Obesity is a very common disease in the United States today, around which there are many misconceptions, and the level of public awareness on this issue is low. Reflecting on a speech about current obesity issues helped me to achieve my goals of understanding the seriousness of this issue and clearing up some misconceptions about the topic. First, I learned how obesity differs from being overweight and what health consequences it can cause. Secondly, the paper convinced me that research on any topic should only rely on trusted sources of information that have a factual basis.
People often confuse obesity with being overweight and therefore are less likely to go to the doctor with this problem. This misconception is largely caused by the mass media, which provides false information. Ordinary people often do not verify information but trust what they learn from the media. However, the paper showed why it is important to trust only evidence-based research, especially regarding health issues. Therefore, I improved my fact-checking skills and became more selective about the information I received.
Moreover, I improved my knowledge about obesity’s negative impact on health and a person’s predisposition to various diseases. According to the World Health Organization (2021), obesity causes diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, and some types of cancer. The sooner people realize the problem of obesity, the sooner they will seek help and be able to prevent the occurrence of complications. Furthermore, I improved my knowledge about precautions, such as diet and regular exercise, to help avoid obesity. The basic information about this disease, its signs, and its consequences contributes to more global goals, such as increasing people’s attention to their physical condition and raising public health.
Thus, the artifact helped me achieve my goals of reducing the misconceptions about obesity and overweight and understanding the problem of obesity and its consequences. Furthermore, information disseminated in the media can often be untrue, so it is necessary to obtain data from reliable sources based on facts. Moreover, the paper demonstrated the need to seek qualified help from doctors in time and take preventive measures to prevent negative consequences for health. In the future, I would like to explore this topic in more detail to help raise public awareness about the problems of obesity.
Reference
World Health Organization. (2021). Obesity and overweight. Web.