In the developed world, the United States of America has a reputation of being not only a forward thinking nation, but also one which caters to the rights and needs of its citizens. However, the increasingly fast paced lifestyle of its citizens; along with an over abundance of cheap fatty foods has created a society which is morbidly obese. This problem is an epidemic, an epidemic which is growing at an alarming rate, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention the rate of obesity in adults has increased by 60% for the past twenty years and has tripled in children for the past thirty years.
According to these statistics 33% of Americans are now obese with more than 300,000 individuals dying every year from obesity related causes. This number is second only to tobacco. So the question becomes how did it come to this? One of the main culprits indentified is the American cultural preference towards fast foods and fast food restaurants in deference to healthier home cooked meals.
These fast food meals are made and sold cheaply due to their mass manufacture and processed nature. Their low cost has been supplemented by heavy advertisements, which are geared towards children eating these high sugar, high calorie meals. It’s these trends which are one of the main reasons for the ever increasing problem of obesity in the United States and the various diseases and complications associated with them (Healthy’s Inc). This topic will focus on a possible solution to the Obesity problem as well as providing alternate solutions.
In my opinion the preferred solution to the problem of obesity is parental intervention. The existence of fast food companies and other such companies which market their products have existed for years before this epidemic and due to their success will exist for years to come. My solution to the obesity problem is to manage obesity in adults, while taking preventative measures against obesity in children.
The first step to accomplishing this task is to work at a community level, starting programs which can not only educate children, but also the parents. Studies have shown that the incidence of obesity has increased with cultural shifts that have enabled women to work outside the home. Parental supervision is the first step in these plans, which necessitates that not only should these children receive education regarding the importance of good nutrition at home, but that there is also an insistence on proper diet and exercise on the part of the parents.
Society must realize that the future modeling of the eating habits of these children begins at home and that a healthy lifestyle with a healthy diet is essential to their proper growth and development. In order to accomplish this it is essential that these children are kept away from habitual eating at fast food restaurants and especially the habitual drinking of soda, which has become extremely pervasive in today’s society. It is far more important rather, that they return to the practice of having home cooked meals, with involved parents who will encourage their child by exercising with them (Swann).
This education can be supplemented by nutritional education gained at school. Children can learn concepts such as the food pyramid and its nutritional benefits. This education can be supplemented with quality physical education that has been overlooked in many schools today due to budgetary concerns.
It is important to understand that it is much more difficult to control obesity in adults rather than in children. The societal stigma of obesity, along with public perception and psychological difficulties related to self image, usually make it difficult for an individual to make a commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Thus, it is not prudent for the government to give funds to programs which are geared towards helping people free themselves of their weight issues.
The success rates of such programs are not only highly variable, but also have no guarantee of sustained weight loss. It is also prudent to mention that a percentage of overweight individuals have various psychological disorders that they have no control over and are quite difficult to treat. The low self esteem and self image issues of these individuals are continuously exacerbated by societal opinions of them. In order to combat this, it is important to take two steps. The first is to increase media coverage and subsequently public knowledge about the dangers of obesity and fatty foods that are so readily available in society.
The second is to manage a system of care for these individuals, which is not purely focused on them losing weight. Rather, it should be geared towards preventing eventualities that may occur as a result of this epidemic. While it is true that health care costs for obese individuals results in billions of dollars worth of hospital bills which are a huge strain on the American economy every year. However, it is also true that preventative measures, along with management of the current epidemic are a more prudent course of action to ensure that such costs decrease in the future.
There are two alternative solutions to this problem that may also be put into practice. The first is government regulation of the food industry. The recent trends employed by the food industry to market unhealthy products are responsible for a major part of this epidemic. The government can pass legislation which can regulate these foodstuffs to ensure that the food that is being served to the public is both healthy and nutritious. It can also limit the marketing of these products to children who are the main target audience for products such as cereals with high sugar content. Such intervention can ensure that the profiteering practices by fast food and soda companies are kept in check so that the obesity epidemic can be brought under control.
The problems associated with the implementation of such a solution are the same as in the case of government control over any industry. The first issue is directly related to the concept of the free market. Government intervention curtails the free market and in turn can severely impact a country’s economy in a negative way. Additionally, it must be taken into account that regulation of such foodstuffs would be against the wishes of the majority of the population.
While food companies may be providing fatty foods to its consumers, the record sales of these products show that there is a societal trend to buy these products. Government intervention would directly impact such trends and thus go against the wishes of its populace. As long as people keep buying these products, the food companies will keep making them. Recent changing trends promoting healthy eating practices along with documentaries such as “Supersize me” and “Food, Inc” has brought a cultural shift within American society that may support this form of legislation. The assumption that these companies are here to serve the public trust is slowly changing and may cause a major change in the type of products made and how they are marketed in the future.
The second alternative is funding towards obesity related cures, especially in the form of drugs. While it is true that the prospect and idea of creating drugs for the treatment of obesity is not new. Past researches into the development of such products have not been successful. However, there have been notable successes in other methods employed, such as that of gastric bypass surgery. The recent findings which show the existence of the obesity gene, along with advancements in medical technology, should allow the creation of a solution with long term potential.
The problem with such a solution lies in it long term efficiency. Questions of the efficacy of diet pills and weight loss instruments in the market have been pervasive for years. Questions regarding not only the effectiveness, but also the moral standing of any weight loss regimen released by the government will be raised and debated. It is also important to consider the long term risks and benefits of any product which is released into the market, will not be known to the general public for years. For example, the potential side effects of gastric bypass surgery have just now begun to come to light, more than ten years after its inception. There is an inherent assumption in society that obese people simply do not want to lose weight. While such considerations are of course untrue, they do give greater credence to this form of cure.
Due to their own personal perceptions however, different groups will always come up with different solutions to the obesity problem. Groups such as Overeaters Anonymous will always believe that group therapy is the more prudent course of action. While those offering drug therapies will always believe that genetics is the main cause of the problem. The true issue here is that the main cause behind obesity whether it is societal, genetic or merely psychological has simply not been found.
There is also the issue of personal bias which must be taken into consideration, both in the case of the individual who is obese and society as a whole. The assumptions held by obese people, can be related to either having insufficient will power to find solutions to their weight problem or that they are simply victims of poor genetics. While societal stigmas against obesity can range from assumptions that obese people have no self control to those that consider obesity a lifestyle choice for these people. No matter what the perception may be, there is no doubt of the harm such assumptions can cause to the self esteem of the millions of people suffering from obesity.
It must be taken into consideration that the attitudes of society towards obesity will not change for several years nor will this issue find its solution anytime soon. However, the solution of educating children and managing obesity health issues in adults can undoubtedly be seen to be the best long term answer to the problem at hand. Although, the persistent culture of society today is geared towards the manufacture of fast cures and immediate results.
The long term benefits and problems which are associated with using drugs or government intervention as a solution will always have further reaching consequences than we can imagine. With our societal bias regarding this condition growing at an astronomical rate due to various media and the ever increasing population suffering from this condition it is inevitable that this epidemic will not stop anytime soon. It is therefore up to us to create the opportunities which will shape a better future for these people.
List of References
Healthy’s Inc. Obesity in America. 2004. Web.
Swann, Lauren. Seeking solutions to obesity: issues surrounding obesity—from its causes to consumer and industry perspectives to possible solutions—were discussed at a recent conference. 2004. Web.