Obesity in America is real and profoundly alarming when you look at the major impact it has on our communities. Major health concerns like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure cases are at an all time high. Specifically, the disparity between low-income urban inner cities in regards to obesity as compared to more upper class wealthier communities makes you take pause. This relates to my professional goals of going back into my community as an activist and organizer of issues related to my environment, like health and education.
Despite diets, physical activity, behavior modification, drug therapy, and gastric surgery, "few people reduce their body weight to a desirable or healthy level and fewer maintain weight loss beyond two to three years" (36). This makes America fat, overweight, and even obese. The issues of size and weight are of social concern. Technology has sped up the pace of American living but it has slowed down physical activity. Americans drive everywhere they go and try to park as close as they can. What may have begun with the simple remote control has drawn America from baseball fields and parks to the television and computer screens. America no longer surfs the waves; they rather surf the net (Arzino 1). Phil Arzino writes, "We're becoming a nation of couch potatoes that's raising a generation of tater tots" (1). This sedimentary lifestyle effects adults as well as teenagers, toddlers, and infants.
“This might be the first generation where kids are dying at a younger age than their parents and it’s related primarily to the obesity problem” (Judy Davis). Obesity in America has been a rising issue in the last few years. There have been a lot of different predications on to why the number is rising so much in American people. The food that people are eating and the lack of physical activity has a lot to do with this big rise. People aren’t exercising as much as they use to and the food surrounding the people in America isn’t as good as it used to be either. More and more food places go up every day and it isn’t good for the people in society. Fast food industries are the leading cause of obesity in America today. Reasons are fast food
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
Are Americans, where obesity is found to be a major struggle, in jeopardy with the various aspects that may cause obesity, such as poor eating habits, lack of physical activity, etc.? Poor eating habits such as eating processed foods is one reason for weight gain in children and adults. These eating habits are affordable, tasty, and an easy way out when an individual does not want to cook. Obesity is a personal issue that many have struggled with all their life. There are many risks that come along with being obese as well as ways to overcome it. In order to explain this the research report will ask: do individuals who are obese know the various health risks that come along with the constant weight gain and how to lose the weight
In this research paper we will be looking at the topic of obesity and the social ramifications that it holds. We will first look at obesity in a broad way. Then we will focus on obesity and its effects on children. And finally, obesity and adulthood will be covered. The topic of obesity is important to the field of sociology because obese people make up a significant portion of the world’s population. In addition, the manner in which obese people are treated has a significant effect on society as a whole.
How would you feel if I told you that there is no one state with an obesity rate lower than 20%? Take this information and compare it to twenty years ago when every state had an obesity rate lower than 15%. Obesity has become not only the number one cause in death, but according to David Zinczenko, editor-in-chief of Men’s Health and author of “Don’t Blame the Eater”, it is the number one cost in health care with numbers rising well over 100 billion dollars a year (196). There are many people we could blame, such as the food industry or the government, but before we start pointing fingers elsewhere, individuals need to stand up and take personal responsibility for their own actions and health. Either way it is evident a
Obesity is an epidemic affecting 36.5% of American adults (Ogden et. al., 2015). The sedentary lifestyle that is prevalent in today’s technology focused society is the principal cause of the pandemic extent of this disease. The obvious cure is physical exercise, which for some can be a daunting and menial engagement. Tennis is an enjoyable way to combat obesity, and is the most viable method for doing so.
Obesity in America is a growing problem. There are too many fast food restaurants and many Americans aren’t physically active. Food advertising is targeting children for high calorie, high fat snacks and sugary drinks. Americans are exposed to oversized food portions in restaurants, fast food places, gas stations, movie theaters, super markets, and etc. Some Americans even have a lack of access to healthy foods. If the government had a say in our diets, problems like these would be prevented.
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
television most people tend to think they are hunger even after they had just ate dinner.
When you think of smoking a cigarette or any other Tabaco product what is the first thing that comes to mind? In all likely hood you are probably thinking about gunk, coughing, wheezy lungs, or even death. If I were to ask you that same question about having sex without a condom, what would come to mind? HIV, STD’s, nasty thoughts, and so on and so forth. Now what if I asked you about a milkshake? You’re probably thinking scrumptious, tasty, and very satisfying. The reality is consuming items in the same category as milkshakes (fried foods, fatty foods, high preservative concertations) in high volumes overtime can cause high blood pressure, hypertension, and even heat disease which is the number one killer of all human beings. There are numerous reasons why America is having an obesity crisis, in fact by the year 2030 it is expected that nearly 51% of all adults will not only be overweight but actually considered obese. This is not just an issue in the United States, but throughout the world obesity numbers are skyrocketing up the charts. The top 5 reasons for obesity rates are genetics/cultural practices, aggressive food based marketing, in adequate physical activity, age, and lack of easy access to healthy foods. Weight gain in America and throughout the world is at an all-time high, but before we can stop the issue we must first understand why it is happening.
Obesity does not discriminate against social status, sex, or race; it can take a person’s life and turn it upside down in the blink of an eye if they are not careful. Some people think of obesity as a worldwide killer because there is no outrunning it if it overtakes a person’s body. Every 1 in 3 adults are obese right here in America, that should give each and every individual some type of hint that there is a major problem occurring. The obesity epidemic is not something that has just caught the attention of people recently; it has been going on since the 1950’s! This epidemic is a major problem; over 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being obese or extremely overweight and over 40 million children were said to be obese in
Obesity has rapidly emerged as a serious health issue in America. The cause of obesity results from America’s social injustices. Today, food advertisements are in all places promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. Considering the great expense of healthy foods, low income families can barely afford fruits and vegetables. These two factors contribute to the increasing obesity rate in the United States. Unfortunately, it has taken an excessive amount of Americans to become obese for America to become aware of the issue and take action. Although obesity is still an increasing problem, America is fighting to reduce the number of obese citizens. As a result of low income and the media advertising unhealthy lifestyles, America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic.
Obesity has become a concern for many people in our culture. The obesity rate among Americans has gotten worse over the years. The topic of weight is very prevalent among people in today's society. Everywhere you look you see people of different weights and appearances. Tall, small, thin, wide, fat and skinny are just a variety of the words we use to describe people. Not many people are completely satisfied with their weight. People are constantly looking for ways to better themselves and improve their physical appearance. In our society, obesity has become a defining problem of American culture.