Epidemics: The Role Of Obesity In Social Media

Obesity is defined as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduce life expectancy and/or increased health problems. “The problem of obesity is increasing in the United States. Understanding the impact of social inequalities on health has become a public health priority in the new millennium. Social, political, and economic factors now are acknowledged to be "fundamental" causes of disease that affect behavior, beliefs, and biology.” (Goodman, 2003)  In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. Obesity has not always been seen as a medical

Obesity has played a major role in media over the last decade. With growing concern over the issue, a controversy over whether obesity is a disease itself or not has developed. Obesity, by definition, is a condition that is characterized by excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body, usually indicated by a body mass index of 30 or greater. According to the currently accepted definition of disease, a condition of the body or one of its parts that impairs normal functioning and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms, it can be concluded that obesity does not meet the criteria to be classified as a disease.

The definition of obesity is someone who is grossly overweight. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines obesity as: "...labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height" (Causes and Consequences 1). Almost one-third (35%) of America's population falls under the category of 'obese'. Colorado has the lowest statistics of obesity with less than 25% of its population registering as obese. This percentage in the U.S. has been rising steadily since 1986 when the obesity rate registered less than 10% nation wide. This data states that in less than thirty years, the obesity rate has exploded in North America and is still climbing. Many fear the rate might continue climbing to dangerous levels in the near future. A study conducted by the American College of Preventive Medicine (Obesity Forecasts Through 2030) reveals data predicting obesity rates to skyrocket past 50% nationwide by 2030 (Finkelstein 1). This quickly growing rate has many looking to the cause of this epidemic in an attempt to

Society today has distorted what a healthy physique actually looks like. It tells you, if you don’t have muscles bulging from under your skin then you are out of shape. And that if you are overweight you are just ugly. Another false concept is that if you are overweight you’re lazy or not self disciplined (Bordo 2). There are so many factors that have to be accounted for when evaluating someone’s weight. To assume that someone is lazy or weak because they are overweight, is ignorant. Many people are deceived into thinking that obesity is terrible like a sin. In her article Susan Bordo gives an example of a study taken where children chose obesity to be more uncomfortable or embarrassing than dismembered hands or facial deformities when shown

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

In the chapter The Adoption and Management of a “Fat” Identity, Douglas Degher and Gerald Hughes analyze how the reality of people that are overweight changes. “Obese people are fat first, and only secondary are seen as possessing ancillary characteristics.”(Degher and Hughes p.265). In today's society being overweight or not having the ideal body being portrayed by the media is usually considered as unhealthy. As a consequence, pharmaceutical drugs are being created daily to help reduce weight, workout dvds are being produced daily, and clothes keeps getting reduced and limited so that overweight people have a hard time finding something that fits them and that they like. In the eyes of countless individuals, being fat is considered deviant

In the American culture, obesity is seen as a bodily abnormality and deviance that should be corrected. Obesity has indeed become one of the most stigmatizing bodily characteristics in our culture (Brink, 1994). In the Western culture, thinness does not just mean the size of the

Obesity does not discriminate against social status, sex, or race; it can take a person’s life and turn it upside down in the blink of an eye if they are not careful. Some people think of obesity as a worldwide killer because there is no outrunning it if it overtakes a person’s body. Every 1 in 3 adults are obese right here in America, that should give each and every individual some type of hint that there is a major problem occurring. The obesity epidemic is not something that has just caught the attention of people recently; it has been going on since the 1950’s! This epidemic is a major problem; over 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being obese or extremely overweight and over 40 million children were said to be obese in

The American author and nutritionist, Adelle Davis claims that, “To say that obesity is caused merely consuming too many calories is like saying that the only cause for American Revolution was the Boston Tea Party.” Over the years, obesity has gotten to the level of an epidemic problem. The state of overweight is the cause for over a thousand deaths every year. Most teenagers and adults are the targets for shown characteristics of obesity or overweight. Also, the increasing fatness in one’s system initiates health issues, and elevates insecurities for women and men. For example, one can get diabetes due to obesity, others have circulatory and muscular issues because the body cannot hold all of the overweight. Dove, well-known brand for its great female products and making women feel special and secure, is promoting the idea that all one’s imperfections are what makes that person beautiful inside and out. Television is one of the first lasting impressions that one gets of how a women or men should look, which creates stereotypes in body shape. Schools are an area where one can see overweight populations and how students laugh at their imperfections as humans. Bullying is also a problem for overweight people, for it makes them feel like they do not belong to this culture. As shown, being overweight has gained popularity for its traumatic issue in the United States and the many ways it has evolved and impacted society. Teens and adults living in the United States have a

This essay discusses how social constructions have an effect on obesity and what combination of causes and contributing factors it includes can lead to obesity. `Obesity is the term used to describe someone who is overweight and unhealthy. Obesity shortens life by an average of 10 years. It is very common in the UK and results from a study back in 2014 showed that a whopping 65.3% of men and 58.1% of women are obese here. (UniversityOfBirmingham,2016) Being over weight is generally associated with being lazy and unpleasant. There are a lot of media groups that have influenced our society’s perception on obesity and many factors that lead to the disease. Obesity can be life threatening and can be the start of lethal conditions such as diabetes,

Obesity is a prevalent condition in America that undeniably leads to a plethora of health complications, including heart disease, diabetes, and depression. However, while medical interventions can be useful for addressing obesity, treating it as a purely medical condition can decontextualize this growing issue. Additionally, it can support the use of ineffective but potentially harmful treatments by a group of disproportionately empowered medical professionals and industries, that are incentivized to maximize their profit. Obesity exists in the context of a society that moralizes eating habits and stigmatizes fat bodies, and the medicalization of obesity impacts not only those who are obese, but also those who become obsessed with avoiding obesity. Combatting obesity is hence a complex problem that should be treated with both medical and societal interventions, and a failure to do so will result in serious consequences.

We are going to use television, social media, and billboards about child obesity in South Los Angeles. The four television channels/network we are going to broadcast about child obesity is on “CBS, NBC, THE CW, AND ABC” (Station Index, 2004-2017). Television networks are going to play commercials four times a day about child obesity. For social medias we are using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. Social medias can make a profile or page about preventing child obesity in South Los Angeles, post a nutrition guideline for family, video of physical activity that the community can do, and promote events for the community to come together. Billboards are going to be located at Florence, Manchester Square, University Park, South Park, and

Attention Step: How many of you all know of someone who is overweight? How many of you all know of someone who is dead because of weight problems? Obviously, a serious factor that is going on across the United States is obesity. According to The Gale Encyclopedia of Fitness written by the authors Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt and William Atkins, the definition of obesity means that it is a health condition where an excessive amount of body fat is inside the human body. This excessive body fat can cause health related issues including illness, disability, and worst of all, death (Carson-DeWitt and Atkins 615).

Do you know what’s the number one cause of death in America? Well the number one cause of death is heart related diseases. Many of these heart related diseases are caused by obesity. Obesity is “the condition of being grossly fat or overweight.” It is not just being thick boned, or even hereditary. Obesity has become a growing epidemic around the world! A very colossal problem here in the untied states of America; What is sad is that it is a disease one has caused due to their own choice of life style.

In today’s society, obesity is a major public health problem across the world, and is only becoming a growing problem in the United States. Research shows that twenty years ago, five percent of American children were overweight, whereas today 15 percent are. (Moore, 2011) Problems of obesity results from excessive caloric intake, decreased energy expenditure and the combination of the two. Obesity is linked to many health problems such as liver damage, diabetes and many others. The consumption of fast food, and their large serving sizes is a main cause of obesity within America. Obesity rates are also strongly influenced by environmental factors such as poverty, housing condition, and work situation. I chose this topic because obesity is a growing issue that has become even more common in today’s society and not many people are aware of the health problems that arise from living unhealthy lifestyles. Fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, Burger King, and others do advertisement for inexpensive and convenient food, but there are so many dangers behind all of it that we are all unaware of. With this paper I plan to give insight on how obesity is viewed in society, and get a closer look at how different sociological perspectives view it differently. I also plan to look at the many reasons of why obesity has become such an issue in today’s society, and how it affects an individual alone, and society as a whole. I will be looking at this issue through the lenses of a conflict