The American Obesity Epidemic my assignment essay help Public Relations coursework help

The American Obesity Epidemic Obesity in America is on the rise now, with 72-million people contributing to this new “epidemic. ” People need to start taking care of their bodies or they could possibly lose their lives to the leading cause of death in America”heart disease. Believe it or not, this epidemic isn’t Just effecting the human population. Twenty-five percent of cats and dogs are now heavier than they should be. With excess weight usually comes many kinds of physiological, behavioral, social, environmental and economic problems.

Childhood obesity rates have nearly tripled since the 1980’s, nd current research shows that almost one-third of children over two years of age are already overweight or obese (“Obesity In America: What’s Driving The Epidemic. “). To put a stop to this epidemic, we need a solution that goes far beyond simply eating less. This obesity epidemic is responsible for more than one hundred sixty-thousand additional deaths each year in America now. Currently, 72% of men and 63% of women are overweight (White). So why is it that the U.

S. has become so big in the last twenty years? The obvious, almost trivial answer is that we eat too many high- alorie foods and dont burn them off through exercise (“Adult Obesity Facts. “). If only we could change those habits, then this big problem might fade. Clearly, changing these habits isn’t simple. Americans have been eating ‘more often,’ more and more over the years, and its effects are unfortunately catching up to us. Over the last 30 years, the average number of meals has risen from 3. 8 to 4. per day (“Obesity in America: What’s Driving The Epidemic. “). The disproportionate amount of meals that everyone eats has played a huge factor in our nation’s obesity rise (“Obesity In America: What’s Driving The Epidemic. 6). Who’s to blame? Is there someone to blame? It’s natural for us to try and find someone to blame for this epidemic; or is there some thing to blame. A lawsuit was recently filed against McDonalds by two teenagers claiming that the food was threatening their health. The case was dropped due to lack of evidence from the plaintiffs.

Maybe fast food restaurants, food manufacturers, or even our nation Just doesn’t have enough self- discipline to control ourselves in general, causing us to take our problems out on others Just as the obese teenagers in the lawsuit. In 2020, 83% of men and 72% of omen will be overweight or obese (White). Many people might not realize the many health risks or “consequences” that are associated with obesity: Diseases and death are among the many. These illnesses include many cancers, osteoporosis, diabetes, and even heart disease (White).

All of these dreadful consequences can be results of people’s actions such as compulsive eating and sedentary lifestyles. In an interview with Jennifer Rice, our Lebanon Food Service Director, she spoke to me about her thoughts on the issue; she believes that the home life of children and their parents ontribute to their lack of weight control. She thinks that the children eat what is at home, and for some homes, there may never be fruit or vegetables in the kitchen. Americans know how to make healthy choices, but still don’t choose to make them (Brown).

People have become extremely lazy. Everyone must begin making healthier choices today so that we can prevent the chronic heart conditions that will affect our tomorrows (Brown). Exercising and eating healthy is not a Job, it’s a choice, or better yet a lifestyle. Healthy choices are available for everyone. Some people say, “l don’t have time to exercise! ” Well, those people should substitute an hour of physical activity for those two or three hours they normally spend on the computer or the couch each day.

Some people say, “There are more important problems to worry about than obesity! ” Those people need to be informed of this epidemic and how dangerous obesity can get (Brown). If they don’t see obesity as something dangerous, then they need to see it in that way. Others might say, “Why should I care? I’m not even fat. ” Well, maybe those people that are more slender don’t need to orry about obesity, but they could have friends and family that they should worry about. One of the ultimate causes of obesity is rooted deep within our genes. Genetics play a sizeable role on our body images.

Who you are and how you act are commonly identical to the ways of your biological parents. How your body grows, develops, and handles weight is very dependent upon genetics. Scientific evidence of a genetic basis for obesity has been stated through a variety of recent studies. Most of this evidence includes studies of resemblances and differences among family members, twins, and adoptees. Investigations suggest that a sizable significant portion of excess weight in adults is due to genetic factors. However, identifying these factors has always been difficult.

Obesity is also dependent upon the many environments that surround us. Our ancestors lived in an environment where food wasn’t found on every street corner. We don’t have that challenge of finding food in todays society as people might have had a long time ago. With convenience food or “fast” food at its finest today, we can have literally any type of food, at any time of day, and we can get it from almost any place we want. Just how common is fast food? There are close to fifty thousand fast food chains across the United States, with McDonalds being the largest restaurant chain.

In the world, there are more than five hundred thousand fast food places. Ninety-six percent of kids in school can recognize an image of Ronald McDonald, the “face” of McDonalds (“Overweight and Obesity Statistics”). Surprisingly, Santa Clause was the only children’s fgure to rank higher. Fast food does not have to be unhealthy, but most of the time it is. Americans often order foods that are high in fat, calories, sugar, and sodium; usually ore than our bodies can handle at one time (Marten).

All this food has less nutrition and vitamins which in the long-run causes a build-up of fat in the body. The most common solution to losing weight is to simply exercise more, eat less fast food, eat healthier foods, and drink more water. Despite the achievable solutions out there, Americans, as a whole, spend millions upon millions of dollars each year on weight loss products, health-club memberships, liposuctions, and gastric bypass operations. If everyone were to practice a healthy lifestyle then maybe the United States wouldn’t be the most obese nation in the world.