Persuasive Essay On Obesity

Many children of today are faced with the undeniable issue of obesity and other severe health conditions rooted from unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise. When analyzing children from the mid 1970’s to now a significant increase in child obesity can be detected. This statement conjures the question who is responsible for what children are consuming and the opportunities that are made available for them. Instinctively humans are given free will to make choices for themselves; however, at a young age parents are the one’s who are making the decisions. Many adults are appealed by cheap, fast, and accessible which perfectly describes junk food. Given the choice of a healthy dinner or a pizza, when comparing prices, majority of people would choose the latter of the two. In terms of aiding this obesity epidemic the government also needs to step up in supporting the community both financially and socially. The government has access to a wide range of resources that can contribute to inflating the

As years go by American weight struggle has been getting worse. People with diabetes today has more than double since 1994. While there are ways to help bring down obesity, most companies have not taken action. There are many factors to why obesity has only been increasing all these years.

The United States of America is nation that is known for its romance with guns and food. Not the most glamorous idea to be known for but in a way the comical characteristics fit the ever growing nation. Yet this obsession with the greasy, cheesy, and always supersized holds a much grimmer reality. Obesity in America is through the roof with 36 percent of American adults being classified as obese. This alongside the rapid growth of childhood obesity has created a love for shows about weight loss and health like those of “The Biggest Loser”. These inspirational shows help to show that “it” can be done, the seemingly impossibility of losing the hundreds of pounds that need to go. Though the shows are inspirational and entertaining, they are dangerous for all of the people who have lost all this weight disillusioned that they can keep it of, furthermore the

According to the Center for Disease Control Obesity affects approximately one third of the United States’ adult population. Every state has an obesity rate of at least 15% and nine states in the United Stated have rates over 30% (CDC, 2010). Obesity affects some demographics more than others with Native Americans, Hispanics and African Americans experiencing higher rates of obesity than their white counterparts. The rate of obesity in the US has been rising “from 13.4% in 1980 to 34.3% in 2008 among adults and from 5% to 17% among children during the same period.” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Being obese carries severe health and financial burdens. People classified as overweight (having a BMI between 25 and 29.9) or obese (having a BMI of 30 or higher) have increased risk of developing heart disease, type 2 Diabetes, liver disease, stroke, certain types of cancers, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, hypertension, abnormal menstrual cycles, Dyslipidemia and infertility (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Medical spending for those who are obese is on average $1,429 per year higher than individuals of a healthy height. As Finkelstein explained in his 2009 study, “the connection between rising rates of obesity and rising medical spending is undeniable.” (Finkelstein, 2009, p. 831?)

Increasingly high obesity rates among the U.S. population have both personal and societal ramifications. For the individual, increased body mass has been linked to a myriad of health issues including heart disease, Type II diabetes, high cholesterol, cancer, strokes, kidney & liver disease, and hypertension. (Wilmore, et al., 2008) On a societal level, the Center for Disease Control estimates that obesity related medical care costs reached a staggering $147 billion in 2008 with obese patients costing $1,400 more per patient than those that fell into a "normal" weight rage (CDC). Obesity-related diseases may also contribute to millions of lost workdays and higher insurance premiums (CNBC).

Well, as you know from resent news updates and news papers America is one of the “fattest” countries in the world. Most people would love to blame that problem on the restaurants. It’s not the restaurants fault that the people of America are over weight. People have a mind of their own, they know exactly what they want, when they want it, and how they want it.

There is a significant dramatic rise in obesity in the United States, and something needs to be done to resolve the problem, for the reason that if something is not done quickly, the majority of our country will be obese citizens. “Childhood obesity in the United States presents major health challenges” (Kersh et al, 2011). Which has developed serious health problems with major economic and social concerns. In view of that, obesity has become a topic of economic investigation. “Whose job is it to ensure that children have a healthy life: parents and caregivers, schools, communities, the state?” (Kersh et

The purpose to study the health economics of obesity in the United States is to understand it more clearly as it is one of the biggest challenges of the nation currently. Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat deposition in the body that may deteriorate health (or) risk health. (World Health Organization [WHO], 2016). Obesity is a double-edged

The modern-day epidemic of obesity in America is destroying lives and bankrupting the government. Reuters reports, “Obesity in America is now adding an astounding $190 billion to the annual national healthcare price tag” (Ungar 2012). This number is so high due to hospital costs and prescription drugs. The number even exceeds the medical costs due to smoking. Fortunately for the government, smokers die earlier and save the government money on things such as Social Security, private pensions and Medicare. (Ungar 2012) However, obese people tend to live almost as long as those who have a healthy weight and require more medical care throughout their lives, which costs the government substantial amounts of money.

Obesity is a very serious subject that a lot of people take lightly, especially us as Americans. America is the most obese country in the world. Statistics show that 300,000 people die a day in the United States of America due to obesity. This clearly shows that we have a serious problem that is massively underestimated. Obesity is also something that countries all across the world suffer from. For example, Australia is also one of the most obese countries in the world, and 50,000 people die a year from obesity in Australia. That’s 140 people who die per day in Australia. To solve the problem of obesity the prices of junk food should be raised and the prices of healthy food should be lowered and more convenient.

“If and when the public chooses to use government power to offset the factors that promote obesity, we can do so. A day may come when we decide to limit advertising of unhealthy food, strengthen lifestyle teaching in schools, and create stronger financial incentives to adhere to lifestyle recommendations. The more eager we the people are to fight the obesogenic environment, the more responsive and effective our governments will become” (Medscape General Medicine, vol. 9, no. 4, 2007).

Justin Timberlake, one of the most popular recording artists today, filmed a commercial for McDonald's. A spokeswoman for McDonald's said "the campaign is getting "buzz on the street." The song he sings in the commercial was also to be released as a full length single (MacArthur, 2003, p. 2).

By implementing any kind of tax, some will argue that it creates too much government intervention into an individual’s choices. Every individual should be able to choose what they want to eat as they have since mankind began. In fact, history itself plays a role in the obesity epidemic. Early mankind was composed of hunter-gatherer clans that worked together to feed, protect and strengthen each other. The weaker members would gather fresh roots, seasonal berries and plants while the stronger members would hunt for meat. Sometimes it would take days for the stronger members, usually men, to tire a single animal enough that they could kill them. Subsequently, the clans food cycle went from a feast to famine sort of cycle. Their bodies would store the excess fat when there was an abundance of food and use it when there was not. Unfortunately, we have inherited this genetic type of nutrient storage system, except that society today has an extreme abundance of food choices available - we are always in ‘feast mode‘ and the easily available food is stored as excess fat. By taxing unhealthy foods, opponents argue freedom of choice has been taken away. Instead they suggest stronger educational programs about healthy food choices.

Ever crave a healthy meal instead of fries and a milkshake? Unfortunately because of this America is now facing an obesity epidemic and health disease crisis. People have turned from healthy eating habits to resorting to unhealthy processed food. From the early 70’s people's lives have changed which affects the way they eat. Over the years many families have developed bad eating habits and less physical activity. Since the 80’s everything has changed with larger portion sizes and even supersized meals. Changes need to be made in the near future or else the millennials from ages 18-26 will be burying their kids. Due to massive obesity rates in America, it's up to monomials to make changes starting with mainly personal responsibility and educating future families plus food industry marketing.

Imagine laying in bed and wanting to get up, but it is no longer possible. Obesity has been a cause of stopping people to be able to do certain physical activities and daily tasks. It slowly made its way to America, when parents would work long hours and kids were left alone at home. When it came to dinner, parents just wanted something easy and fast to feed their families, but not focusing on what was in the food. It was all about if the food tasted good, but not if it was good for the body. This caused the rise of obesity along with Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure and more. The future leaders of this country should start coming up with solutions to fix this obesity problem and asking the question, if fast food business are culpable? Americans need to stop taking one more bit of the laden burger that can be a closer  step to their death. Millennials need to learn more about the importance of person responsibility to stop America's problem with obesity and obesity related diseases.