Summary: The Epidemic Of Obesity

America is getting fat. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), obesity rates in America have tripled in the last 30 years; currently one-third of the population is considered obese (Albritton 94-95). Modern Americans have found themselves salivating at the drive thru window of one of the top fast food chains that rule this world, devouring foods that do not promote a positive well-being. Kelly Brownell, an economist and professor at Yale University, first suggested the concept of implementing a higher tax on unhealthy foods, therefore encouraging consumers to pursue a more positive route within their diet (Badilas 257). According to a general survey, the people of America are also beginning to have a change of heart,

Obesity has been framed as a topic of personal responsibly for a long time. For many, the fundamental notion has always been that if you stop eating junk food and eat “healthy”, you will maintain a healthy weight. According to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control’s 2007-2008 Health and Nutrition Examination survey, it was found that 73.7% of all Americans 20 years old or older were overweight, obese, or extremely obese. That is a lot of fat people and it is hard to believe that fast food alone is responsible for 70% of adult Americans being overweight.

In the United States, a crisis is breaking out known as the Obesity epidemic. For the first time in history, it is possible for the children of this generation to have a lower life expectancy than their parents. Millions of Americans are exposed to ads that are luring them into eating the cheap, fast food of billion dollar companies such as McDonald’s. Obesity has established itself as the fastest growing disease in the nation and continues to make an impact on the general population. The issue of Obesity is directly related to todays technology through television, cell phones, video games and all of sorts of new gadgets.

The obesity epidemic in America is a serious problem. Over the years there have been many proposed solutions to help reverse the effects obesity has on American society. The cause of this problem is most often blamed on fast food alone. However, upon closer inspection, the problem is not just fast food. It’s the rest of the American diet. With a society so deeply permeated with food culture, it becomes extremely difficult for the average American to avoid fast food and junk food at all costs. In addition, most proposed solutions suggest for Americans to stop eating unhealthy foods altogether. This solution is not effective in a place like America where food is as apart of American culture as the American flag itself. The best solution to help

As Americans we have made food not only a way to live but all help us with life events, whether emotional times or celebratory events we turn to food. However our society has been consumed with unhealthy food options readily available. This has in turn caused a huge medical epidemic in America. Obesity has and will put people at risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some types of cancer. More than one-third of American adults are obese (Ogden et al., 2012). By looking in depth at the obesity epidemic in America through the three major sociological perspectives (structural functionalist, social conflict, and symbolic interactionist) we are able to better discern this medical issue impacting the health of American people.

The obesity epidemic in America is a very serious and ongoing issue. Many Americans ask themselves what is the difference between obesity and being overweight? What can I do to fix it? As Americans people deserve to know what those differences are, how to prevent obesity, and what the actual causes of obesity are. Citizens also have the right to know the effects of obesity and the solutions to obesity.

Ultimately, obesity is sweeping the nation because of how easy it is to eat cheap and on the run from fast food restaurants. If Americans do not change their habits of eating with no physical activity the obesity rates will never decrease but only continue to steadily increase. Not only is fast food easily accessible but over the years serving sizes have increased two to five times (Miller,

Opposed to the standing viewpoints however, some health professionals and individuals believe the obesity epidemic within America is not just a myth conjured by the weight loss industry and health professionals; the epidemic is in fact a very real issue slowly killing Americans and dieting is the only way to solve the severe health issues arising from obesity. It is believed by some individuals obesity is America’s most serious ongoing crisis and the economic predicament sparked by the increasing waistlines will lead to the crash of America’s economy. In Dan Carroll’s article, “The Obesity Epidemic Is America’s Greatest Ongoing Crisis,” he expresses if the funding for national health care continues to rise due to obesity, the other vital areas

The obesity epidemic proves to be an issue in America and continues to grow with time. In simple terms, obesity is a disorder where the subject has increasing amounts of fat, leading to health problems in the future. This epidemic has steadily increased in American bodies for decades and researchers have tried to find the root causes of this problem. Though there is controversy as to what is the primary cause of this rising epidemic, it is clear that there are many factors that contribute to the fluctuating weight gain among many American citizens. With these factors, there are multiple perspectives of the epidemic. One of the primary perspectives is that an unhealthy diet contributes to obesity in Americans; with the popularity, convenience and cheap prices of fast food, statistics have shown direct relations of increasing obesity rates with an unhealthy diet. A secondary factor of rising obesity rates is the lack of exercise or activity in the body. Without a way to burn off excess calories, they sit in your stomach and there is not a good alternative to burn them off like in a workout. Additionally, with the strong presence media plays in society, there is an idea that women have to be stick-thin as the norm. As a result, there is a new perspective that being overweight is due to societal standards of skinny figures and the increasing media, creating weight bias. These different perspectives all provide a basis for researchers to explore this issue and find ways to

Despite the overwhelming evidence that Americans are among the most overweight across the globe, this issue is constantly ignored. We hear about obesity being one of the most prevalent issues in America yet through the years this issue seems to worsen. Although Obesity may not be taken seriously by many, it is one of the leading health issues in America today.

Obesity has become a world-wide epidemic that affects every country and gender that exists. Obesity can result from poor nutrition, insufficient amount of exercise, or a lack of knowledge on how to care for one’s body. In general, many women suffer from being overweight. The article I read explains how some women, no matter what ethnicity, suffer from being considered over- weight during pregnancy. The article goes into further detail to explain how women feel about gaining weight while pregnant, what they believe to be considered healthy or unhealthy, and how they feel about their healthcare provider’s service to them while being pregnant. The articles states, “In the United Stated, 35.8% of reproductive age women (20-39)

What is obesity? A condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body; obesity is when someone is so overweight that it is a threat to their health (“What is Obesity?”). Obesity is an increasing global health problem. Corpulence is an important matter because of the astounding magnitudes that this disease has reached in the past 30 years (“Health and Aging”). Obesity is the reason for nearly 10 percent of the national medical budget, which in this country it cost about $150 billion yearly. It is estimated that one in six children and one in three adults are obese. Obesity is an epidemic not only in the United Stated but in several other parts of the world. The top four countries being Mexico, New Zealand, Chile, and Australia; worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980 (Richard “Obesity Rates”). Obesity is the main cause of death, related to heart disease, cancer, musculoskeletal disorders, diabetes, and several other health risks. In order to better comprehend obesity, it is important to explore exactly what obesity is and the potential causes of, what types of diseases, issues related with obesity and some of the paths that could be taken to aid the situation. What can people as individuals do to prevent being overweight or obese? At hand there is no simple resolution to the obesity epidemic. Obesity today is described as an “epidemic,” one of the most substantial health threats to Americans (especially the

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity as the excessive accumulation of fat that puts the person’s health at risk (Lenzi et al., 2015). The prevalence of obesity has increased worldwide over the past three decades. According to Holtz (2016), obese people have outnumbered the undernourished, with the World Health Organization estimating that 1.9 billion adults are overweight, out of which about 600 million are obese. Given the recent trends, it is estimated that 1.12 billion people will be obese by 2030 (Grossschädl, 2014). According to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute, 2014), the global impact of the obesity epidemic is estimated to be $20 trillion, or 2.8 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP), which is on a par with the global impact from terrorism, armed violence, smoking, and warfare.

We live in a time where parents are most likely to outlive their children. Not because of war on terror or school shootings, but because of a far greater villain that has yet to surface and the masses to learn about. Sugar - contemporarily the greatest stimulus that has been slowly augmenting child obesity levels in North America. Without a doubt, recent statistics prove that the prevalence of obesity in children has risen greatly. What we may refer to as the ‘obesity epidemic’, can account for a wide range of serious health complications among children including hepatitis type II diabetes, risk of impulsive illnesses, and premature death. The advocacy documentary, Fed Up, sheds critical insight on the raising obesity epidemic, caused

The comprehensive assortment of convenient processed foods high in sugar, salt and fat, frequently marketed in large serving sizes with excessive sides, has ultimately made selecting healthy eating choices more difficult for the average consumer and policymakers. Various health experts maintain the onslaught of advertising and promotion surreptitiously and unfavourably influencing ingestion patterns and food partialities of individuals further complicates the issue. There has been substantial encouragement, which has pressured governments and politicians to implement restrictions on the publicising of unhealthy foods, particularly those targeting children. (Jolly, R. 2011)