Core idea: Obesity is usually unhealthy, and since there are numerous stakeholders for this issue, it should be addressed in the nearest future by increasing people’s awareness of possible consequences.
Several weeks ago, I saw a girl jogging in the morning. She was charming and tired, we waved at each other and smiled. But the next moment, a man passing by in a car shouted rather offensive words at her. He called her fat and shamed her for showing up on the street like this. Even though the girl indeed was not slim, this situation struck me to the core. In the twenty-first century, people must understand that they have no right to shame others for their weight. Obesity is a serious problem, as it is one of the leading causes of global deaths. However, insults and body shaming are not the way to deal with the situation. Instead, it is necessary to educate people and raise their awareness of the diverse causes of overweight. We also need to encourage those who decide to change their habits and lifestyle.
There are several main stakeholders for this issue. The public, consumers, policymakers, nutritional scientists, employers, and various industries are interested in the situation. Some of them unintentionally cause the issue, while others suffer from it. Also, several groups address the situation and solve the global obesity epidemic.
First, the public and consumers are those who may lack the necessary knowledge about overweight causes and consequences. Those of them who are not overweight or obese may not know the correct ways of dealing with those who are. Therefore, all representatives of the public and consumers are interested in increasing their awareness about obesity. They hope to reduce the chances that they, their children, or loved ones will develop this dangerous condition. Further, nutritional scientists aim to find the proper and effective solution. It will both help the world and bring them fame and recognition in academic fields.
Policymakers are another group of stakeholders interested in addressing obesity. Nowadays, the costs related to overweight issues are considered to be too high and unacceptable. The fact that people with excess weight are more likely to become tobacco users worsens the situation. Since tobacco use is another crucial problem, the public becomes concerned. Policymakers try to do their best to appear to be caring for and compassionate about the societies’ health. They propose laws and regulations aimed at eliminating and controlling political, genetic, economic, and sociological causes of overweight. It allows them to help the public and consumers and also reduce the costs spent on obese citizens.
As for employers, they are also rather interested in reducing the number of persons with excess weight. First of all, having healthy and physically strong workers is probably a dream of every employer, notwithstanding their market. The healthier the employees, the fewer sick leaves they have. It means that businesses’ productivity and performance are increased. Further, most employers are those who pay for their staff’s insurance, and obese workers have more chances of developing severe health conditions. Thus, business owners are interested in solving this global issue and reducing their costs.
To be clear, obese and overweight persons are not lazy. Many of them try to lose weight but do not have enough information about how to do that. In my opinion, this is the main challenge. I believe that most people stick to a bad diet, count calories incorrectly, and do not get enough exercise. They also significantly underestimate the effects of sleep schedule, genetics, and current health issues on their weight. Therefore, to reduce the rates of global obesity, we need to get educated about the situation. I find it is crucial to take proper steps without hurting our bodies even more.
When writing this opinion piece, I am trying to affect all stakeholders for this problem. A vast number of adults, teenagers, and children fall under the influence of advertising. They like fast food restaurants’ small prices and prefer processed meals over healthier ones. Hence, the public needs to learn about the importance of nutritious dieting. All the mentioned above groups are likely to unite and work with me to find the best way. We can make the public healthier. The alignment of their strong efforts, various competencies, and increased energy is vital. It is supposed to provide rapid progress in addressing the hazardous issue. However, certain beverage, food, and restaurant industries are likely to be against us. Since they make a lot of profit from overweight people, they may not want people to instill a culture of healthy eating in their kids and themselves. Obese persons generally eat more as their bodies require more calories due to being used to it. Therefore, it is beneficial for fast food restaurants not to lose such customers and even promote their obesity.