How Poverty Affects Obesity English 135 How Poverty Affects Obesity How fast would you die if you didn’t have food? A better question might be how fast could you die if you did have food? Americans are slowly eating themselves to death; getting larger and larger and the more financially disadvantaged you are the quicker the food you are eating will kill you. Obesity also has a stronghold on the weakest of society, the children. Although obesity in adults continues to rise, the citizens of this nation are accustomed and less attuned to this issue.
Some people who are food insecure will overeat when food is available. Exercise is also another issue for those who live in poverty. The reason being is that a lot of people are unable to find the time to exercise as they would work extremely long hours just so they can get by. Even if the job requires a lot of physical labor doesn’t mean that it can keep them from becoming obese as their eating habits can help prevent them from being able to keep the weight off. Another factor is depression which those who live in poverty have a high chance of developing depression due to all the stress to make sure they make means meet.
Patients were divided along BMIs in four grades: pre-obese (BMI < 30), obesity grade 1 (BMI 30-34.9), obesity grade 2 (BMI 35-39.9) and obesity grade 3 (BMI ≥ 40)” (EurekAlert, 2010). Many American adults are a part of the moderately obese category, making obesity a huge epidemic. As mentioned before, there are various reasons why, but because there are so many causes we have to focus on the root of the issue. Many people will argue that obesity is caused by genetic factors that cannot be
Fast Food Restaurants Effect on Obesity Obesity is a health problem for overweight people in this country, as American's all we can do is deny the truth, or block out the thoughts in our heads .What we need to realize though is that being overweight and dealing with obesity is not the path we want to lay out for ourselves. It’s the way we eat unhealthy that makes us regret the way we look or that leads to other severe health problems. "One-third of children and two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, posing a daunting public-health challenge. Those adults are more likely to develop serious illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. "(Preventing obesity, Mantel, pg1).
According to the San Francisco Tribune, ’Economists say that obesity costs the economy 190$ billion dollars annually in health care and productivity. A scary number that dictates the issue at hand with obesity for Americans. It’s a hard choice to choose between supporting government regulation however because of the strain obesity has on our society today, the effectiveness government regulation have on keeping people healthy and because America is really fat. I support government regulation to the extent needed. First off, obesity has a large strain on our society.
Busy and cash-stapped families increasingly rely on take-out food for family dinners, and regular consumption of over-sized portions of fatty foods can lead to widespread obesity” (Murphy 1). When people buy fast food, it is usually because they are in a hurry and need a quick meal. With advertisements of fast food chains
Obesity as Social Stigma Compulsive overeating (binging but not purging) is most often considered a bad habit that can easily be changed. On the contrary, compulsive overeating is an eating disorder that is more properly defined as an addiction rather than a simple habit. Overeaters use eating as a means of hiding from their emotions and coping with the stress and problems of their lives, turning to food for comfort. Compulsive overeating is characterized by uncontrollable eating that results in weight gain that may lead to obesity. According to the American Obesity Association (2002), obesity is a “complex, multi-factorial chronic disease involving environmental (social and cultural) and genetic, physiologic, metabolic, behavioral and psychological components.” AOA points out that approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, with 60 million being obese.
Many theories and conflicting conclusion have been seen. At the end of the day it is said that too much food and too little exercise is the cause. Let us look at how obesity is effecting us as Americans and what’s being done about this chronic disease. Epidemiologic/Statistics More than one third of the US as adults are obese. When you think about that number, that
Not only does it put them at risk when they are younger, obese children also tend to become obese when they are adults, causing them to have the same, if not more serious health problems. I think that eating healthy and a lot of physical activity is important for children to help them stay healthy. But one large factor that I feel gets over looked when it comes to childhood obesity is how unhealthy food is advertised, and how big of an effect what everyday children watch on the television really does have in the rising of obesity rates. I think that the fast food and advertising are at huge fault for childhood obesity. The fast food industry knows that putting a toy in their kids meals will make young children want to go to their restaurants, rather than restaurants where they go in and sit down and get no toys.
Childhood obesity around the world, and particularly in the U.S., is an increasing problem that is extremely damaging as its’ effects carry on into adulthood. Childhood obesity is not to be taken lightly. Eating fast-foods high in calories, rich in fats and refined sugars can actually trick the body into craving the foods and therefore, become addicted. There are many contributing factors to childhood obesity and the health risks associated with being an obese child, but the link between eating fast food and child obesity is astonishing. Obesity in anyone can prove to be a life threatening condition, but calculating good eating habits, a healthy diet and proper exercise for our children can help prevent that child from becoming obese.