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Should obesity be considered a disease
Sociological approach to obesity in america
Obesity as a Social Problem in the United States
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Recommended: Should obesity be considered a disease
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 …show more content…
She states a simple statistic that claims that obesity ifs the number one killer in America and then proceed to analyze reasons this problem could have arisen. The primary focus of this paper is on the health care disparities in minority communities. She also attributes increase in obesity to increase in high fructose corn sysops in food products, sweetened beverages, dietary habit changes in the past decades, changes in activity levels, governmental policies like farm subsidies. Her focus is in contrast to the other papers because instead of questioning the medicalization of obesity, she is question the changes in society that have led to the increasing obesity. She takes the lethality of obesity as an obvious fact backed by statistical
Did you know that 35% of the United States population is considered obese? Also, 66% of the population is considered overweight or more? (Saint Onge 2014) Even more frightening, in 2012 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than one third of children and adolescents in America were overweight or obese (CDC 2014). The media sources used investigates the political, scientific, historical, and cultural reasons behind the childhood obesity epidemic in America. Obesity is a rapid growing epidemic in America and these sources present the facts causing this epidemic. As well as how the children of the American society are being wrongly influenced by the media, especially advertisments. (Greenstreet 2008).
In just two and a half decades the rate of obesity in the United States has more than tripled. In 1985 less than ten percent of Americans were obese. As of July 2011, 33.8 percent of adults and 17 percent of children are obese ( Center for Desase Control). This is a disturbing trend that is being directly influenced by the use of agricultural subsidies. Many notable politicians, journalists, economists, and nutritionists have argued that the removal of agricultural subsidies would be a good first step to fighting the obesity epidemic because they make fattening foods cheap and abundant (Alston, Rickard and Okrent). The act of paying farmers to overproduce has also changed the demographic that is obese. Before the industrial revolutions food was far too expensive to be able to afford enough to become obese. Being overweight was both a luxury and a symbol of one’s wealth. Today obesity has become b...
As stated by Grellier & Goerke (2014), analytical essays explore all perspectives of a topic; whether it be positive/negative or possibilities/difficulties. Also, an argument is generally not required as comparing and contrasting points is the main focus of the essay. Obesity (Student n.d.) will be analysed and critiqued based on conventions of good academic writing.
Is obesity really a serious health concern or is the “epidemic” merely a result of highly fabricated, misleading ideas of politicians and the media? The article, Obesity: An Overblown Epidemic? By W. Wayt Gibbs featured in the May 23, 2005 edition of Scientific America, raises this question. Most health experts and average people believe that obesity is one of the most prevalent health concerns today, resulting in increased risk for other major health issues; such as; heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer, and the chance for early loss of life. However, other researchers are suggesting that the consequences of being overweight are being blown out of proportion. Naturally, they do acknowledge that obesity rates are increasing and being overweight can play a role in other health conditions.
The primary causes of the obesity epidemic is generally an excessive amount of caloric intake, unhealthy eating habits, and lack of physical exercise (“Obesity in latino,” 2006). Obesity in this minority group causes many underlying health issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and some forms of cancers. Obesity not only effects the wellbeing of individuals, but also has an economic burden on society and healthcare.
Amongst one of the bigger health issues in United States children is obesity. Obesity is a condition in which a person has accumulated an excess amount of body fat that it has become detrimental to their health. To track this health professionals use the term “obese” when a person has a body mass index (BMI) of over 30. Although BMI should not be the only determining factor of whether or not you child is obese as it only takes into account of height and weight, it is one of the better known systems of telling whether or not a person is overweight or obese (Nichols). Obesity comes with a range of other health conditions that can include but are not limited to cancer, diabetes, and depression. Not only do children and teens who suffer from obesity acquire many health diseases, they also tend to get failing grades and are bullied amongst peers. Most Americans correlate being obese with having an unhealthy lifestyle, but according to a 2006 Fox News article there may be other factors that attribute to obesity that include smoking, medicine, pollution, technology and lack of sleep. (“10 Causes of Obesity Other Than Overeating”). One part that does although indeed play a role in to child obesity rates is economics.
The obesity epidemic is something that is mentioned every year, as it continues to worsen each year. Although some people are more prone to obesity because of genetics, obesity can essentially affect anyone over time. While thousands of dollars are spent each year researching obesity and programs to counteract it, the epidemic seems far from ending. Many people blame obesity on many factors, but one interesting point of view is from John Norris. Norris explores how America is exporting the obesity epidemic and that American greed is to blame for the increase in obesity.
Brody, Jane E. “Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause.” New York Times. 12 September 2011. Print.
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.
In recent years, the documentary "What the Health" has generated a lot of discussion about the health obesity crisis in the United States. The film not only sheds light on the dire health conditions of many Americans due to dietary choices, but also challenges viewers to consider how educational institutions, government agencies, and financial institutions play an important role
I choose to do my research paper on Obesity in America because it is something that need to be solved. Obesity can be caused by many different things such as genetics, various combinations of hormonal, metabolic, and behavior also appears to plays a role. In the last 40 years the epidemic has prevalence in the U.S has gone up by over 50%. So every two of three adults are now obese which is not good because now it is going to spread to the children. My personal connection to this topic is that a lot of my extended family has type 2 diabetes and I want to help my immediate family so we don't get diabetes. So what is America doing
There is an epidemic running rampant across the United States and most people do not know the effects it has on society; this epidemic is none other than obesity. In the last thirty-five years, the obesity rate has more than tripled. Obesity has many ill effects and is the cause of many diseases. Washington Post journalist Wil Haygood, elaborates, “A lot of our medications are for ‘disease states,’ such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, things that can be adversely affected by increased weight” (411). Speaking with a pharmacist, Haygood explicates how obesity can lead to serious disease and further health implications that are difficult to overcome.
I. INTRODUCTION When discussing sociology, in the American culture, obesity is seen as a bodily irregularity and deviance that should be adjusted. Obesity has indeed become one of the most stigmatizing physical characteristics in our culture. Furthermore, a thin body is apprehended as the original and normal body where obesity is seen as a disruption to the equilibrium of our body. The conflict theory proposed by Karl Marx, implies that society is in continuous conflict because of competition for limited resources; important to the analysis of obesity the conflict theory embraces hereditary and environmental factors.
Over the past 35 years, obesity rates have more than doubled for adults and more than tripled for children (cite). At such an alarming rate of increase, categorizing obesity as an epidemic is appropriate. Many people disregard obesity due to the fact that rates have remained the same the past few years. However, obesity rates are at an all-time high and its effects must be prevented. Besides immediate effects of obesity such as insecurity and embarrassment, health related disease and mental illness may plague an individual for life (Kelsey).
Over the course of the last few decades, the U.S. has seen a drastic rise in the spread of obesity. Through the rise of large-scale fast food corporations, the blame has shifted toward the mass consumerism of these global industries. It is, however, due to poor lifestyle choices that the U.S. population has seen a significant increase in the percentage of people afflicted with obesity. In 1990 the percentage of obese people in the United States was approximated at around 15%. In 2010, however, it is said that “36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher”(Millar). These rates have stayed consistent since 2003. The obesity problem in America is