They could make laws that would protect the citizens from harmful diseases caused by unhealthy foods as well as saving money on healthcare to provide for the people that cannot afford to pay for the healthcare they need for the diseases. This is why the American Government should regulate the diets of Americans. One of the main reasons the Government should regulate diets is because of the overwhelming amount of people that are obese or over-weight, especially with the number of children that are having these problems and the parents are not doing anything about it. “Surgeon General Regina says with the Government interjecting and making some decisions on not what to eat, but how the food is made and how much they eat, America as a whole would start to become a more fit country” (Regina). Surgeon General Kooper also says, “Obesity is one of the most prevalent diet-related problems in the United States” (Kooper 277).
Adolescents Obesity and Intervention Strategy Adolescents Obesity Intervention and Prevention Strategy According to Schwarz and Peterson (2010) “adolescents’ obesity in the United States has many important implications for both the health and well-being of the individual and society.” The negative health consequences of obesity include many diseases, chronic health disorders, psychological disorders, and early death. This contributes to billions of dollars of health care costs each year. The healthcare costs due to the adolescent obesity rate are estimated at more than $14 billion per year. The direct and indirect cost totals more than $140 billion dollars annually. The United States spends six to 10 percent of healthcare on costs caused by obesity compared to 2 to 3.5 percent in other western countries (Schwarz & Peterson, 2010).
Yatin Patel Noel English 101-132 December 2, 2010 The Future of America is Fat Childhood obesity is quickly becoming a major crisis for children across the nation and around the world. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Approximately 300,000 deaths a year in this country are currently associated with overweight and obesity” (“Satcher”). Also, statistics from the article show that, “Obesity incidences among American children have dangerously climbed from 5% in the 1980s to 15.3% in 2000” (“Fighting”). Schools are partly to blame for childhood obesity because of the high-fat, high-calorie, and sugary food they serve. We have a crisis on our hands with childhood obesity on the rise.
Rising Health Care and Poverty Rising Health Care and Poverty in the U.S.A Introduction Rising health care costs and poverty have been on the rise since the early, 1990’s. Medical costs have more than doubled over the last decade, and health insurance premiums have risen nearly five times faster than wages. Americans are spending far more on health care than residents of any other industrialized county while receiving lower quality care overall. Clemmitt, Marcia (2006, April 7) Rising health cost (vol.16, Issue 13). The census data for 2006 shows that 36.5 million Americans or about one in eight lived below the federal poverty like of $20,614 in income for a family of four.
1. Explain the ethical dilemma and explain why it is a dilemma. Our government needs to do something to turn the growing wave of obesity in our country but is taxing unhealthy foods the answer? Despite no clear evidence of a link between obesity and eating unhealthy food there is a movement to tax what we put in our mouths. However, does eating unhealthy food cause obesity or does obesity cause one to eat unhealthy food (Marlow, 2013)?
Obesity is known to be the plague of the 21st century in the United States of America. It affects all age groups from childhood to adulthood. Due to the obesity epidemic in the country, there are countless programs, pills, and diet plans that are marketed every day to the American public advertising weight loss. Although these ads are persuasive, they are not a healthy way to shed the pounds desired. The most effective and sufficient, the most beneficial way to lose excess pounds is to maintain a balanced diet and exercise regularly.
Although obesity in adults continues to rise, the citizens of this nation are accustomed and less attuned to this issue. Never in the history of this country have there been so many obese children; and we are not prepared to deal with the enormous consequences childhood obesity will bring. Physical and neurological impairment, that could lead to a nation plagued with chronic illness, insurmountable debt and financial ruin. Although all are at risk for obesity, none are more at risk than those who are poverty stricken. The poor in this country are not able to afford healthy food, nor are they in the position to spend time exercising, both of which could help reduce their chances of obesity; lowering the cost of healthy foods through government subsides, and creating programs that support healthy living and exercise in poor neighborhoods could be two solutions to this growing problem.
America is one of the most obese countries in the world, and the reasons are quite obvious. Just take a look around you. Fast food chains on every block (unhealthy foods are much less expensive than the healthy foods we should be eating), more and more technology to make our lives easier (and lazier), and high amounts of stress are all factors to weight gain in our country. A recent study done by Harvard in January 2010 shows that obesity rates have reached a constant level and stayed there for the past five years, but still the levels of obesity are unacceptable. Almost 34 percent of American adults are obese; this number is more than double the amount of 30 years ago.
Many countries are trying to do something to make their children’s life healthier by promoting healthy food and diets campaigns. Obesity is a worldwide disaster that ruins lives. Obesity is being fat or overweight and that affects their lives in negative ways. The primary reasons of obesity are actually parents; they’re the ones who decide what type of food their child eats and they specify the amount of food the child gets. However, the studies of the American academy of child and adolescent psychiatry showed that between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese.
40 percent of Americans say they get no physical activity at all. According to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, inactivity was associated with more than 9 million cases of cardiovascular disease in 2001, at an estimated medical cost of nearly $24 billion. When you do not move, from either choice or due to injury, you burn fewer calories each day. An excess of just 500 calories per day translates into a weight gain of 1 pound per week or 4 pounds per month. When you gain weight, you have an increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease and type two diabetes.