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Policy proposal for obesity
Obesity rates in the US have reached epidemic proportions
Government policies on obesity in america
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Introduction The obesity epidemic is one of the most pressing issues at this point in both American society and U.S. public policy initiatives. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention 35.9% of U.S. adults over the age of twenty are obese (CDC, 2013). The CDC further notes that 69.2% of U.S. adults twenty years of age and over are overweight (this percentage includes those who are obese). The obesity problem is not exclusive to the adults in the U.S. The CDC notes that 18.4% of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 are currently obese (CDC, 2013). These statistics illustrate the severity of the obesity epidemic in this country, but what can be done to address or even correct this problem? Many people have proposed …show more content…
Politician’s and citizens alike where split as to whether they supported or opposed the mayor’s plan. There was also a great deal of support and opposition from professional organizations within New York City. As you can see, this topic quickly became fraught with controversy and heated debate. Before this topic is discussed any further it’s important to provide a brief summary of the policy implementation process from the view of the NYC court of appeals. On May 30, 2012 Mayor Bloomberg announced his soda ban as the portion cap rule. Bloomberg stated that the purpose of the portion cap rule was to combat the rising rate of obesity within the city. Unfortunately, his proposal was met with opposition from the New York City Council. The Council wrote Mayor Bloomberg a letter in which they stated their opposition and requested that this proposal be put before the city council for a vote (Renwick, …show more content…
Just ignore the fact that the policy was found to be unconstitutional for a minute and think about whether or not a policy of that nature would really help eliminate obesity. In all honesty, a policy that attempted beverage portion control is not helpful in the fight against obesity. Obesity is more closely linked with the type of lifestyle you have and the type of foods you eat, so controlling liquid consumption doesn’t really touch any of the core issues that surround obesity. A good policy that would help eliminate obesity should have focused on promoting healthy eating, exercise, and education about the cycle of obesity (how bad behavior patterns keep people from losing weight) and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It’s safe to say that this policy failed to do
The article,“ Battle lines drawn over soda tax,” by Associated Press , the Press explains how there is an ongoing “national fight about taxing sugary drinks.” According to Associated Press, “ Health experts say the beverages contribute to health issues such as diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay.” This quote demonstrates that sugary drinks can lead to health issues. Since sugary drinks leads to health issues, people are considering soda tax. This is because thirteen percent of adult minorities are diagnosed with diseases such as diabetes.
Renneboog, R. M. (2016). Cigarette Smoking Bans: An Overview. Canadian Points Of View: Cigarette Smoking Bans, 1.
The New York Soda Ban is a step in the wrong direction and efforts should be put towards making life better, rather than focusing on a movement that will have little to no effect. Realize that I am not stating the soda should be drank, because even I know that soda is harmful towards the body and is one of the leading causes of obesity. However, I believe that the soda ban will have little effect and that time and money should be applied somewhere where the act would have an effect of making life better. The reason I do not believe this ban will do as much good as stated, is because the ban is flawed. This brings me to my first point, which is, one cup of boysenberry juice has 256 grams of sugar, equaling to 225 calories. One cup of Cola only
A soda tax aims to stop consumers from buying soda to help those who are obese. This will not be effective. Therefore, a soda tax will not be good public policy. A soda tax is a tax that will add an extra cent per ounce to a bottle or can of a sugary drink, including juice, tea, coffee, energy drinks, and soda.
"Water tops soda as NYC bans sugary drinks." Examiner.com. Clarity Digital Group LLC d/b/a Examiner.com, 16 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.
The obesity problem in America is out of control and something needs to be done. Some may say that this problem is caused by the lack of cheap healthy food and the wide variety of cheap fast food. “More than one-third (36.5%) of U.S. adults have obesity.” (Adult Obesity Facts). This means that 88.5 million adults are obese in America. Obesity increases the risk of serious health problems. This can include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cancer, sleep apnea, and a increase risk of having a stroke just to new a few. Those who body mass index surpass 40 have a life expectancy of six and a half years less than that of a person who has a normal body mass index (Los Angeles Times). Being obese will take time away from you and we should all strive to be in the best shape we can be. “From 1990 to 2015, the average percentage of obese adults increased from 11.1% (for 44 states and DC) to 29.3%. As of 2015, 37.9% of the US population was
In the “Pro, Con Arguments…” article, Samantha Gross states, “This infringement on the rights of New Yorkers leads us to ask what will be banned next?” (paragraph 14) Even people are questioning this law. They know that from banning soda, other laws can be opened, limiting our rights of freedom. Also, in the article “Ban the Ban” Sidney Anne Stone states “...don’t think you are not going to be affected. You will! It starts here and it will spread throughout the nation.”(paragraph 4) In other words, the soda ban will affect people “throughout the nation”. Consequently, this will put boundaries on our lives and even if there’s a chance people agree, more possibilities to other laws may open leading us to a nation without
For several years the FDA has required food manufacturers to label anything that contains more than .5 grams of trans fat as such (Assaf 328). Many restaurants have independently and voluntarily eliminated trans fats from their products without request from the government (Assaf 329). The HHS and USDA released as set of dietary guideli...
But will the ban cut enough calories out of the average New Yorker’s diet to make an impact? The soda pop ban may restrict drink sizes, however, it doesn’t restrict the quantity of purchasable beverages. Notably, this means that consumers can simply purchase more than one drink, entirely bypassing the ban. If New Yorker’s are interested in shedding a few pounds, Bloomberg’s ban seems like an awfully ineffective method of doing so. As Robert Higgs, who has a Ph.D. in Economics said, “[Customers] would have chosen to consume X even had [they] known…about its risk, because [they] would have regarded the risk as worth taking in order to gain the expected benefits” (Higgs, p. 4). Given the known risks associated with drinking excessive amounts of soda, consumers would still drink to their hearts content because of its sweet and addictive taste. New York City’s soda pop ban won’t stop consumers from buying more than one 16 oz. drink. However, by outright prohibiting the sale of larger soda sizes, consumers will learn that a 32 oz. soda can be more detrimental to their health than they first were aware. For instance, the “Distinguished Professor of Economics,” James Buchanan, argued that learning the
The New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, came up with an idea ban the larger 16oz soda in order to stop the rising obesity rate and improve the overall health of the residents. Studies show that more than half of the adults residing in New York City are either overweight or obese. These statistics are what gave Mayor Bloomberg the idea to ban the soda. The soda ban should be done because it will help stop the rising obesity rate and improve the overall health of the residents. The health of others is very important and it should not be diminished by something that can be stopped.
Being told what to do is not what I would like. Mr. Bloomberg proposes to ban soda for the New York population! But don’t worry, this plan will fail due to the many people that consume and buy soda. His plan has already been rejected by the court, which is why the ban won’t be successful.
However, regulating our food is not the best option; banning certain food from stores and restaurants will only bring harm to their businesses. For example, “The ban would prevent retailers who sell prepared food from also dispensing sugared beverages, including sodas and sweetened tea, in cups of containers larger than 16 oz,” (Park 3). Illustrating, why it is harmful towards stores and restaurants because if you take away something that makes you money, you will not make any more money once it is gone. Nobody is going to eat at a fast food restaurant and order a meal with a large soda, then be told that they are not allowed to have soda. they are not going to eat there again. Soon nobody will eat there because of not being able to drink soda. This is not the only effect the government's food regulation will have.
From my research on the effectiveness of the soda tax policy, I found three different arguments. The first argument supported the increased tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. These articles were written from a medical perspective, so they focused on the health benefits that could be achieved from the implementation of the tax. They believe that these excise taxes are beneficiary for both the consumers and the state as it will increase sales tax revenue, while decreasing sugary beverage consumption, which will then improve public health and fight obesity. The second group reasoned that the net effect of the excise taxes on sweetened beverages is next to zero. Their studies show that an increase in taxed beverages will decrease a consumer’s demand, which will lead them to cost-efficient substitutes that may be equally as bad for their health, therefore, there will be no gain the health department.
Obesity in America is an epidemic affecting nearly 38% of adults across the nation, and we need to work together to cure it. Obesity, being a nation wide issue, will be immensely difficult to put to an end, but it’s not too late to stop its spread. Obesity rates have been on the rise since the early 90’s, and we are going to set out and find a way to stop it in its tracks.
New York has made a huge leap in the right direction by cutting off cup size to sugary drinks as found in 7Eleven, Circle K etc. from 20 oz. to 16 oz. so instead of being able to get the enormous big gulps at 7Eleven the state of NY says no, because in a cup of 20 oz. there is 240 calories.” If a person drank a soda a day, that would be 14,600 extra calories a year, equivalent to 70 Hersey’s bars. Furthermore, that could amount the 4 extra pounds of weight gain a year” (Park, 9/10/11). Although, it Might not seem like that big of a deal