The Role Of Obesity In American Culture

America is a great country; with high emphasis on freedom, education, acceptance, and philanthropy, there is a strong basis to create a diverse, successful country. However, there is one aspect that America lacks: nutrition. The average American’s diets exceeds the recommended intake of solid fats and added sugars, refined grains, sodium, and saturated fats, and the average amount of calories consumed per American has increased approximately 600 calories per day. Clearly, America struggles to keep citizens’ diets nutritious. In fact, recent studies have projected that by 2030, half of all American adults will be obese (US Dept. of Health). At this rate, Americans will struggle

There are many influences that increase the risk of obesity in our society. Many of these influences are related to society, culture, and personal beliefs. In America, snacking has become a huge mode of calorie intake (Miller, 2015). According to Miller (2015), 56% of Americans snack three or more times a day and even skip main meals to snack. Majority of these snacks are processed food, low in nutritional content and high in fats and sugars (Miller, 2015). This meal skipping is due to a lack of planning and an increase in impulsivity (Bilge Burcak, 2010). An increase in impulsivity has led to an increase in binge eating and an interest in high calories foods (Bilge Burcak, 2010). This social norm has had a huge influence on increasing caloric intake and increasing the obesity epidemic.

How many times a week do you go out to McDonald 's or Taco Bell for dinner? If you go more than once or twice a week then you really need to look at your diet and how healthy your lifestyle is. America is having a huge obesity crisis, too many Americans just don’t care about how much they weigh or unhealthy their lifestyle is. From the advertisement of the fast food companies, to people not being able to afford healthier foods, and people just being plain lazy, America has an increasing population of morbidly obese people.

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.

In the United States of America, there is a current epidemic of obesity throughout the country. Every age group is affected by this unfortunate trend. Even children are not immune to the national obesity problem. For a country that has an abundance of job opportunities, educational opportunities, and financial opportunities, it is a sad statement of fact that far too many people are tipping the scales in unhealthy ways. It is a fact that a disproportionate amount of the nation's citizens are dangerously overweight. If the country as a whole wishes to reverse this disparaging state of affairs, then the first thing to do is to determine why so large a percentage of the population is suffering in this way. People who are suffering from obesity or who are dangerously overweight encounter a myriad of health concerns both physically and mentally. There has even been proved a correlation between obesity and lower life expectancy (Flicker 2010). Two of the many reasons why the Americans have such a problem with obesity is the fact that there the diets of most Americans are heavily based on corn or corn-based products and that Americans lead a more sedentary and inactive lifestyle than people in other nations.

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.

It is no secret that obesity is huge problem in the United States. About 40% of the United States’ population is obese (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2015). According to CDC, obesity causes: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and is the second most preventable disease in the United States (2014). If that’s not enough of a public health problem, than add the 147 billion dollars spent in healthcare expenses just in the U.S. alone (CDC, 2014). According to the text, Public Health 101, “the prevalence of obesity has been steadily rising in the U.S. over the last 50 years; increasing over 250%” (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2015, p. 114). The obesity percentages increase when a family is in poverty. The facts are that if you make about $30,000 a year; the children of that family is almost twice as likely to be obese than a family that is making 350% above the poverty level, which is about $136,000 a year (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2015, p. 114). But, to make it even worse, the Mexican Americans and non-Hispanics black populations don’t even follow those statistics; they have a high obesity level in all socioeconomic levels (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2015, p. 114).

As we all know America is obese. Americans are getting fatter and faster. Once it was considered obesity happened with high-income countries, but now it shows it is rising with the low and middle class countries. The reason for this is because our food supply and lifestyle are changing. Not only are food expensive, but we live in a very busy world. We have gotten used to buying food that are fast and cheap, which usually means unhealthy. We all cannot afford locally grown food which are healthier, so we turn to fast and cheap food which are usually fast food. Food that are there to serve and make us gain weight fast. Then add in our unhealthy lifestyle of sitting in front of the couch most of the time watching tv and probably eating, instead

Eating too much junk food is a problem for many Americans. Currently, 9.3 percent are diabetic, while 35.7 percent of Americans are obese ("Statistics About Diabetes") ("Overweight and Obesity Statistics"). Even more Americans could become diabetic in the future because obesity is known to cause it. “If Americans keep getting heavier at the current rate, 42% of the population will be obese by 2030,” according to Alexandra Sifferlin, in a TIME article. The government should raise taxes on candy and other fatty snacks to help decrease obesity and the number of diabetic people. Decreasing these two health problems would lessen the amount of money needed for health insurance. In addition, willpower is an issue for many people and if a bag of potato

Can you imagine your child having a shorter lifespan than you because of what you feed them? This may happen if parents continue to feed their children unhealthy foods, later leading to obesity. Obesity is a disorder involving excessive body fat that increases the risk of health problems. “Obesity is among the easiest medical conditions to recognize but most difficult to treat. Unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year.” Teen obesity is a serious issue since we have high statistics of obesity in the US, increasing health issues among teens and causes are becoming more complex.

Fat’ is not at all an issue anymore, it is a new normal in America as a recent survey showed that 42% of Americans were critically obese and 8% ate the survey (Levi, Jeffrey, et al. 2012). American children in their early ages are able to witness the downfall of a fit nation and a rapid growth of people like teddy bears roaming around. Isn’t it cute to see chubby people around, I mean it shows the nation is prosperous and abundant of food is available it to it. Many nations are struggling to rise from the oppressors whereas the ‘Americans’, they are struggling hard to rise from beneath their own weight. The government and health organizations are worried about obesity issue. According Oliver the author of a book says, “60% of Americans are

More than 65% Americans are overweight to obese. It’s not always their fault! The government and society play a huge role in Americans and their obesity. Who do you blame? The society or government. Well personally I pick society, and here is why I say that.

Prolific British artist and political activist Banksy once joshed, “A recent survey of North American males found 42% were overweight, 34% were critically obese and 8% ate the survey.” Although Banksy obviously wrote this in epigram, it does saliently point its finger at the United States of America, which, according to UK medical journal The Lancet, secures first place as the country with the highest obesity rate. Obesity has been a perpetuating social phenomenon in contemporary American society; and has been a topic of dialectical discussion between politicians and other leaders since its upsurge and exacerbation as an issue following the baby boom of the Second World War. With an exponentially increasing population, the 1950s introduced the household microwave, the fast food option, and the supermarket, all of which have fostered unhealthy, high calorie foods, and are partly responsible for the surge of American obesity.

Many individuals are unaware that 35.7 percent of adults are considered obese in America. Obesity is an important topic in my family because my great grandmother died from type 2 diabetes caused by her obesity. Many Americans today are unaware of their addiction to fast food and the health risks connected to obesity. Unless there is a cultural and behavioral change among Americans, obesity will continue to spread, and health problems will keep skyrocketing.

Americans are growing wider in size and their education on health and nutrition seems to be diminishing with their waistline. Outward appearance dominates in the media for vanity reasons; however society is impacted with the obesity rates due to the rising health and financial concerns associated. Obesity causes a higher demand for healthcare since it is linked with high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, gout, physical injuries, sleep problems, skin conditions, and cosmetic surgery. Factors such as ethnicity, income and physical location make up a person’s socio-economic status. Socio-economic statuses contribute to large parts of health factors and high rates of illnesses. Children born in certain