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As the obesity rate in America increases, people are pointing fingers at the fast-food industry. Teenagers, with the help of their parents, have filed lawsuits blaming fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s for their own health problems. However, parents, not the fast-food companies, are to blame for the amount of overweight children that are present today. They are the ones who teach their children eating and exercising habits, they are the ones who let their young consume unhealthy foods, they are the ones who allow their children to watch television and play on the computer for hours on end, it is obviously the parents fault for obesity in youth.

Advertising companies that produce commercials of food are taking an effect of teens healths. Anna Lappe discussed this situation in a video called, Real Food Media Project - Mythbusters Ep.2, she says, “... By the time Ida graduates from middle school one in three of her classmates will either have diabetes or on their way to getting it…” The children of this world are being affected by the foods that they are eating, these children are eating harmful products that can affect their health later on in their life. Another statement Anna Lappe discusses in her video is, “... only 16%...” of these kids are eating fruits and vegetables.

In like manner, health risks in youth have become alarmingly higher in recent years. In fact, in “ Anna Lappe & Food MythBusters--The Myth of Choice: How Junk-Food Marketers Target Our Kids” the video clearly states that by the time children graduate middle school one in three of their classmates will either have diabetes or be on their way to having it. Reason being, youth are eating more junk food that appeals to their biology and less food that fuels them with right sugars, nutrients, and fats. Additionally, the American Psychological Association have studies that show child obesity has tripled in the last quarter century and about 20% of the youth are now overweight. All these health risks point to fast-food company

In 2012 CDC statistics show that “over 35 percent of adults and 32 percent of children in the United States of America are recorded as obese (30kg/m2), the obesity rate has doubled since 1971.1” Not only is epidemic growing in numbers of victims but also in expenses. The United States spent 147 billion dollars in 2008 on medical expenses costs and that does not include the programs that fight against the problem. “In 2003 over 300,000 died due to obesity related health problems, diseases and cancers.6” One of the most important battles we wage on American soil is the war for citizens to be fit, and it nearly always starts in the childhood. Since 1971 the problem of childhood and adult obesity started to grow annually due to many reasons related to our ways of living. Now the food industry, including fast food has been getting more and more unhealthy due to unnatural modifications. What Americans eat is not organic anymore and is taking its toll on American lifestyle. The fast food industry has been making advertisements and foods focused upon youth. Since the original commercials directed towards children, it has nearly tripled since the rise of technology. Technology has been growing rapidly as obesity is, statistics show that with the advancement of technology, the population starts to slow down, stop exercising and eating healthier foods. As long as there is childhood obesity, there will be adult obesity, with effects on children causing obesity, there will be a

The government may not be the only responsible party for what is going on in America, Fast Food corporations have grown into a part of everyday life. Relentless advertising focused on children with the use cartoon characters and larger portions or extra sizes to entice people. Yves Engler, author of Obesity: Much of the Responsibility Lies with Corporations, points out it’s not only fast food restaurants where unhealthy products are being consumed, but also soft drink companies with high calorie soda pop who are giving money to cash-strapped schools to advertise their product on school televisions. Meanwhile targeting young children who get their parents to buy their products. Engler proposes a solution regarding the increase in childhood obesity by first stating that vending machines should be removed from schools and the

From a consumer aspect, I agree that there is a huge issue with obesity in America; which involves adults and young children. Author of “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food”, Michael Moss argued “Today, one in three adults is considered clinically obese, along with one in five kids, and 24 Americans are afflicted by type 2 diabetes, often caused by poor diet, with another 79 million people have pre-diabetes” (477). This information scared me because it is amazing how much Americas are suffering of poor diet. As a parent this

These corporations know that we have long work hours, chronic stress, and lack of sleep, making us prone to put on excessive weight. They increase portion sizes, create more opportunities for snack times, for example vending machines in schools and add ingredients to foods that make you want to eat more. Examples of common ingredients in foods and drinks that can cause you to want to eat more are: sugar, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, aspartame and refined mineral-depleted salt(“Food Industry and Obesity”). Because of this knowledge factory owners know exactly what to do to get us to buy their products, therefore making us vulnerable to excessive weight gain.Not only do food companies target adult, but also children. Bill Whitaker, a CBS News correspondent conducted a similar study of TV ads on kids. The results showed that American children are bombarded with commercials for unhealthy foods that contain a lot of salt, fat, and sugars.Children are an easy target for the food industry. Young and impressionable, children are eager to eat whatever looks and tastes good.(Voiland and Haupt). The food industry is now capable of influencing the youth of America, making it easier to raise the rate of being overweight and or obese. Mcdonald's being the largest fast food industry has found ways to attract children. A cheeseburger Happy Meal has 520 calories, 20 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 50

Mickey Mouse and Joe Camel had something very much in common in the early 90’s, and it was not that they were both cartoon characters. What they did have in common is that each was just as recognizable as the other among preschool aged children. RJ Reynolds used Old Joe Camel to market their Camel brand cigarettes from 1987 to 1997. While these Tobacco companies claim they were targeting adults with their Joe Camel advertisements, the marketing was much more successful with children than the intended adult audience. Although RJ Reynolds was sued, and forced to stop the use of the cartoon character, not much else has changed. According to the article “Tobacco Marketing Influence Youth Smoking”, the Tobacco Industry’s current marketing strategy has failed to shield today’s youth from its influence. Therefore, the Tobacco Industry’s marketing and advertising are currently conditioning children to start smoking at an early age, and continue into adulthood.

Obesity in America is a growing problem. Not only adults obesity, but also adolescent and children obesity is indeed a serious public health problem that is increasing in the United States. Many people have attempted to identify the cause of obesity among American children. Recognizing the different causes behind adolescent obesity is fundamental to reduce one of the most serious health challenges of the 21st century. Although adolescent obesity is the result of more than one factor, it is mainly linked to fast food consumption. Over the past decade, lawyers and health advocates have tried to accuse fast food companies of the country’s growing obesity problem among children. Many customers have filed lawsuits against fast food restaurants blaming them for causing their children to gain weight. However, none of these cases have won in the courts and the main reason is that blaming the fast food companies exclusively would be too reductive. We will therefore argue that, in addition to the fast food companies, parents as well as the government, state and federal, are to blame.

· The RJ Reynolds Tobacco company, in the US, was found guilty of trying to incite under age citizens to smoke and had to remove its mascot, Joe Camel, from its advertising campaign as it was deemed that this figure was appealing to young people and would increase their interest in starting to smoke. It was also revealed that this firm was viewing young people between the ages of

As well as, being able to consume these delicious and unhealthy eating habits, adolescents are at high risk of obesity. Although many people may not be informed what obesity is, well, it’s a condition by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. The problem with obesity is that, the rate has gone up tremendously these past couple of years. Consumer report emphasizes that,“ half of Americans say would not cut back on unhealthy food if it cost more, most say they would eat more healthy food if it cost less (51).” The issue here is that numerous health companies, that produce these certain types of goods are upscaled, this is why the

Media has become a part of our everyday lives. From the first moment we wake up to the last moment we go to sleep we are always exposed to media. Media usage and consumption has drastically changed from a way to receive information to a bombardment of products and companies. Television, radio, movies, and magazines are all examples of different mediums used for media transmittance. The average person is exposed to more than 4000 advertisements each day (Colette, 2015).

Twenty-five billion dollars is a lot of money. This kind of money could hire 50,000 teachers for 10 years, power over 700,000 homes with solar energy, or even buy you 25 billion cheeseburgers from McDonalds. Instead of changing the world or indulging in the greasy goodness of fast food, more than twenty-five billion dollars is spent on advertising for alcohol, tobacco products, and prescription drugs. This incredible amount of money and the advertisement that it is spent on have an intense effect on the likelihood of substance use in adolescents in many ways. Companies that monopolize the drug industry should be required to limit the amount of spending use on advertisements and exposures that glorify and promote the use of substances such as alcohol and tobacco that is easily accessible to children and teenagers by at least half. In addition to the reduction of advertising, many different aspects of substance abuse prevention must be implemented by parents, schools, and the government.

As you are flipping through the pages of your favorite magazine count how many advertisements you see. On average advertising takes up 47% of all magazine pages (Moses). Next time you are flipping through a magazine, count how many advertisements appear. Advertisements are a strategy for companies to reach out and draw customers in to sell products. We live in a world full of advertising whether it be right on front of you in a magazine, or driving past on the interstate, advertisements are everywhere we go. Advertising can be done through commercials, magazines, social media posts and contests, and through tweets on twitter. According to Jean Kilbourne, “Advertising often sells a great deal more than products, it sells values, images, and concepts of love and sexuality, romance, and perhaps most important, normalcy” (RPC 101). Kilbourne is referring to how we interpret ads ourselves and what the real message is behind them. The advertisement used for the Dove real beauty campaign conveys a strong message about strong body image where not only is one body type considered attractive, but all body types are attractive. The advertisement uses an emotional appeal to influence women to value their own body image and to change the way women think about their bodies in a positive way.

Fast food and other unhealthy substances are bad for youths, however, we still consume them without knowing the consequences. When will the human race learn about foods destroying our generations. Eating when hungry is understandable but why not look at the nutrients and other facts it has on the food label. These foods have lots of sugar, scary preservatives and even animal fats added. Having the teenagers eat smaller portion sizes and exercise about 30 minutes a day will ease the problem of them gaining weight. Whose fault could it be the young adult, parents, advertisements, or fast food restaurants? Innumerable of teens aren’t getting the information they need to make the proper food choices. The new generation needs to change their eating habits by making finer decisions on what they are going to consume, as well as exercising daily, eating more homemade meals, and drinking more water than sugary drinks.