When people think of America they think of three things: Freedom, McDonalds, and Obesity. David Zinczenko and Radley Balko both write about the obesity crisis in America taking opposite sides of the argument. Zinczenko’s essay, “Don’t Blame the Eater”, argues that the government should take steps to help fight obesity while Balko’s essay, “What you eat is your business”, explains that obesity is a personal choice that the government does not need to concern itself with. Associated topics they write about are the issues of personal and public health concerns, government spending and legislation, label legislation, health insurance prices, lack of healthy options, and advertising to children. Both essays have raised my awareness of the health crisis and what should and should not be done. In my opinion people need to take responsibility for their health and should not want the government to legislate the food industry or intervene in healthcare. The health of each person is a private matter despite the fact that well-being, shape, and condition have increasingly been deemed matters of “public health”, instead of matters of personal responsibility. This trend has pushed health care into the public sector (Balko 396). The choices a person makes about the food they eat or the care they invest in their body is not a concern that resides in the public domain. Government concerns should be focused on global events, like the world wide military fighting and terrorism or the failing economy, not the growing average waistband size. Balko explains, “The best way to alleviate the obesity “public health” crisis is to remove obesity from the realm of public health because it doesn’t belong there anyway” (Balko 396). W... ... middle of paper ... ...esity crisis. Their arguments encompassed everything from government legislation to the evil of advertising to children. Even though their topics are strongly related, they could not have expressed more drastically different positions. Zinczenko believes that the government should step in to “help”, while Balko believes that this matter should stay private. I believe that people must take responsibility for their health and should not rely to the government to force change on the food industry or intervene in healthcare. Works Cited Balko, Radley. “What You Eat is Your Business.” They Say/I Say. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W.Norton & Company, 2012. 395-398. Print Zinczenko, David. “Don’t Blame the Eater.” They Say/I Say. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W.Norton & Company, 2012. 391-393. Print
position statement that obesity should be considered as a disease. Overweight and obese adults are considered at risk for developing diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension, high blood cholesterol, coronary heart disease, and certain type of cancers. An average of 300,000 deaths is associated with obesity and the total economic cost of obesity in U.S. was about $ 117 billion in 2000. As health care professionals it is our responsibility to increase public awareness of health consequences of
This essay will discuss obesity in America and the statistical data found surrounding the subject. This is an interesting and personal topic and something very interesting to learn about. The essay will cover different vantage points of obesity including obesity’s relationship to poverty in the U.S., parents’ fight for more physical activity in schools to combat childhood obesity, statistical data about America’s obese population and even a spurious correlation between obesity and sleep duration in
Imagine reducing something severe like obesity by taxing a simple coke. That would mean saving a life for a few more cents. People would be more aware with the large amount they consume into their body. Taxing sugary drinks can help reduce the average obesity percentage. The fact that obesity and diabetes are the most expensive diseases to treat, raising the taxes can raise revenue and decrease consumption. Scientific studies have
childhood obesity. Although parents are not paying much attention to their children gaining excessive amounts of weight, it is a serious matter because it leads to illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and other health risks. Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States today, and it is only increasing because of the lack of awareness and the absence of a health plan for children that will interest them and allow them to have fun while staying healthy. Childhood obesity has become
area known as Cherokee County, South Carolina covers 392.66 square miles of land (U.S. Census Bureau, 2016). Cities and towns within Cherokee County include Gaffney, which is the county seat and Blacksburg. Data obtained from City-Data.com (2012) reveals Cherokee County is 61% rural and 39% urban. Population estimates given July 1, 2015 list the population at 56,194 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2016). According to the U.S. Census (2016) the demographics of Cherokee County reveal the following: 6.3% of
pandemic, it remains one of the top serious challenges to global public health. Awareness
someone close to you who is affected by obesity? Most likely, that answer is yes. Obesity is a major common problem that America and countries all over the world face in today's society. Studies show that 33% of adults and 17% of children are affected by obesity in the U.S. (Scinta). This goes to show that anyone can be troubled with the issue. That's three of out of every ten adults and a little more than one out of every seven children that face obesity. It is a serious issue that could potentially
Obesity has been identified as one of the risk factors affecting directly and indirectly the health outcome of the population. Even though many approaches and programs have been conducted in order to reduce the obesity rate, this health issue is still a big headache and keeps being put on the table. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overweight and obesity rate have been increasing significantly in the past two decades in the United States with more than 35.7% of adults
1. Introduction.- What does it mean to be obese? When people eat more calories than they burn off, their bodies store the extra calories as fat. 2. Obesity dramatically increased in the 70’s due to a number of factors. After World War 2, lawmakers, big business and labor leaders, along with many ordinary Americans put mass consumption at the center of their plans for a successful post-war nation. The availability of frozen dinners and a variety and surplus of different foods skyrocketed. In 1977
Public Health Problem Obesity in the US has become a critical Public Health issue that has raised concerns throughout the nation. An estimate 97 million adults and 12.5 million children in America are obese, causing more than 160,000 “excess” deaths a year (CDC). Obesity is defined as a medical condition where there persists a high excess of body fat, enough to cause serious health issues. Through a biological view, obesity is an energy balance problem. Extra energy is stored as body fat when the
In recent discussions of obesity, one controversial issue has been if the medical condition is a disease that needs treatment or if people themselves are the cause because of poor lifestyle choices. On the one hand, many organizations including the AMA (American Medical Association) argue that obesity is a disease and people diagnosed with it should be treated by doctors and prescribed medicine. On the other hand, many people argue that obesity shouldn’t be considered an illness because they say
Name: Samara Tyus Date: 11/19/15 Hour: 4th I don't think our school lunch is healthy because it has fat and too much sodium. Although it is good it is fattening it is the reason for much of the obesity in the U.S. Many kids have no other option to eat the unhealthy school lunches or they will be hungry. A child who eats too much fat, sugar, sodium or processed food and too few vitamins and minerals is likely to develop a higher risk of several chronic health problems. These might include diabetes
childhood obesity. The difference between overweight and obese people is that being overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or a combination of these factors while being obese is defined as having excess body fat. Childhood obesity isn't just a public health issue, it's a social justice issue. The treatment and prevention of childhood obesity are considered the responsibility of individual children and their parents. Obesity is hard
also suggests sleep to prevent obesity, she explains that studies have suggested that children who sleep less are in risk of obesity. This suggest that kids don’t really have a formal bed time which doesn’t seem important but is a very important aspect of health lifestyle because if you are asleep then you wont eat and the less sleep you get the less active you will be during the day. Another under looked aspect that might help with lifestyle change and preventing obesity in the future of the next generation
released in theaters summer of 2008, depicts a distant yet not entirely implausible future where mankind has abandoned a forlorn, stripped earth and where couch-dwelling human blobs sip liquid cupcakes from super-sized cups. The film astutely compares obesity with environmental collapse by playing off the straightforward correlation between the increase in girth of the average American and the diminution of our environment’s vitality. Thus pushing the idea that Western