Currently, obesity is considered the most significant problem in medicine since it is a chronic disease common among both adults and children. The World Health Organization has defined obesity and overweight as pathological or excessive fat accumulation that can negatively affect health and has declared this pathology a global epidemic. Thus, until recently, it was believed that the problem of obesity is relevant for countries with a high standard of living, but the number of children suffering from overweight and obesity is growing in low-income countries, especially among those living in urban settings (Luck-Sikorski et al. 3). The main problem is that human health and well-being become exclusively a public health issue, which leads to the lack of responsibility for one’s health. Some effects of this problem include human irresponsibility for their lives and health and the lack of motivation.
In Radley Balko’s essay What You Eat Is Your Business, the journalist argues that what people put into their bodies is their business and they are fully responsible for making healthy decisions. The widespread obesity epidemic can only be solved if people become more aware of their choices and take control of their health (Balko 360). He stresses the need for personal responsibility when it comes to food choices and insists that government does not interfere with consumer choices. Since human health and well-being becomes a public health issue, Balko says that America’s healthcare system is heading towards socialism (Balko 362). Politicians spend millions trying to ban snacks and sodas from public vending machines, raise funds for bike lanes and sidewalks, and sometimes go as far as offering a “fat tax” (Balko 363). Laws have been passed requiring some people to pay for other people’s health problems.
People are becoming less responsible for their health and more responsible for the health of everyone else. It is ridiculous that someone’s heart attack adds to the value of someone else’s bonuses. If the government pays for cholesterol medications, people lack any motivation for a healthy lifestyle. They lack incentives to put off the cheeseburger or any other unhealthy food (Balko 368). This points to the fact that the prices of all insurance premiums are the same, and the healthy eating initiative is virtually non-existent as there are no higher premiums for obese people. By removing obesity from public health issues and making unhealthy people pay their bills, people will learn to be more responsible and will make a big leap forward in tackling the rampant problem of obesity.
While it becomes nearly impossible for a government to stay away from health care, personal responsibility is paramount. Healthcare is currently a matter of government by law, but the choice of food is nobody’s business, except for the person who eats it. This is freedom of choice, in which each citizen must make their decisions. It is a difficult question whether the government should or should not take initiatives such as removing unhealthy food from vending machines in schools and using detailed food labels with calorie counts (Luck-Sikorski et al. 7). However, undoubtedly that such initiatives are a smarter use of the state budget and a more practical solution for the government than trying to preach healthy choices for millions of people in the country. Even if the government should regulate the fast food industry in the same way that it regulates tobacco companies, only the individual is responsible for his or her life.
Obesity is a complex issue and not a problem with one variable. The dramatic rise in the prevalence of obesity in the past 30 years is the result of cultural and environmental influences (Dixon 5). Many researchers associate a clear trend towards a decrease in the level of physical activity of the population with sedentary forms of work, rest, and entertainment, with a change in modes of movement and increasing urbanization. Therefore, every person should read and learn about better food choices and how to develop the best daily routine that includes as much energy as possible. It is important to eat healthy food because it is the way to improve health. At the same time, it is not necessary to refuse and put a taboo on some products (Dixon 8). Every citizen needs to do this only from his or her sincere desire. Informing, providing an accessible environment, and qualified medical care is the task of public health and the state. However, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, actively participating in the process of preventing diseases is an aspect of personal responsibility.
Increasing motivation to maintain a healthy lifestyle, physical education, and sports, as well as increasing a person’s responsibility for their health are the main solutions to the problem of obesity. This concept provides the stimulation of the conscious, purposeful work of the person to restore and develop vital resources and take responsibility for his or her health. A healthy lifestyle should not be the government’s issue but a natural need of a person. This does not mean that the government should not help people with obesity. Therefore, while what you eat is your business, it is tough to isolate obese people and not offer help. Joint efforts are where the solution to this complex problem lies. Actualization of the goal, behavioral modifications, creation of motivation, and a comfortable psychological environment are necessary conditions for the successful implementation of programs to reduce excess weight.
Works Cited
Balko, Radley. “What You Eat Is Your Business.” They Say/I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: With Readings, vol. 2, 2011, pp. 395-399.
Dixon, Beth. “Obesity and Responsibility.” The Oxford Handbook of Food Ethics, 2018.
Luck-Sikorski, C., S. G. Riedel-Heller, and J. C. Phelan. “Changing Attitudes Towards Obesity – Results from a Survey Experiment.” BMC Public Health, vol. 17, no. 1, 2017, pp 1-13.