Globesity: Health Crisis/Epidemic

According to a U.S. Prevalence of Adult Overweight and Obesity study conducted by NHANES from 2009-2010, 68.8% of our population is either obese or overweight. This new health crisis/epidemic has been slowly sneaking up on America in the last decade negatively influencing our society and changing our way of life. It’s hard not to walk down the street and ignore the shining golden arches the gleaming signs of various fast food restaurants and then the walk of shame home when you realize your pants might never fit the same way again and your arteries could possibly be taking a major beating from the waves of grease and salt you just willingly ingested. Recently A new term has been coined due to Americas growing weight epidemic, they are calling it Globosity. To address this situation we have scrambled to find a solution to the problem, one of them being to start taxing junk food. The benefits of a “fat tax” greatly outweigh any negatives that could be conjured up by opposing arguments. This junk food tax is estimated to decrease people high fat, high cholesterol food intake by swaying their food choices based on money. Change can be a promising thing which is why this tax is worth a try due to its possible health benefits for the public, it could very possibly encourages people to make more responsible informed decisions about their food and change the way our society operates. After all we are what we eat aren’t we? “A fat tax is a surcharge placed down on fatty foods and beverages. Its main goal is to curb unhealthy habits and counter the economic costs of obesity.” ( ) The aim of this tax has been around since prohibition and has been continuously revised and studied throughout the years. The first person to reall...

... middle of paper ...

...n to try this such as Mexico and Japan, maybe this will give us some insight on how well the tax actually works. If this tax has the power to lower obesity and all the trouble that goes with it by swaying the public in better healthier direction then why not! What’s most important is that everyone still has their right in whether or not to buy junk or not, it’s still their choice, just varied slightly by a small tax.

Works Cited

Engber, Daniel. "Let Them Drink Water!" What a Fat Tax Really Means for America. The Slate Group LLC., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
"Overweight and Obesity in the U.S." FRAC. Food Research and Action Center, 2010. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
"Thousands of Children and Teens Diagnosed with Diabetes Each Year in the U.S." Thousands of Children and Teens Diagnosed with Diabetes Each Year in the U.S. News Medical, 27 June 2007. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.