Obesity : The Center Of Health Policy

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 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

Recently, a lot of debate has gone around about whether or not obesity is considered a disease or not. It is very difficult to pinpoint one sole reason obesity is occurring in people, there are many different justifications for what causes a person to become obese. Obesity is a disease that is currently sweeping the entire world. Percentages of not just adults, but children are skyrocketing like never before. People have never been so overweight until now. I am going to examine why obesity is considered a disease through a scientific, economic, historical, and futuristic lenses.

“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 media article, Whose Fault is our Fat? Obesity solely stems from Americans not participating in enough physical activity. On the other hand, Family Stressors and Child Obesity, attributes the stem of childhood obesity to stressors, particularly family stressors. Another possible explanation for obesity, other than Americans not getting enough physical activity or stressors, comes from the movie, watched in lecture, The Weight of the Nation. This movie makes the connection of rates of obesity to living in poverty areas. The movie also firmly believes that Americans are turning to quick, processed, and readily made meals, instead of healthy food options.

With some many fast food and all you can eat restaurant United States has been the breeding ground for widespread obesity in America. Moreover, there are many more contributing factors to obesity both childhood and adult, such as biological, environmental, social, or economic factors.

Obesity is an epidemic that is putting uncomfortable strains on the American health care system. With just under two-thirds of the American adult population being overweight or obese, a lot of time and effort has gone into uncovering the causes of this rise in the weights of American citizens. Several theories have been developed to help solve the mystery of America’s rising size. Obesity cannot be traced back to a single factor, but rather many aspects have contributed to the rise of obesity in America. Parental influence, media exposure, and individual’s rate at which they metabolize food all play a significant role in contributing to obesity in America. The threat of obesity in this country is growing, and as a nation it is imperative that we understand the underlying cause of the epidemic, and prepare a comprehensive plan on how to tackle it. It is imperative for the nation heath to better understand the causes of obesity in America.

A problem that is plaguing America and needs to be addressed with a policy change in school systems across the country is obesity. Obesity in America has been declared an epidemic, and the most alarming rates of obesity exist in younger demographics, which generally dictate that these children will continue into adulthood as obese adults (Jacobson, Kim, & Tortolero, 2009). This will add to the massive costs to society that obesity contributes from loss of employee hours to hospital care from the many diseases that are developed as a result of obesity. Therefore, this issue needs to be addressed early in life with school-aged children as it is far more difficult to stop obese adults from engaging in negative behavior that facilitates or worsens their obesity while legislative action can be taken to develop rules and regulations that can be implemented in school districts across the country.

Much has been written to explain the medical aspect of obesity but little attention has been paid to understanding the sociological aspect of the epidemic. This research attempts to understand the sociological aspect of obesity by examining the socio-cultural, gender, and psycho-social effects and includes the different perceptions of the epidemic as well as what is deemed acceptable in the society we live in.

The obesity problem did not occur overnight. In fact, it has been emerging for decades but only recently has it reached crisis proportions and grabbed national headlines. While Americans at the turn of the 20th century may have aspired to be plump, by now most people are aware of the health problems associated with excess weight. Diet books top the bestseller list, while

This book comprehensively addresses the subject of obesity. Apart from highlighting the main causes of the epidemic, the book also presents suggestions on what can be done to stem the rising rates of obesity.

According to The Sociology of Obesity it is believed that the “obesity epidemic is largely driven by environmental factors” which are coupled with the lack of nutritional foods and the “excessive use of motor vehicles” and leading a sedentary life (Rosengren & Lissner 2008). With the increase of energy dense food which is relatively cheaper than high quality food and mor accessible especially to the lower socioeconomic classes. With each country, there are different stages of development, but in the western world (America), the socioeconomic slopes with “respect to obesity are both heterogeneous and in transition” (Rosengren et al., & Korbonits (2008). The impact upon the obese has resulted in the stigmatization and has caused great concern

In the United States of America, obesity, especially in children, has been on a steady rise since the 1970s. Many health organizations and public figures have tried to combat this rise through passing new policies and speaking out against the epidemic. These efforts have resulted in little progress as health officials have declared that obesity has stayed consistent in the nation over the years (Tavernise). It is critical that the issue of obesity is combated against successfully as obesity can have many long-term health risks to an individual such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. As a result of these drawbacks, it is especially important to further address the issue as obesity can be particularly harmful to children as they

Obesity has caused great dilemma in America. It was known as an adult disease. “Over two thirds of adults are over weight or obese.”(Obesity, Jerry R Ballenttne) these numbers are increasing rapidly. Obesity is not just a appearance

Obesity has become a serious problem with more than one third of adults being obese in the United States. Obesity is seen as a self-destructive behavior accompanied with smoking and use of other drugs thus, government officials and other business bureaucrats expressed the need to impose higher health insurance premiums on the obese. Obesity is not always due to the personal behavior of people and can be linked with the environment and genetics; I personally feel that obese people should not pay a higher health insurance premium compared to those that aren’t. Government officials and other business bureaucrats