-bias, or weightism, in which the stigmatization of size and weight that reinforce stereotypes associated with weight, eating habits and exercise (Miyair & Reel, 2011). Coverage towards ‘fat’ people has been on the rise and it is not uncommon to question people’s abilities due to their body size (Roberts, Cunningham, & Dreher, 2012; Phillips & de Man, 2010; Farrow & Tarrant, 2009; Blaine & McElroy, 2002). People with a larger body mass are seen as a problem without considering other sources for their appearance (Mendoza, 2013). Throughout history being ‘fat’ was actually a good thing but now it turned into a negative aspect of society. There is an accepted discrimination for this group of people, both children and adults, reduced their amount of self-esteem (Young-Hyman, Schlundtl, Herman-Wenderoth & Bozylinski, 2003) and there is an internalization of societal views that are unrealistic for many. By acknowledging weightism (weight bias) and its consequences outside of what society expects, we would probably see a decrease in the amount of ‘feeding disorders’.
Since 1970, the obesity rates in America have more than doubled. Currently two-thirds of (roughly 150 million) adults in the United States are either overweight, or obese (Food Research and Action Center). According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 whereas obesity is defined as a BMI greater than 30.” There are numerous factors that contribute to obesity such as: biological, behavioral and cultural influences (Food Research and Action Center). While these factors all have a large role in obesity, there is no factor with as great of an influence as poverty.
Is obesity about poverty and cheap food? Or lack of moral fibre? I will be elaborating an essay on the points written by Zoe Williams (2011) balanced arguments, on whether there is a link between obesity, poverty and or lack of inner strength. I will be presenting for and against arguments relating the issue.
In the American culture, obesity is seen as a bodily abnormality and deviance that should be corrected. Obesity has indeed become one of the most stigmatizing bodily characteristics in our culture (Brink, 1994). In the Western culture, thinness does not just mean the size of the body, but it is associated with such qualities as being healthy, attractive and in control. In contrast, a fat body is viewed as a sign of poor health, inefficiency and lack of personal will (e.g. Kissling, 1991; Ogden, 1992; Cooper, 1998). Resent research has shown that the social stigma associated with obesity can have serious consequences for an obese individual via discrimination in central fields of life such as education, health care, and employment. In relation to gender, the stigma associated with been obese is not the same for men and women. Research has clearly shown that obesity is more stigmatizing for women and obese women are discriminated against more than men because of their weight (Puhl & Brownell, 2001).
Being obese puts people at risk for High cholesterol, High blood pressure, Heart disease, Stroke and many types of cancers. The amount of people who are obese is also determined on social class, economics and race. A study found that children from poor families are twice as likely to be obese as children from well-off families, Minority children are far more likely to be obese than white children and Regardless of race and class, kids who grow up in neighborhood...
Obesity and overweight remain the two major social problems in the United States. Apart from the fact that obesity and overweight are dangerous by themselves, they also cause a variety of negative health consequences. Our lives our overloaded with tasks and obligations, and we often choose to eat something fast. “Fast”, however, does not necessarily imply “useful”, and more and more people face the risks of becoming obese even at young age. Because obesity has already become a national i...
Today, obesity is swooping through the nation at such an alarming rate it could be considered an epidemic. In today’s society, obesity has become a new form of normalcy, it isn 't uncommon to see an individual who looks to be obese regardless of the person’s background or ethnicity. Historically, being heftier and rounded indicated a sort of indication of a status of wealth and good health, so it is important to note that the views upon obesity have shifted dramatically in terms of not just physical appearance, but more importantly health. The definition of obesity given by the dominant approach is a body mass index of over 30. With this approach, it is automatically assumed that if one has a high body mass index, they are of poor health. Though