Obesity : What Is Eating Me?

We live in a world where we acquire the necessities we need through simple means. One of the main things that we need, food, can be acquired through groceries and food markets. They present us with options that comply with almost every preference that customers are willing to buy. With the variety that they present, may it be organic, naturally grown, or processed the problem of obesity comes along. Abundancy of food has taken a toll on the weight of humans, especially Americans. It affects one – third of the adult population in the United States, the numbers are about 78.6 million Americans who are affected by obesity (Obesity Society). Obesity can be caused by a number of reasons not only because of the food that we intake (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) and it has also affected and continues to affect the health of numbers of people (Center of Disease Control and Prevention). There are times that we fail to take notice that it is a problem that needs solving. When is the right time to make a change? Are the changes that we have already implemented enough for Americans to take it seriously? What are the ways in which we can prevent this from happening to children? There are always going to be a bunch of questions that we

The stigma related to obesity plays a major role every day for some. At work, school and in healthcare settings the stigma exists and continues to be a publically tolerable form of prejudice in American society. By increasing education and awareness about the damaging and lasting effects of negative stigma.

The health risks that overweight and/or obese children tend to face are type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and other illnesses. One article stated that “obese adults were more likely to have worse quality of life, poorer asthma control, and increased risk of asthma-related hospitalizations compared with their non-obese counterpart” (Quinto et al, 2011). This is also true for obese children. Children who are overweight and/or obese tend to have more doctor’s visits, prescribed medications, and may have trips to the hospital just like those who suffer from

Over the years, the obesity epidemic has swept across both developing and developed countries, causing concerns about potential health care burdens (Han, Lee, Lean, Finn, O'Neill, Bartfai, Forti, Giwercman, Kula, Pendleton, Punab, Rutter, Vanderschueren, Huhtaniemi, Wu & Casanueva, 2015). As Jackson, Beeken & Wardle (2015) discovered, weight discrimination is a perpetual issue faced by those classified as overweight or obese in western societies. Such discrimination can be the result of stigmatizing messages put forth by health care professionals and thus call for a need to raise awareness amidst these professionals (Jackson et al., 2015). When the human body undergoes the aging process, many of the physical changes can cause distress in the

Overweight patients may be greeted in society with negative attitudes and targeted biases due to their size. Many obese individuals suffer from verbal ridicule, stereotyping, and even discrimination. These negative societal attitudes reflect thoughts that an overweight individual is completely to blame for their weight instead of there being an understanding that there are many health and lifestyle factors that can impact obesity. There can be judgment as school for obese children, job discrimination in the workplace, and even disapproval in the healthcare system that leads the overweight population have negative self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and other sociological factors.

Throughout history being heavyset was an indicator of wealth, while being skinny was closely linked to poverty. Today, however, if a person is fat or obese they are often described with negative traits like laziness, sloppiness, and not having self-control. Even though they are associated with unfavorable characteristics, the obesity overweight rates are continuously rising. Approximately sixty percent of Americans are currently overweight; about twenty-seven percent are clinically obese (Korn 212). As obesity and overweight rates rise, so does the discrimination against those considered overweight or obese in the workplace. To some, obesity is considered unattractive and because of this heavyset people are often looked over by employers for

Obesity may have its most immediate consequences in psychological and social realms, where stigmatization of obese people has been recognized since a long time. A study showed that young boys described obese body types as being indicative of negative personality characteristics (such as; cheating, lazy, sloppy, lying, naughty, mean, ugly, dirty or stupid), and in younger children the degree of negative stereotyping increased with age, while among adolescents, girls may be more affected than boys, although both genders report some negative experiences (Puhl, 2012). The prejudice and discrimination against obese individuals does not appear to have softened, although obesity has now become far more common worldwide. Some of the negative consequences

First, it says that there is not going to be and there is not just one person who has the ability to solve the problems of childhood obesity, rather a mix of professional interaction and guidelines that are set forth to help children who are obese. (McHugh 96). The study that was mentioned earlier found that a large amount of the people asked claimed to have “…humiliating and derogatory experiences when associating with the health industry” (McHugh 96 et. al Thomas, Hyde, Komesaroff). The article goes on to further say that a lot of the individuals interviewed clamed to not have very high satisfaction levels simply due to the fact they felt they did not have enough time, as well as they felt as though the doctor was trying too hard to give antidepressant medications (McHugh 96.) Some of the statistics that are mentioned in this article are that 40 million children worldwide will end up becoming obese by the time that they turn five years old. (McHugh 94). Aside from numerical data, the findings that this article mentions is that obesity in children can lead to childhood onset diabetes, cancers of types, as well as back and joint pain. Aside from the physical dangers, the article reveals that psychological dangers came as result too such as depression, and a lower self-value. Some of the psychological aspects can often times be over

In the United States, there are increasing numbers of people suffering from obesity. In Michael Pollan’s book “Omnivore’s Dilemma,” he says that three of every five Americans are overweight and one of every five is obese (76). Obesity becomes a major health problem in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the estimate medical cost of obesity in the United States was $147 billion a year. Why Americans are obese? The answer for obesity is that Americans are relying too much on fast food. Many factors that contribute to obesity epidemic; particularly, fast food is the chief causes of obesity.

Obesity is one of the most serious health challenges facing our nation. It is linked to an increased risk for type II diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and even arthritis. One of the most alarming trends in the increase in obesity has been the climbing rates of childhood obesity. Obese children are more likely to become obese adults, and the chronic conditions they suffer as the result of their obesity will affect them and the healthcare system for far longer than their parent's generation.

It is not necessary to be an expert to know that obese people in our society are more likely to be excluded and prejudged on how well they can develop an activity. The article “Obesity, Bias and Stigmatization” explains the different types of stigmas our society has against obese people. Some of the discrimination methods the article mentions are verbal types “such as ridicule, teasing, insults, stereotypes, derogatory names or pejorative language.” Physical discrimination “such as medical equipment that is too small for obese patients, chairs or seats in public venues which do not accommodate obese persons, etc.”

It is no secret that the food industry in the United States has many flaws and problems that need to be addressed. Among the worst offenders is the obesity problem that the American public faces due to our highly processed food industry. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately seventeen percent of children 2 – 19 years of age have obesity (“Childhood Obesity Facts”). This statistic gets worse as you look at the adult population of which about thirty five percent are considered obese (“Adult Obesity Facts”).

As we all know the obesity has become a great problem for many people around the world. A research shows that 34.9% of adults in the United States are obese, and the money used for health problems relating to obesity has greatly increased. The estimated cost was $147 billion in 2008, and the cost for obese people were $1,429 higher than normal people (cdc.gov). There are a lot of factors which makes many Americans obese. The chief causes of obesity are bad food choices and the reliance on the industrial food chain, and the government, the food companies and people are responsible for it.

Weight discrimination “generally refers to negative weight-related attitudes toward an overweight or obese individual” (Puhl 1). Obesity numbers started to skyrocket in the 1990s and weight discrimination started to become a problem about five years later. Obese individuals are susceptible to weight discrimination at health care facilities, school, work, and even in personal relationships. Studies have found that the chances of experiencing weight discrimination increase the more an individual weighs. “In our study, 10 percent of overweight women reported weight discrimination, 20 percent of obese women reported weight discrimination and 45 percent of very obese women reported weight discrimination. men were lower, with 3 percent of overweight, 6 percent of obese and 28 percent of very obese men reporting weight discrimination. This finding also tells us that women begin experiencing weight discrimination at lower levels of body weight than men” (Puhl 2). For women weight discrimination is more common than race discrimination.

The stigma against obese indivuduals is now global. It happens at the playground, during job interviews, while applying for graduate school, in court and even at the doctors office. (1-5)