The obesity epidemic remains one of the nation’s most serious health crises, putting millions of people at increased risk for a range of chronic diseases and costing the country billions of dollars in preventable healthcare spending. There is a growing epidemic of obesity in Australia and also worldwide. The commonness of obesity has doubled to 65% of the world’s population live in countries where obesity and overweight kills more people than underweight does (WHO, 2014). Intrusions and preventions have become key strategies in reducing the impact of the obesity. This include the involvement of the healthcare, government, and the media. In addition, media usage may deliver auspicious opportunities to certainly affect the problem. Leading policy …show more content…
Inactive people burn fewer calories than people who are energetic. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) presented that physical inactivity was strongly associated with weight gain in both sexes. Likewise, there are some diseases donors to obesity such as Cushing's syndrome, insulin resistance and hypothyroidism.-What can be done about obesity? Role of government. Governments have an accountability to organize preventative health reform, to bring preventative programs and to make sure passable supports are put in place to enable individuals, families and communities and the health system to make beneficial contributions( Marj Mood …show more content…
The health system is subsidized by the community, and, as patients, community members make conclusions about how to use the health system(Selvey & Larkin2011) .The health system has a significant role to play in serving people to become more independent and better able to make the best choices to manage their own healthcare needs. This includes helping people, both as individuals and a community, to make knowledgeable decisions on issues such as smoking, alcohol consumption, a healthy nourishment and passable physical activity(Petter William2009).The role of Media. The use of media — including time spent watching television, playing video games and using a computer — has been identified as one of the contributing issues for a number of reasons, including: substantial advertising and elevation of high-sugar, high-fat foods during children's programming. Likewise, it is obviously shows that Media use is shifting physical activity as children spend progressively time watching television and playing video games and less time being physically active. Without a doubt, today's children are flooded with media competing for their attention (Andrew Korner
Brody, Jane E. “Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause.” New York Times. 12 September 2011. Print.
As the rising epidemic of obesity has attracted considerable media attention, so has the promotion for maintaining healthy wellbeing. Tom Naughton’s documentary, Fat Head, is a stellar model of this media attention. It examines the exact cause of weight gain, and the reliability of the Government’s nutritional guidelines. The contention of Fat Head is that the U.S Government and Morgan Spurlock (the creator of Super Size Me) present misleading information. However, Naughton’s bias becomes apparent through the careful selection of film techniques, and the silencing of certain characters, who may express opposing viewpoints. The ideal audience of this documentary, parents and concerned parties such as medical professionals, are invited to agree that the U.S Government and Spurlock are deceptive.
The documentary, titled Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America’s Greatest Threat, is a documentary shedding some light on the growing trend of America and its expanding waistlines. The documentary is geared to unmask the epidemic of obesity in our country. The film sheds some light on how our society is fixated with living and unhealthy lifestyle. The film goes on to inform you on how bad the situation really is, where two-thirds of the American population qualifies as obese or overweight. The documentary tries to uncover the root and causes of how this epidemic came to be and how it can be reversed.
Both the risk factors and the effects of obesity are now more terrifying than any other preventable disease to both the population and the economy of Canada. In a survey of seventeen developed countries, Canada placed only tenth in life expectancy and wellbeing, while placing fourth in the highest spending on healthcare(Flood). A large factor in Canada’s state of poor well-being is obesity; obesity causes one in ten premature deaths of people aged twenty to sixty-four(Ogilvie) and is a leading cause of many life-threatening illnesses: “Obesity is recognized as a major and rapidly worsening public health problem that rivals smoking as a cause of illness and premature death. Obesity has been linked with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, gallbladder disease, some forms of cancer, osteoarthritis,
In the documentary Killer at Large, former Surgeon General Richard Carmona remarked that “Obesity is a terror within. It’s destroying our society from within and unless we do something about it, the magnitude of the dilemma will dwarf 9/11 or any other terrorist event that you can point out…” Carmona is indeed right, with the rapid increase of obese children, America is on the fast track to producing a generation with a life expectancy shorter than their peers. One of the main factor is the media representation of obesity (Greenstreet 2008). In today’s society parents are not only worrying about televisions influence on their kid’s behavior but their weight and health, too. According to study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, that researched the role of media in childhood obesity, stated the obesity increased by 2% for every hours of television in adolescent’s ages 12 to 17. The advertisement of food and beverages present a very strong influence on the children. Most of the products being advert...
Hype words like ‘epidemic’ have been used to stress the relevance of obesity in today’s generation. The situation has been mainly accredited to poor parenting as well as the accessibility of high sugar and low quality food in developmental stages. However, this issue is not limited to cost and upbringing. It is crucial for parents to be aware of the media that exists encouraging children to partake in challenges similar to what is seen on Man v. Food.
Over the last 30 years, overweight and obesity prevalence has stirred up in Australia. The condition is not just bound among men and women but child obesity cases are rising too. The factors influencing the rise in the condition are unhealthy food habits & lifestyle, rise in fast food junctions, socioeconomic status, education, race/ethnicity, and inherited hunger gene, lack of exercise and immigrant population. Data from Australian Bureau of Statistics (based on self-reported height and weight) from the 2011–12 Australian Health Survey to calculate BMI reported nearly 63% of Australian adults are overweight or obese (1), which was 61% in the year 2007-08 (2). This means 2 out of 3 were obese or overweight. Former chair of the National Preventative Health Taskforce, Professor Rob Moodie has stated that obesity rates in Australia will dramatically worsen as other health priority
North American society is one that exploits people’s fears. When people are afraid, there is a desire to place blame on someone or something; to project our problems on to a issue so that we feel less responsibility. Modern media has found an easy scapegoat for this in the form of video games. Being a billion dollar industry that targets young people, video games naturally became the target of many news stories promoting fear and hostility to the gaming industry. News organizations, looking to capitalize on fear, realize that fear brings viewers, and may be too hasty in their reports against gaming. Because these for-profit companies often focus on violence, crude language and the impression that this will have on the children, it is easy to forget the good things that video games have to offer. I am by no means suggesting that parents should start exposing their children to sources of entertainment that they don’t see fit consumption, but rather to a closer look at the positives that gaming and technology has brought to medical fields such as
Overweight and obesity problem is becoming more and more serious in Australia. Not only Australians but also the world’s problem obesity is studied as one of the main causes of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and some cancers and sleep apnoea as well as other serious conditions, which put national economies and individual lives at risk. Obesity is also regarded as epidemic. Obesity is caused by a calorific imbalance between diet intake and consumed calories. Obesity has become the biggest threat to Public Health in Australia shown by Australia Bureau of Statistics (2013). Also, the prevalence of obesity is predicted as the ratio of obesity in adults and children will be doubled by 2025 (Backholer et al.2012). It is believed that this phenomenon is happening due to many social determinants of health, which have a strong negative impact on not only individuals but also society and economy. (Wilkinson and Marmot 2003) The social determinants of health are explained as conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age by WHO (Wilkinson & Marmot 2013). Different circumstances can be formed depending on their finance, power and global resources. These social determinants seem to be responsible for health inequities, which seem to be unfair and avoidable. Social determinants of health including social gradient, high calorie food intake, excessive amounts of stress and poor early life care are the relevant factors to contribute to be or being obesity. It is important to understand that the correlation of social determinants of health and obesity to manage the health problems and enhance public’s health.
With the expansion in technology, children are hastily becoming more and more inactive. In the past century, kids would play outside from sunrise to sunset. Little did they realize, that playtime served as great daily exercise. Physical activity is a key necessity in keeping a healthy lifestyle. With the advancement of technology and the growing popularity of video games and television, fewer children are getting exercise. Stationary activities, such as video games and watching T.V., are keeping children inside and away from exercise. To blame just the kids for this lack of exercise would be wrong. The parents are the ones responsible for giving the children these games, but that is not all bad. Where it does turn bad however, is when the kids are given these games or televisions without a time restraint. Through research, they have found that 26% of children watch television for more than four hours a day. In efforts to encourage outside playtime for kids, Nickelodeon shut down programming daily from noon to 3pm. This seemed to be a great idea, but does it really help? Children are in school session Monday through Friday from 8am 3pm. The time Nickelodeon chose to go dark is the same time child...
Strasburger, Victor C., Amy B. Jordan, and Ed Donnerstein. "Health Effects of Media on Children and Adolescents." Pediatrics 125.4 (2010): 756-67. Ebsco. Web. 26 Jan. 2011.
The dramatic and widespread problem of obesity has been deemed an epidemic by various health organizations. Obesity and numerous other diseases can and do occur in a large number of the Australian population and affects men and women, children and various people from different social and cultural backgrounds. The spike of obesity in the Australian population can lead to countless health issues including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (increases the chance of a stroke), various types of cancers, musculoskeletal problems, respiratory problems. Aboriginal Australians are a high risk of developing obesity. This essay will explore this issue through a range of geographical and socioeconomic perspectives. Recommendations will be made to
Physical inactivity not only contributes to some of the most deadly health problems in America, but also costs approximately 24 billion dollars annually in direct medical costs (UHF 2013). The American Heart Association (AHA) says that obesity associated with physical inactivity costs American companies as much as 225 billion dollars annually in health related productivity losses (2013). The average health care cost per individual in approximately 3,000 dollars annually. An obese person costs employers an additional $460-$2,500 dollars in sick days and medical costs per year (AHA 2013). The numerous health problems along with the increased medical expenses associated with physical inactivity should cause concern for public health officials, and should be addressed immediately.
Obesity occurs in all countries and it is one of the gravest problems in modern society. Obesity problems have become one matter of concern for individuals all around the world. What is more is that Obesity rates continue to rise all around the world. One of the chief causes is unhealthy diets. Obesity is also due to lack of exercise and lack of education and awareness. Therefore obesity has various effects including the risk of suffering from a range of health conditions, increased expenditure on health care and lack of self-esteem.
prevalence’s among developed countries, with over 12 million, out of an approximate 23 million, Australians either overweight or obese (Colagiuri et al, 2010; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), 2013; Crockett, 2014). The number of obese Australians has risen significantly over the past 25 years and is continuing to grow (Walls et al, 2012; Hawley, Dunstan & Travis, 2008). The predominance of obesity within Australia can be attributed to lifestyle behaviours and environmental factors, including sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, geographic location and socioeconomic status (Hawley et al, 2008; Australian Bureau of Statistics a, (ABS a), 2011). Obesity is an important health issue in Australia creating a major burden on health-care, society and the government due to financial costs, both direct and indirect, and the incidence of chronic diseases associated with excess weight (Walls et al, 2012; Colagiuri et al, 2010; ABS a, 2013). The threats that the rising rate of obesity is posing on our nation are what is making obesity the principal health issue in Australia at this current point in time.