Public Health Problem: There is no doubt that obesity has taken its seat as one of the top disease that strikes the world today. In America, obesity has now spread through the country leaving 2 out of 3 adults either overweight or obese, and worldwide 1.5 billion are overweight or obese (Overweight). The cause of this disease stems from multiple reasons such as the increase in modern food production, putting out ample amounts of food causing the prices for meat, groceries, and especially junk food to plummet. Subsequently, Americans especially were more inclined to purchase more food and showed an increase in the average American house hold food intake by 1,000 more calories a day (Dreifus). Social media does not help in this situation either. America’s trending apps and media such as Instagram and Snapchat encourages others to try the food that they have. These social networks make it easier for others to share pictures that glamorize very unhealthy food that might seem appealing but have a harmful effect on the body. Studies show that social norms highly impact the individual’s decision whether they are with friends or not. The study conducted by Dr.Robinson, PhD, of the University of Liverpool, concluded the environment plays a huge role in the trend. He saw that that people are more willing to eat the types of foods that others choose and the portions that they choose because social identity is guided by its community. If the community were to eat unhealthy foods then the person would eat unhealthy foods but if the community eats healthier then the person would eat healthier to maintain a consistent sense of social identity (Robinson). Community influences play a huge role all over the world and has the same effect on its i... ... middle of paper ... ...f Overweight and Obesity? Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/risks.html Mayo Clinic. "Treating Obesity Vital For Public Health, Physicians Say." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 December 2006. . "Obesity Rates and Related Trends Overview." : F as in Fat. Trust for America, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. Progress on Childhood Obesity: Many States Show Declines infographic text. (2013, August 06). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/childhoodobesity/infographic-text.html Robinson, E., Thomas, J., Higgs, S., & Aveyard, P. (2013, November 9). I'll Have What They're Having: Study Finds Social Norms Influence Food Choices. Retrieved from http://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/ill-have-what-theyre-having-study-finds-social-norms-influence-food-choices
By accepting misguided information about the food that is being purchased from the marketers, consumers are letting the food industry shape buying patterns, even when it is not to their benefit. Pollan supports this claim when he writes, “With all the variety and constant stream of messages from the food industry and media, how can we make up our minds” (86). Pollan’s quote elaborates on how the the constant stream of messages affects what Americans put into their bodies.
Obesity remains an extremely serious issue worldwide. Once considered a problem for wealthier counties, overweight and obesity are now dramatically increasing in low and middle income countries (WHO, 2011). In American, the rates of obesity continue to soar. CDC (2009) recognizes obesity as a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other health problems. According to NHANES over two-thirds of the US are overweight or obese, and over one-third are obese (CDC, 2009). Treatment for this illness varies; it may include the incorporation of diet, exercise, behavior modification, medication, and surgery. Since there is no single cause of all overweight and obesity, there is no single way to prevent or treat overweight and obesity that will help everyone (CDC, 2009).
"Treating Obesity Vital For Public Health, Physicians Say." Science Daily. 2006. Web. 10 May 2014. .
Center for Desase Control. Center for Diease Control "U.S. Obesity Trends". 21 July 2011. 18 November 2011.
Cultural factors are a contributing factor in the cause of the obesity epidemic in America as it continues to be a reoccurring topic of conversation due to a high prevalence of overweight individuals. Culture, the learned values, beliefs, attitudes and practices in which are well accepted by society, is looked upon as a fast-paced lifestyle in the U.S. compared to other cultures. This expeditious lifestyle where convenience, easiness, and quick fixes seem to be right for any situation supports America’s obesigenic society, leading to increased health problems in the future. In addition, social and physical norms are also components of culture that tend to exude pressure on individuals, constituting a somewhat stereotypical reflection of oneself. Due to the composition of the fast-paced American lifestyle and unrealistic expectations for physical appearance, culture has become a compelling force in the expanding obesity community.
According to the USDA, at the start of century 21st American people have increased their daily caloric intake by consuming five hundred calories more than in 1970. As cited by Whitney & Rolfes (2011), there are many recognized causes of obesity such as genetics, environment, culture, socioeconomic, and metabolism among others; but the cause most evident is that food intake is higher than the calories burned in physical activity. Excess of energy from food is stored in the body as fat causing an increase of weight. During the course of the last 40 years, obesity has grown enormously in the United States and the rates remain on the rise (pgs. 272-273).
The World Health Organization defines obesity as the “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health”. (WHO, 2014). It is considered to be a medical condition which may reduce a person's life expectancy due to the negative effect it can have on our health and well-being. An epidemic is said to affect a disproportionately large number of people in a population and spreads rapidly. In recent decades, it has been suggested that we are facing an obesity epidemic. Obesity has been considered as a disease by some for over sixty years. It is more common globally than being underweight. The purpose of this essay is to look at the history of obesity and how it is defined. It will look at some of the causes and consider the effects. It will consider how obesity is framed, whether we are indeed in the midst of an epidemic, or if this suggestion is merely moral panic.
Obesity has been identified as one of the risk factors affecting directly and indirectly the health outcome of the population. Even though many approaches and programs have been conducted in order to reduce the obesity rate, this health issue is still a big headache and keeps being put on the table. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overweight and obesity rate have been increasing significantly in the past two decades in the United States with more than 35.7% of adults and almost 17% of children and adolescents from 2-19 years olds being obese ("Overweight and obesity," 2013). As Healthy People 2020 indicated, in the period from 1988-1994 to 2009-2010, the age adjusted obesity rate among U.S adults aged 20 and over increased from 22.8% to 35.7%, which means increased by 57% while the obesity rate among children and teenagers from 2 to 19 years old increased from 10% to approximately 17%, witnessing the increase of 69% ("Nutrition, physical activity," 2013). Obesity has impact both on economic and health of the nation. Obesity is the risk factor of serious chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, certain kinds of cancer, and other leading causes of preventable deaths ("Overweight and obesity," 2013). Moreover, obesity continues to be economic burden in terms of medical costs for either public or private payers up to $147 billion per year which increased from 6.5% to 9.1% (Finkelstein et al, 2009). In 2008, medical spending per capita for the obese or obesity related health issues is $1,429 per year, as 42% higher than “those of normal weight” (Finkelstein et al, 2009, p.8).
In 1990, obese adults made up less than 15 percent of the population in most U.S. states. By 2010, 36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher, and 12 of those had obesity rates of 30 percent or higher. (CDC) Today, nationwide, roughly two out of three U.S. ...
Today, 78.1 million American adults and 12.5 million children are obese. Obesity in America is a unstoppable epidemic. Since the 1960s, the number of obese adults have doubled and the number of obese children have tripled. Because of America’s obesity problems, Surgeon General David Satcher issued a report saying; "The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight," said that obesity "have reached epidemic proportions" in America. Obesity in America has no doubt reached epidemic proportions. Since 2001, America has been the most obese country in the world. This essay discusses what obesity is and how it is affecting today’s America by answers the following questions:
23 July 2018. Print. The. Brody, Jane E. “Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause.” New York Times.
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 explains how obesity can lead to serious disease and further health implications that are difficult to overcome.
Food is a great obsession to human beings; it also can say something about us beyond what we decide to put in our mouths. Michael Pollan’s research shows that we are not really eating healthy we are convenient eaters. We much prefer quantity over quality, and this is the reason why we have an issue with obesity today, however, eating doesn’t have to be complicated. Yes, we need to worry about how we eat but not to the extent where it is unhealthy. Food is everywhere it’s a part of our lives. Without it we wouldn’t survive, but are we taking the easy way and eating too unhealthy? Is eating unhealthy all we have really known? What can our food choices say about us, beyond what we choose to put into our mouths? Is being defined by our food a bad thing? How does Social Media influence how we eat?
Food is the essential vitality of life and the essence of survival. It nourishes one’s physical body to enable pursuit of passion. However, in overwhelming aspects of American society, food is viewed as an enemy. It is seen as the root cause of obesity which carries heavy condemnations of ugliness and weakness. Countless people have become obsessed with food as a means of exerting strength, displaying will-power, and achieving alleged beauty. The way society views nutrition has become misconstrued and disordered, resulting in unhealthy relationships with food, and thus emotional and physical harm. The most effective way to change society’s relationship with food is to target the presentation, practices, content, and intentions of nutrition