Greg Critser's Obesity Epidemic Analysis

Obesity has been a growing problem in the U.S. for more than a decade. Various reasons and theories are thrown around as to the cause of this severe problem by psychologists, dietitians, and professors trying to pinpoint a single cause. Due to America’s vast supply of resources, luxurious living standards, and moral of the country, there is no one cause for obesity contrary to advertisements offering a quick-fix drug. America’s obesity problem is rooted much deeper than just cheap fast food and poor choices. Medical conditions, influence of genes, unhealthy lifestyles, and mental illnesses are all contributors towards obesity in any one person. Obesity is a serious problem in America with multiple contributors and one lone solution

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

“Obesity is a disease that affects more than one-third of the U.S adult population (approximately 78.6 million Americans). The number of Americans with obesity had steadily increase since 1960, a trend that has slowed down in recent years but show no sign of reversing”.

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

In 1984, the U.S. Government officially recommended that Americans eat a low fat diet. The entire American population hopped on board. Food manufacturers cranked out low fat versions of everything. Nutrition Scientists started publishing studies that support no carb diets. High School lunches became terrible. And even the Media jumped on board. However, what happened in the next decades was an increase in American citizens that have diabetes, despite the numerous ads pertaining to bowflex and hydroxycut.

Let’s start with the role of US politics and the US food industry. First off, the food industry has made it seem as if processed food is the best way to dine, through a plethora of advertisements and consistently stretching half-truths. The first explicit step from US government

This source provides a lot of study based research information on several topics that relate to obesity. The article gives a lot of information about the battle between for fighting obesity and advocates that want Americans to make their own choices about the food they consume. This article covers a wide range of informative data from food served in schools, to the rise of industrial farming. The author is a freelance reporter that does not seem to have a bias for the obesity subject. Instead this author provides information for the government to regulate or not regulate the food Americans consume on a day to day base. The article’s audience could be made up of people looking to for the pros and cons of government regulations to help fight obesity. This source provides information to help anyone with some research material to in order to form their own opinion on the problems of obesity in this country. I found this source while using the CQ researcher website and searched for obesity in America.

The question of how the obesity epidemic has evolved over time is best answered by examining the topical literature—not necessarily critical analyses of anti-obesity propaganda, but the propaganda itself. The difference in content is similar to the distinction between primary and secondary sources. Although authors and critics like Deborah Lupton and Natalie Boero can connect concepts between the literature on a wider scale, the actual documents generated by anti-obesity groups and fat advocates provide the best context and examples of the trajectory of the supposed crises in the present day. Here we examine two such documents, one from the Mayo Clinic’s weight loss plan, “My Weight Solutions,” and the other from a writer in support of the fat advocacy movement, Health at Every Size (HAES). Both texts are guidelines for personal health in relation to lifestyle and whether weight plays a role in health; there are similarities between them, as well as stark contrasts. However, it may come as a surprise that there are more similarities than not. Both documents are written with a goal in mind—that is, encouraging readers to engage in healthy lifestyle choices. There is a significant focus on the individual and on realistic behavioral, and therefore psychological, strategies within both documents. Although both documents relate to concepts in Lupton 's Fat and Boero’s Killer Fat, the focus of this analysis will be on the primary documents themselves. The key difference between

Obesity in the United States has been increasingly cited as a major health issue in recent decades. In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 35.7% of American adults as obese and 17% of American children. Obesity is obviously a big problem in America. One of the major causes of Obesity in America is the high consumption of junk food. In order to combat America 's obesity problem, junk food must be made less appealing to the public. Lack of exercise and genetics also result in the build of fat on an individual. The high consumption of junk food is one of the major causes of the high obesity rates America faces. The increased availability and relatively low costs of this junk food make it appealing to the masses. One may ask, is Obesity really a disease? If so, what can be done to solve the problem? I will explain the arguments for, against, and under certain circumstance(s) and conclude with my preferred position on rather Obesity is a disease.

From 1960-62 to 2005-06 the number of obese Americans almost tripled from 13.4% to 35.1% (Weight-control Information Network 2). These two extreme upward trends might make a convincing case that the extra fast food intake has caused the hike in obesity rates, and it may very well be a good indication, but it is far from proof. Too many things have changed over the years, from the way the average American exercises, to the types of other food that people are consuming.

Statistical information confirms: obesity and overweight have already turned into an issue of national concern. In 2002, “a National Survey conducted by American Sports Data revealed that 61% of adults in the U.S. felt that they were overweight, 19% admitting that they were ‘considerably’ overweight” (American Sports Data). The major causes of obesity, overweight, and similar nutritional problems included genetics, population trends, hurried lifestyles, high-carbohydrate diets, less demanding workplaces, smoking cessation, and social class aspects (American Sports Data). That hurried lifestyles and a less demanding workplace contribute in the development of obesity trends is clear. But even more importantly, because the number of those who are overweight or obese exceeds one half of the American population, the government must control our diets. The information about the costs of obesity and related diseases is even more compelling.

The findings above has shown that America are witnessing a drastically increase in the number of people who are obese in this 21st century. The effect of hereditary genes, the augmented consumption of calories- densse fast food, together with an prevailing sedentary lifestyle come out to be major elements contributing to this pandemic. It is undeniable that obesity harm human health and bring inconveniences in daily life, not to mention lack of cosmetic aspect. The morbid obesity are threatening American’s life in particularity and shortening global longevity in genaral. Although this epidemic is preventable by changing habits, US citizens seem to disregard their own health problem and keep gaining weight uncontrollably. This situaton boosts

America is one of the most obese countries worldwide; however, it is an obvious statement if applied to the real world around you. There are several fast food locations within blocks from each other on most streets. Fast foods, however, are not the only source of obesity; stress is also another factor that contributes greatly to weight gain in which one becomes overwhelmed with feelings and they seek food for comfort. Obesity might not be considered such a serious disease like cancer or AIDS, but it definitely is associated with heart-related conditions, diabetes, and premature aging of the entire body and brain. Thus, discussing obesity in a country like America, we as individuals must consider potential factors and causes in order to come up with a plan effective enough to seize this issue that decreases the quality of life.

According to the History of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans , In 1977 after years of scientific review and controversy the US Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, led by Senator George McGovern, recommended Dietary Goals for the American people (US Senate Select Committee, 1977). The Goals included complementary nutrient-based and food-based recommendations. The first goal aim attention at energy balance and urged that, to prevent overweight, Americans should endure only as much energy as they are necessary. Overweight Americans should consume less energy and expend more energy. For the nutrient-based Goals, the Senate Committee recommended Americans, boost their consumption of complex carbohydrates and “naturally occurring sugars;” and make less consumption of refined and processed sugars, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium (1).) The beginning of the Dietary Goals encounter debates and controversy, as industry groups and the scientific community expressed questioning that the science available at the time supported the specificity of the numbers provided in the Dietary Goals. To support the credibility of the science used by the Committee, the US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services (then called the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare) scientists from the two Departments acquire additional expertise from the scientific community throughout the country to address the public’s need for

Schlosser argues that the North America has the highest obesity rate of any industrialized nation. More than half of all adults and about one-quarter of all children are now classified as obese or overweight. Those proportions are believed to have increased dramatically during the last few decades, along with the consumption of fast food, with the rate of obesity among North American children twice as