Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
How the social determinants of health have influenced the obesity “epidemic” in our country
Obesity as a Social Problem in the United States
Obesity as a Social Problem in the United States
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: How the social determinants of health have influenced the obesity “epidemic” in our country
A walkability analysis is the study of an area in relation to analyzing the conditions of a built environment that can be traveled by foot. The term ‘walkability’ is used as a way to measure the lives of “foot people,” evaluating the questions of whether walkability influences crime, foreclosures, housing values in neighborhoods and health factors such as obesity. The spaces that neighborhoods exist in can be completely different from each other; some could have parks while other does not, including sidewalks, bike paths and more. Walking is the simplest and one of the most common forms of physical activity among adults, regardless of age, sex, ethnic group, education or income level. Even though walking is a simple form of exercise the obesity levels continue to rise in the United States. One of the most common ways to determine if a …show more content…
This method was developed in the 1830s and is still the preferred method of determining someone’s health. This study examines the association between walkability and the levels of obesity throughout Philadelphia County. A study performed by Feng, J. et al. (2010) states “individual behavioral change can occur only in a supportive environment with accessible and affordable healthy food choices and opportunities for regular physical activity.” There have been studies where patterns of land use have been connected with a wide variety of environmental and health consequences (Frank, L. et al. 2009). When examining the neighborhoods in Philadelphia County, there are clear differences within the county and what they have access to based on where they are located. Having access to food locations, recreational areas like parks or nature trails and other features gives the
Those are some of the examples of how they might've been diagnosed, and how they should've been evaluation now. Except it probably doesn't help with the lack of doctors in the 1600s, but this is all basically
This essay is an excerpt by Rebecca Solnit 's book, Wanderlust: A History of Walking,. The purpose of this essay is to create awareness about walking which is seen inferior in our society as compared to driving and using public transportation. This essay is not targeted towards a specific group of people. However, it might be of more interest to social activists and people who consider walking a good exercise. Solnit talks about the value of walking and how it is being lost with the changes in our society and environment. She also talks about the increase of suburban spaces in our society due to rapid industrialization which discourage walking. Solnit suggests that if we continue to devalue walking in our society, we would be alienated
Obesity is a rising problem in the United States. With obesity rates on the rise something must be done to prevent this massive issue. There are ways to help including educating at young ages, improving nutrition facts at restaurants, and providing more space for citizens to get physically active.
Throughout the video series “The Weight of the Nation” obesity is addressed several times, including how it as a disease has affected our economy for the worse. Although obesity has not drastically affected the states with higher income, those who live in states with lower income tend to be more negatively affected. In the first part of the video series, there was a study done by researchers in Tennessee proving that people with lower incomes are more negatively affected and prone to the disease of obesity. “If we don’t take on strategies that affect how the low income community is dealing with the obesity epidemic, we’re going to see this phenomenon across our society in a relatively short period of time.”
As a child I always walked, whether it was to school, church, or just to friends home I continue to enjoy this activity as an adult. I often find myself walking long distances for various activities such as going to a supermarket, library, etc. and avoiding the public transportation or using my car. Living in the city, where parking is not only expensive but scares, gives me an incentive to walk. I have passed on this love of walking to my children, and as a result they often ask to go for long walks in the city or hiking in the nearby mountains. Additionally, avoiding the elevators and taking stairs instead has provided me with needed exercise that keeps my body slender, while at the same time helps me feel
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 solutions, but few are as radical as the proposal from Michael Bloomberg (the New York City Mayor) in 2012.
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. ...
Routine physical activity may be difficult for those with low income to achieve. Firstly, people who have low income generally must work longer and laborious hours than people in the high and middle income rankings in order to have enough money to get by. Low-class Americans simply do not have the time or energy to exercise their bodies. Also, an individual’s economic status can be the cause for several obstacles of achieving physical fitness. For instance, the lack of transportation to and from the gym could be a major problem, as well as being able to pay gym membership fees or gym equipment. It is further explained, “A lack of good transportation choices is the most important single issue that limits routine activities such as walking, biking, and transit use by low income people.” (Squibb 2) Poor economy is only one of the ways low-income individuals are limited to physical fitness.
...and sidewalks, there is a perception of an increased sense of community and decreased isolation among the community, which helps members of the community to engage in physical activity (“Recommendations to increase,” n.d.). Based on our assessment and literature that supports the link between environmental structures and physical activity, accessibility and the quality of environmental structures may be linked to physical inactivity in Talbot.
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.
There are many reasons why obesity is such a big problem in the world today. Even though food looks good and tastes good, does not mean it is healthy for you. The book Overweight America concludes that obesity wouldn’t be such a problem if people would burn off the calories that they ate. Overweight America states that fewer calories are being burned then ever before, and bad eating habits are happening everywhere mostly because there is high-calorie food waiting to be sold and healthy food is more expensive. Access to healthy food is limited in some communities; for example, Africa. According to Obesity; opposing viewpoints obesity is way higher in lower class homes and communities then higher-class communities. Access to gyms, community centers or safe playgrounds can also have an effect on obesity. If there aren’t the resources people need to stay in shape it is harder to have to motivation to want to be in shape.
I am about to describe to you a walk in the park. That being said a few details are required for you to fully picture the likes of what I am about to describe. The time of day is a little past noon and the wind is howling. The sky is a pastel blue, almost as if a wash of blue light was covering a white canvas. The sun is vibrant and concentrated. You can sense the gentle warmth of the sun on your skin and see the lively colors of the world all around you. Alert to the dancing light that surrounds you, your journey begins. Searching for your starting point you choose to begin walking down a gravel pathway that has a clearing of trees a few hundred feet away. The day has a familiar, inviting glow and all around the gentle colors of green, yellow and red surround the pathway. The sun a luminous
Exercising is a popular activity for people around the world, but many people exercise indoors when they should be going outdoors for added benefits. Exercising outdoors can make people more committed to a workout program than an indoor workout plan, and their motivation levels increase (Lacharite-Lemieux, Brunelle, & Dionne, 2015). Working out outdoors will improve a person’s overall psychological (mental) health, more so than normally exercising, which already has psychological and physiological benefits (Hug, Hartig, Hansmann, Seeland, & Hornung, 2009). Obesity rates in America are high and getting people to stick to an exercise program would help fight unhealthy obesity (Gladwell, Brown, Wood, Sandercock, & Barton, 2013). Finally, if a
Most people take the urban public transportation system for granted. It is used in every aspect of our daily lives: work, education, medical necessities, recreation, etc. It is also important for the transportation of goods and services, which aids the growth and maintenance of our economy. Urban public transportation is the critical component of our quality of life and economic stability. The MBTA, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, is Boston and Eastern Massachusetts’s major transportation service. The MBTA has played a central role in the development of Boston and surrounding cities and towns for more than a century; providing service from 175 cities and towns into Boston. On an average weekday over 1.2 million trips are made on the subway, buses, commuter lines and other services in the mass transit system. With an international airport, a ship port, the highways, and the rail lines to connect regional cities and towns to national and international destinations and markets, Boston’s urban public transportation system has made the region’s growing role in the global economy possible.
Outdoor recreation is something that everyone needs. Finding that place within yourself that allows you to forget about everything. Whether that be playing with your kids in the nearby park, fishing with your grandfather, hiking with someone or just by yourself you learn something new about yourself. Some people use recreation to forget about something and they use being outside as a calming effect. Williams and Stewart (1998) believe that nature, as a place, creates an emotion bond, has a complex meaning to the person, and that people have this draw back to the place. To get the same feeling that someone would get while doing an activity in nature to simulate Williams and Stewart’s (1998) belief, I recently participated in an