Argument paper The obesity epidemic and our nation’s health as a whole have many factors that include socioeconomic status in particular. Socioeconomic Status and Childhood Obesity will always shape our nations vision and mission with what we do with healthcare. Healthcare in America is in a major reconstruction faze, and is in much need of it, obesity and socioeconomic status are going to be the major contributors to this reconstruction. The ability to have access to better resources for sure allows one to explore better options, but for children in a low socioeconomic life style options are limited. For example, children from this type of living lack the finances to shop for healthier more expensive foods. Socioeconomic status is …show more content…
This epidemic among our youth is beginning to get out of control and if we do not adjust to what we consume we face many other problems.
Food consumption is one of our nation’s biggest problems especially among our children. In the 1950s we began those golden years on the rise and once the 1970s came around we became a country that Mcdonalized things. “Food manufacturers began producing larger portion sizes in the 1970s and continued to do so at an increasing rate through the 1980s and 1990s, leading children and adults to eat more and take in more calories during meals and snacks” (CDC, 2005a; Young & Nestle, 2002). As a result, our kids begin to consume a lot of these foods and drinks that lack nutritional value and that increases their chance in health problems. Through investigations, it has been found that children are the biggest market for carbonated drinks with boys drinking 20% more than girls (Green, Hargrove, and Riley 2). This issue starts our nation on a path that many of us do not want to go down, many of these children who over consume will face the threat of obesity at a greater chance in older age compared to peers with balanced diets. As we process this through our minds, it cannot be overlooked that we as a nation face many challenges. Finding solutions is something that should be a number one priority among parents.
Finally, one of our other
Nowadays, Americans are facing the danger of being overweight. The article Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables written by Mark Bittman highlights that “one third of all Americans either have diabetes or are pre-diabetic.” The fat in our body cannot be formed in one day or two. Instead, it is the result of constantly unhealthy eating habit. The author of Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause stated that “Energy intake rose because of environmental push factors, i.e., increasing available, cheap, tasty, highly promoted obesogenic foods.” Additionally, according to Bittman, “The average American consumes 44.7 gallons of soft drink;s annually.” The fact that Americans like soft drinks and food that are high in calories is irreversible, but we can do something to change this situation.
One major question that is asked today is whether or not the eating habits of kids and teens be regulated by the state? This is a big problem today with young ones. No young teenager or child has ever grabbed an apple over a snickers bar for a snack. Although a snickers bar once in a while is not a bad thing, every day consumption of products like this creates a long-term problem. In the article Junk Food Nation: How Parents are Ruining Kids’ Health, there are a couple different standpoints from select individuals on why or how to solve this problem. The main issue is whether or not parents are doing a good enough job teaching their children to make health food choices.
many overweight children, for the first time ever the current generation of children is expected to have
In the United States, there are several problems occurring, but people would rather go on with their lives as if everything is fine .Being unaware of distressing circumstances is less arduous than being aware. But being aware allows one to adjust,because if people are knowledgeable than they are able to prevent or control the situation.
The Walt Disney production “Wall-E” is a portrayed image of what our world could soon become. If you aren’t familiar with what the film is about, it is about obese humans relying on technology to do everything and anything for them. They weren’t concerned with their health at all, ordering jumbo soda and super-sized meals of fast food, for every meal. As Wall-E broads the ship and knocks some humans out of their delusional life style, they begin to realize something is seriously wrong with their health. Maybe it was because they couldn’t walk or maybe it was the realization that they couldn’t do anything for themselves. To make sure this doesn’t happen to the people of our world today, there is
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.
Being overweight, eating poorly, and not exercising are becoming an epidemic in America, especially among college students. Most of the research on it states the same things, however the first research article I found speaks more to the behavior and its current affects on college students’ health. A slew of doctors and Jesse S. Morrell wrote an article about “Risk Factors Among College Men and Women” in relationship to obesity. The opening of this article stated that “an estimated 300,000 deaths each year are attributable to obesity… and young adults have experienced dramatic increases in obesity rates,” (Morrell, 2012, pg. 82). This statistic is what really got the research going and helped the researchers focus specifically on college-aged individuals. Upon diving into their research, the authors found more alarming statistics and related diseases. This included a recognizable relationship between obesity in young people and chronic disease risk, especially diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Morrell, 2012, pg. 82). In fact, CVD was the second leading cause of death in the US in that college-age group showing that our generation is at a greater risk for health problems than ever before due to our lack of exercise and healthy diets. Researchers then took to college campuses to examine students and their habits and provide risk assessments to promote healthier lifestyles and hopefully decrease the probability of CVD and DM through the metabolic syndrome system,
Obesity is a prevalent public health epidemic that we face today. Billions of dollars in the United States alone are being spent yearly to cover medical treatment for ailments triggered by this disease (Lee, Sheer, Lopez and Rosenbaum 2010). According to Public health Reports, federal and state governments currently are accountable for at least half of the medical expenses encountered from one being overweight and obese (Lee et al., 2010). Medicaid has the highest popularity of obese customers when compared to Medicare, private insurances, or even those uninsured. In 2004 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) acknowledged obesity as a medical condition. Children receiving Medicaid benefits are covered by the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) program (Lee et al., 2010). This program covers health assessments from birth to age 21. Obese children under the (EPSDT) are eligible to receive free nutritional and behavioral education regarding this disease. Evidence based guidelines have proven that regular screenings and early intervention can have a great impact on decreasing childhood obesity. Unfortunately, not all states enforce these guidelines and this is where children often fall into the cracks. It is still an individual’s choice to follow through.
The topic of obesity in America is not a new one. In fact, the reality of obesity and its effects on America and its population has been mounting by the decade. Currently, more than 1/3 of adults in America are obese. This translates to 34.9% or 78.6 million people. Unfortunately, this number doesn’t even account for the youth of America (CDC, 2014). To call this an epidemic could almost be considered an understatement.
Across the United States, seventy-eight million adults and thirteen million children are fighting the health and emotional effects of obesity. Current research trends suggest that by the year 2030, fifty-one percent of the U.S. population will be obese. Many people believe that the only way to combat obesity is to increase physical activity levels in all ages. The issue is that while obesity rates have skyrocketed over the last thirty years, physical activity levels have increased as well. The solution to the United States’ obesity epidemic lies in the education of its citizens on the importance of dieting. Although physical activity has many health benefits, it is not as efficient as dieting is to combat obesity and aid overweight individuals
Obesity has become a major problem in America today. It is the condition of being extremely over weight, is widespread and is one of the leading health problems in the United States today. Almost two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese and obesity has more than doubled in the past couple decades. It causes extreme health problems such as diabetes and heart disease, and can lead to death. Unless, there is a major change regarding diet, exercise and life style in America, then the obesity rates will continue to rise, causing health problems that can affect a persons life forever. If both children and adults change their diet and lifestyle, then the rate of obesity will decrease, resulting in healthier bodies and a longer life
Obesity in America is a constant issue that seems to be on the rise and it is has been rising at an epidemic rate among the people of America. When you think of health you don’t necessarily thing of bellies and thighs rubbing together but why not? Is there a possibility of being a healthy and obese person? Who set the standard for what is too much and for what isn’t? And what makes this so wrong? I have done extensive amounts of research on the topic and I am here to question why should the size of a person be the reason we shake their head at them? And is there really a thing as being a HAPPILY OBESE individual in this world. Studies show so much on the topic and it is an extremely touchy topic. One wrong word is
What is obesity? According to the Health Reference Center Academic, “Obesity is a clinical condition characterized by an excess of body fat”. Obesity causes serious and life-threatening diseases. Obesity can be calculated using the BMI or Body mass index. The higher the BMI the more obese a person is considered. More than 1 third of the population in the US is obese. Medical costs for treating obesity were estimated at $147 billion in 2008. Non-Hispanic black and Mexican American men with higher incomes are more likely to be obese than those with lower incomes. On the other hand, women with higher incomes are less likely to be obese than those with lower incomes. This may be a result of the type of food that they eat. Obesity in the US is a very common health issue; no state had a prevalence of less than 20%. The increase in obesity rates in the US was from the 1990s through the 2010s (Adult Obesity Facts). There 's a lack of statistics about obesity in the Middle East, but we expect the rates to be similar to those in the US and increasing. Obesity is an epidemic that is spreading quickly through the nations. Due to the various debilitating effects obesity has on many levels, I would like to expose in depth the causes, prevention, effects, and treatments of obesity. Debates on those points should be outlined quickly to help stop this epidemic.
The age old saying, “You are what you eat” still rings true today. Fresh fruit and vegetables have been replaced by french-fries and hamburgers. Children today do not know how to eat healthy. We, as a nation, spend hours and hours bombarding children with fast food commercials, sugary cereal commercials and cavity causing drink commercials. We than spend a fraction of that time telling kids these things are healthy only in moderation.
One fundamental cause of obesity is diet. Adolescence is perfect example of this. Students might have breakfast and lunch at schools. The vast majority of students’ lunches often consist of crisps, chocolate bars and soft drinks, which are high energy foods and due to unbalance energy. (Oliver, 2010). According to research, 25% teenagers are already obese. (ibid). To save money or reduce expenses, schools provide unhealthy foods or junk foods. When soft drinks which were coca cola came into the global economy, drinking soft drinks became popular in schools. The data gives a detailed situation. If a student only has one tin of coca he might has 8 tablespoons of sugar and the rest can be done in the same manner one, a month is 240 tablespoons sugar from drinks. (ibid). Frequent, red meat, large meals high in refined grains, sugary drinks, unhealthy fats are typical Western diet. (Harvard School of Public Health, 2014).