Fast Food Chains: Obesity In America

Being overweight, eating poorly, and not exercising are becoming an epidemic in America, especially among college students. Most of the research on it states the same things, however the first research article I found speaks more to the behavior and its current affects on college students’ health. A slew of doctors and Jesse S. Morrell wrote an article about “Risk Factors Among College Men and Women” in relationship to obesity. The opening of this article stated that “an estimated 300,000 deaths each year are attributable to obesity… and young adults have experienced dramatic increases in obesity rates,” (Morrell, 2012, pg. 82). This statistic is what really got the research going and helped the researchers focus specifically on college-aged individuals. Upon diving into their research, the authors found more alarming statistics and related diseases. This included a recognizable relationship between obesity in young people and chronic disease risk, especially diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Morrell, 2012, pg. 82). In fact, CVD was the second leading cause of death in the US in that college-age group showing that our generation is at a greater risk for health problems than ever before due to our lack of exercise and healthy diets. Researchers then took to college campuses to examine students and their habits and provide risk assessments to promote healthier lifestyles and hopefully decrease the probability of CVD and DM through the metabolic syndrome system,

America is getting fat. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), obesity rates in America have tripled in the last 30 years; currently one-third of the population is considered obese (Albritton 94-95). Modern Americans have found themselves salivating at the drive thru window of one of the top fast food chains that rule this world, devouring foods that do not promote a positive well-being. Kelly Brownell, an economist and professor at Yale University, first suggested the concept of implementing a higher tax on unhealthy foods, therefore encouraging consumers to pursue a more positive route within their diet (Badilas 257). According to a general survey, the people of America are also beginning to have a change of heart,

The United States of America is the fattest country in the world. Obesity in America has reach epidemic proportions. Obesity and weight gain has become major concern of public health in the United States. In every state, at least twenty percent of adults are obese, and in twelve of these states the obesity rate is above thirty percent. Mississippi currently holds the highest rate of obesity with 34.9 percent of its residents being obese. On the contrary, Colorado has the lowest rate of obesity with 20.7 percent. CNN estimated that annual medical care costs due to obesity reached $147 billion, but the Institute of Medicine estimates it is closer to $190 billion.

Obesity in America is a continually growing problem and even worse our own children are sharing in this problem. A commentary in the Washington Times reports that sixty million Americans are obese. What really is the meaning of obese? Obese is having a body mass index of thirty percent or more. In recent years, the percentage of obese Americans has risen. In the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, the percentage of obese Americans rose from 22.9 in 1984-1994 to 32.2 in 2003 and 2004. The study also says if you throw in the number of "over weight" Americans (body mass index of 25 to 29.9) the total jumps to 66.3

Obesity within adults is a prevalent problem in the United States, with over 51% of all adults suffering from obesity by the year 2030 (Joyner et al. 217). Obesity, or the state of being excessively overweight, is sometimes a result from what is known as food addiction. Much like an addiction to a substance, to be addicted to food is to constantly crave a certain food item (Joyner et al. 217). Obesity and food addiction tend to coincide with each other. That coexistence is shown primarily in the documentary Super Size Me, in which director Morgan Spurlock focuses on the way fast food and food addiction affect the human body.

In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. A study done by the Centers of Disease Control showed that since 1980, one third of our adult population has become overweight. America is the richest but also the fattest nation in the world and our obese backsides are the butt of jokes in every other country (Klein 28). The 1980s were a time when Americans suddenly started going crazy over dieting, jumping onto the treadmills, and buying prepackaged non-fat foods. However, while all of that was going on, the number of obese Americans began to increase. According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 58 million

In the United States, a crisis is breaking out known as the Obesity epidemic. For the first time in history, it is possible for the children of this generation to have a lower life expectancy than their parents. Millions of Americans are exposed to ads that are luring them into eating the cheap, fast food of billion dollar companies such as McDonald’s. Obesity has established itself as the fastest growing disease in the nation and continues to make an impact on the general population. The issue of Obesity is directly related to todays technology through television, cell phones, video games and all of sorts of new gadgets.

Good news! We’re Number 2! As declared by a 2013 report from the U.N., America has only the second highest obesity rate in the world at 31.8%, second to Mexico with an obesity rate of 32.8%. America has held on to the title of most obese country for over 60 years. From 13% obesity in 1962, estimates have steadily increased right up to 2013’s 32.8%.

food corporations will not stop growing. Fast food restaurants serve more than 50 million people a day in America. McDonald’s has more locations (35,000) than the combined total of Burger King (14,000), Wendy’s (6,500), Taco Bell (6,200) and Arby’s (3,400) combined says Shocking Fast Food Statistics You Should Know.

    Is that oversized hamburger really worth the extra 20 cents? In today’s society the extra 20 cents to pay for a bigger meal is a norm. Obesity is on the rise due to the consumption of fast food. Diabetes is spreading to many kids which results in a lifetime battle all caused by eating irregular portions of so called hamburgers and drinks. Most fast food chains in America do not have nutritional information charts visible to the consumer to refer to when ordering food. America is not as active anymore since the 1970’s due to fast food chains expanding in every city and state. It is hard to find a fast food establishment that serves real ingredients instead of food filled with chemicals and modified meat. People in America

Several studies have shown that the increase in fast food restaurants over the past few decades has resulted in a negative impact on the already outrageous obesity rate.According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the number of fast food restaurants over the past thirty years has tripled, which equates to about three hundred thousand establishments in the United States alone. During this time the number of children, ages six to nineteen classified as obese, has risen from five percent to seventeen percent. The percentage of adults classified as obese has risen from half to two-thirds the population. Although fast food restaurants may be a contributing factor to the increasing obesity rate in the United States, people are

Fast food consumption has become a part of daily life in the United States, even to the point of evolving into a prominent feature of American culture. Up and down the streets, flashing neon signs proclaim the lowest prices, quickest service, or closest possible food source. Gone are the days of local restaurants, quick-stop diners, and small scale restaurants; the fast food industry has replaced them on nearly every street corner. However, also, on the rise are American waistlines, in what the media monikers the ‘obesity epidemic.’ Recent health, business, and political concerns lead individuals to question the dominance of fast food chains, causing many to consider opportunities to minimize the prevalence of fast food consumption and to restore the position of local restaurants and home-cooking in the American lifestyle. Increased access, subsidies, and bans currently are currently in consideration, yet the most effective way to prevent the expansion of the fast food industry is by implementing regulation on advertisements. In order to protect Americans physically and economically, the federal government should restrict the advertising rights of fast food corporations.

The combination of increasingly sedentary lifestyles, two-income families with children, busy single professionals and the proliferation of fast food restaurants in recent years has created a "perfect storm" of obesity in the United States as well as a number of other countries. Further exacerbating the problem is the lack of nutrition and high levels of fat content in many fast food restaurant products, making their consumption a high-risk activity for many people today. In response to increasing public concerns over these trends, some fast food chains have introduced healthier and culturally specific choices for their consumers, but critics suggest that these initiatives fail to go far enough in addressing the problem. To determine the facts in this case, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature concerning the role of fast food restaurants in contributing to the increasing levels of obesity around the world in general and in the United States in particular. A summary of the research and important findings are presented in the paper's conclusion.

PepsiCo is a multibillion-dollar food and beverage company that faces numerous ethical dilemmas: selling unhealthy products, advocating against obesity, and creating healthier soft drinks. An ethical issue brought up is should Pepsi be penalized for offering an addicting empty calorie product with no nutritional value. Critics claim that the soda company parallels big tobacco brands in the way of creating and marketing an unhealthy product that the public buys, even though it is bad for their health. Americans’ health has been in danger recently with almost 36% of adults and 17% of children in the U.S. being obese. PepsiCo has also faced condemnation from their actions of advocating adamantly against proposed food regulation in hopes of cutting down obesity. PepsiCo, however, has taken steps to combat obesity by reducing their sugar and sodium content, but it still receives backlash due to the oxymoron of healthy junk food. The question PepsiCo faces is should it continue selling its baseline products or should it focus on more healthy options. As CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi has a responsibility for setting up the company for future success, and healthy food may be the solution, as the public’s general shift in attitude changes to a more health conscientious mindset. PepsiCo can appease this new mindset by continuing to offer their staple products while partnering with and buying healthy brands like Quaker in order to promote a line of healthy products.

The Indians living in the cities have completely forgotten about their traditional Indian dishes and took to the “Western” fast food culture. A survey conducted by a leading Indian newspaper says that over 23 per cent of the children in Delhi are obese. One hopes that this estimate is not true; if it is, one shudders to think of the numbers in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Gurgaon and other nouveau riche cities with their fast prevailing mall culture and fast food attractions.