Obesity Epidemic In America

Obesity is a problem in America, as it is in other Western countries. The population of a country is always a reflection of its government, so our government decided that it’s time to dip their hands into this problem and come up with possible solutions to our growing unhealthy population of people. The solution that is discussed in the articles “Bad food? Tax it, and subsidize vegetables” by Mark Bittman and “Meddling in other people’s diet is ‘fun’ and ‘inspiring’” by Jacob Sullum is that we should (or shouldn’t, in Sullum’s case) place a tax on unhealthy, processed foods. Although relatively strong arguments are presented in both articles, they both miss the point entirely and wouldn’t solve the problem of rising health issues in Americans.

Roehr’s article speaks about the how the average expenditure on obesity doubled in recent years due to significant increase in obesity rates across the United States. Between 1998 and 2006, obesity prevalence rose by 37% and the cost of expenditure related to obesity during this time period rose from $74 billion to $147 billion. This is because soda and sugary drinks have become relatively cheap over the years. Money is something that is on everyone’s mind, especially in this tough economy. Cheap drinks lead to an increase in sales and subsequently an increase rate of obesity in a matter of several years. Dr. Frieden, the director the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, says, “[p]rice is an important factor in shaping people’s diet.” He recommends having a substantial tax on soda drinks, 1 cent per liquid ounce, would be the only and most effective method of combating the obesity epidemic. Also this type of tax will help generate $100 to $200 billion over the course of the next ten

The fat tax is a proposed tax on certain unhealthy foods that lead to the development of certain medical conditions such as obesity. As obesity is a growing concern of many Americans, arguments can be made about how effective a fat tax may be if implemented. The opposing group argues that the implementation of a fat tax would discourage the consumption of unhealthy foods, reduce costs of medical treatment, and obtain government funding. Although our opposition has some strong points, there are still unanswered questions that need to be addressed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be overweight and 1 in 3 are considered to be obese. That’s approximately 36% of the American population being obese and 74% being overweight. There are many causes to why this can be the case and some medical causes, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. However, the prevalence and widespread acceptance of junk food has made the problem of obesity worse. The government should start regulating junk food as it does with products such as alcohol and cigarettes, which in turn may prevent some people from abusing it or at the very least slow down consumption. Although a tax on junk food realistically won’t cause intake to stop entirely, the revenue gained by the government from this tax could help with health care costs related to the problem, such as treatments for diabetes and obesity, as well as help offer healthy snack alternatives at cheaper prices and make them more readily available.

The fat tax has some good intentions and will possibly result in more people eating healthy. The unhealthy foods we eat can cause dangerous conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, cancer, and many more (“What Can Obesity Lead To”). A fat tax can alter people’s eating habits and prevent them from getting these diseases and improve the amount of healthy individuals in the country. Obesity is mainly caused by unhealthy foods, this tax is a way to limit people’s consumption of foods with high sodium and sugar. A fat tax could improve your health and expand your life expectancy all while helping the government save billions of dollars (“Sugar, Salts, And Fat Taxes Could Save Health Budget $3.4 Billion And Increase Life Expectancy”). A healthy nation with a government whose financial state is rising.

We can all agree on the detriments of obesity, but what is the main cause of the skyrocketing rates of obesity? According to former New York State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, sugary drinks, which have limited nutritious value, are the greatest source of added sugar in most people’s diets, hence, the high obesity rates (633). Others, on the other hand, say there is more than one cause to obesity and sugary drinks are not to blame. One popular solution to this obesity epidemic that has been proposed is the taxation by the government of sugary drinks. The idea behind this proposal is to discourage the consumption of sugar by financially penalizing its consumption. Prestigious doctors and nutritionists believe this tax will indeed help cut obesity rates just like the highly-successful tobacco taxes of the past. While they are some people who oppose the measure of taxing, the taxation of sugary drinks is something the government and the society would benefit from.

In order to reduce the purchase and consuming rate leading to obesity, researchers have found that taxing sugary drinks is the good way to reduce these rates. After studying, some scholars believe sugary drinks have become a major source of obesity. Tobacco and alcohol taxes are now commonplace and are considered a permanent part of the public health and the economic picture. Similarly, sugary drinks are leading to health problems and also costing the economy. Putting a tax on these drinks will help fight the economy deficit and also reduce diseases. Gov. David Paterson of New York suggested that “an 18 percent sales tax on soft drinks and other non- diet sugary beverages will help raise $400 million a year to plug in the state's budget” (Kristof). This is a tax which will make people healthier and also helps bring in revenue for health care debts. The tax would shift some consumers, especially kids, to diet drinks or water. According to Professor Popkin and other specialists, liquid calories do not register with the body(Kristof). Despite all those calories people still go in for more leading to obesity and other health problems. The United States

People now days have the risk of getting obese ever since the epidemic of fast food restaurants has diffused across the U.S., “over a third of U.S. adults are obese” (Finkelstein) and “About a third of U.S kids are overweight and obese” (Cunningham). The foods that they serve at fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Sonic, and many others are addicting, and easily accessible due to their low prices, which by many Americans would tend to buy fast food from those fast food restaurants. There must be an end to this obesity issue in hopes of preventing any future fatalities due to improper and unhealthy eating; thus a "fat tax" should be required on fast food establishments across the U.S. Since most Americans tend to eat more

Throughout history humans have commended themselves on their advancements in medicine and technology. Then why is it that obesity is as its highest rate ever and the price of healthcare has risen drastically? Due to a rising percentage in obesity, a tax on foods high in processed sugars that, while seemingly restrictive, would be beneficial for the financial and physical health of citizens and the state.

Within the past 50 years, obesity rates have reached an epidemic level with the United States of America having one of the highest obesity rates in the world. America has become the poster child for obesity worldwide and that has become its most noticeable feature. Several presidents have tried implementing multiple short term solutions in recent years, but none have shown overall effectiveness in reducing the main cause of obesity: the over consumption of unhealthy and overly processed foods. The introduction of a sin tax on junk foods, often called the fat tax, has been suggested to both houses of Congress various times, increasingly so in the past few years. But with constant food industry lobbying, the tax has been rejected every time for superficial reasons and a drive for monetary gains instead of the health of their consumers. The consumers need results and efficient ones at that and that is where the fat tax becomes a viable option. The implementation of a fat tax, or a tax on unhealthy or processed foods, will minimize the obesity crisis, encourage consumers to purchase healthier food options, and reduce the overall sugar and fat intake.

policy makers, have begun proposing new taxes on sugary beverages so as to raise revenue and dedicate the revenue for the prevention programs like Nutrition Education and elimination of beverages in and around school areas. “The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a tax of 3¢ per 12 oz. drink would raise just under $5 billion per year (2).” It is expected that sugar-sweetened beverage taxes will have a greater impact in the tax revenue and it helps to prevent obesity and increase in health promotion programs. There is also more support of sugar-sweetened beverage tax campaigns when voters learn that some of the funds will be used to prevent and to manage some health programs. In a recent research by American Academy of Pediatrics, the healthcare cost to obesity could reach between $861 and $957 billion by 2030. Nearly half the health care costs associated with obesity and diabetes is paid for through taxpayer-funded Medicare and Medicaid programs and through higher insurance payments in private plans. And, nearly everyone agrees that U.S. health-care system needs changing (4 - pg 538). A recent note developed by the Urban Institute on behalf of the American Heart Association stated that there should be immediate implementation of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes because of the obesity epidemic in children. In most of the world, national governments have been the main leads on enforcing taxing sugar-sweetened beverages, however in the United States, local governments typically take the lead. “Although local governments have passed and implemented excise taxes, they face more challenges compared to national or state governments including state limits on their authority to tax, the greater potential for consumers to make untaxed purchases beyond local boundaries and limited resources for enforcement

“Beep-beep”, a young boy pushes buttons on the vending machine at school. Cheaper and easier than packing a snack, his mother gives him a dollar everyday to buy a treat. “Beep-beep”, the boy, now a teenager, plays video games alone in his house. Too embarrassed by his weight to play outside with friends, he spends his days isolated in the basement, seeking comfort inside candy wrappers. “Beep-beep”, the boy who just dropped out of college, ignores a call from his mother. He has not spoken to anyone in months because of his depression, which only worsened with his growing size. “Beep-beep”, machines surround the hospital bed of the boy, now a man in his 40s, who just suffered from a heart attack, prematurely brought on by obesity. This young man’s life may have turned out drastically different, if unhealthy habits had not developed so easily at a young age. The accessibility and affordability of unhealthy foods like candy and soda make it very difficult to break bad habits and pursue healthier options. Imposing a sin tax on unhealthy food choices to combat the growing problem of obesity in the United States would not only help the citizens suffering from obesity, but everyone else in the country in many different ways.

When it comes to the topic of putting a tax on junk food, most of us will readily agree that it would help the obesity problem in America. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of taxing those foods and drinks that contain a lot of fat and sugar. Whereas some are convinced that it would help America tackle the obesity problem. Others maintain that it would just end up hurting America in many different other ways besides obesity. The current population of America would agree that having a tax on these products wouldn’t necessarily mean that I would cease the consumption of these food thus lowing the obesity epidemic in the country.

Only 2% of children in the U.S. eat a healthy diet (“Facts about Childhood Obesity” 1). Junk food is a leading factor in the growing obesity epidemic in America. To help stop the epidemic a high tax must be placed on junk food. The “fat tax” would be added to items considered to be unhealthy. There are a plethora of potentially taxable items such as sugar, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, even salt. The “fat tax” will help deter consumers from purchasing these items in an effort to improve the overall health and nutrition of American’s. There are a plethora of ideas to help and prevent obesity as well as other health issues.

Food is a necessity. People must eat to stay alive. However, what people eat is completely up to them. There are people that prefer to eat healthy and stay fit, and then there are those that that prefer an unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle. Those that lead an unhealthy lifestyle tend to eat foods high in fats, sugars, and unhealthy chemicals. Foods such as these cause obesity and other health related problems. There are many ideas that have been thrown out to keep people from eating unhealthy. One of these ideas is; to encourage healthy eating, higher taxes should be imposed on soft drinks and junk food. While looking at the bigger picture, one will realize that this