Introduction
Obesity has become a widespread problem in the United States, causing a considerable amount of concern in the public health sector. The current public health report on the prevalence of this lifestyle condition shows that 32.2 percent of men and 35.5 percent of women suffer from obesity (DeBono, Ross and Berrang-Ford 747). This prevalence raises a lot of concern because obesity underlies other serious health conditions, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, stroke, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus.
Furthermore, obesity compromises the quality of the sufferers’ lives such as the reduced socialization and segregation from socioeconomic opportunities. Similarly, the trend of obesity in childhood as a source of public health concern cannot be overlooked. According to Singh et al. (682), the rates of childhood obesity in the United States have increased threefolds over the past three decades. This is an issue of public health concern that needs to be addressed before it explodes.
This paper evaluates the position of two articles authored by Zinczenko and Balko respectively. In his article “Don’t Blame the Eater”, Zinczenko exonerates the public from the blame for the high prevalence rate of obesity in the United States. He argues that the public should not be restricted on their right to choice of food. The second author, Balko, wrote an article titled: “What you eat is your business”. He places the responsibility for the increased rate of obesity on the public’s irresponsible eating behaviors. While the increasing rate of obesity and the risks it poses to the public continues to dominate the media, it is not known precisely who takes the major blame for this trend. However, the USDA’s Food Stamp Program appears to be responsible for this crisis as it fails to develop and implement policies that limit access to fast foods as they are the primary cause of obesity.
The summary of “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko
This article written by David Zinczenko appeared in the New York Times magazine on November 3, 2002. The author has blamed the government’s slackness in implementing policies to regulate the fast food industry as the main cause of the high rates of obesity. Zinczenko has also pointed at a declined social system as the other cause of the rise in obesity. With regard to the latter cause, he reflects how he had a poor health choice while growing up in the mid-1980s: ”Lunch and dinner, for me, was a daily choice between McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut” (391).
The article has also outlined that the lack of harsh policies has encouraged eating junk food, as the ads on fast foods do not warn of the health consequences thereof. The ads do not also display the contents and caloric value of the products. As such, the article has blamed the government and public health stakeholders for the rising rate of obesity.
The summary of “What You Eat Is Your Business” by Radley Balko
The article, authored by Radley Balko, has opposed the existing measures to put obesity on hold, which are ineffective as argued in this article. This author describes these measures and indicates the reasons for their ineffectiveness as taking away a sense of responsibility for their health from the public. He stipulates that people should take responsibility for their own food choices. The politics-driven strategies focus on the vendors of food rather than the fact that a lot of taxpayers’ money has been channeled towards these initiatives, which Balko (396) views as misplaced. According to Balko, this approach to fighting obesity is wrong. Such a political strategy should be aimed at intervening in various food choices that American consumers have access to. In this case, the government should endeavor to ensure that consumers own and take responsibility for their individual health. However, as Balko has noted: “we’re doing just the opposite” (396).
This article highlights the need for citizens to take responsibility for their food choices as a way of reducing the rates of obesity in the US. It blames the high rates of obesity on the approach to defining it as a public issue, as opposed to an individual issue. This, according to Balko, “transforms the US into a nation where citizens are… becoming less responsible for [their] own health and more responsible for everyone else’s” (396). In the conclusion of the article, Balko notes that the most effective strategy to deal with the issue of obesity is to ensure that this public health crisis has been removed from “the realm of public health” (397).
My Opinion
In my opinion, individuals should be responsible for the increasing rates of obesity. Health is a right for every person and in this regard, I am inclined to agree with Balko that we need to take responsibility for our own health. Nevertheless, the government should ensure a level playing ground for both fast-food chains and healthy food vendors. This can be achieved by regulating advertisements for both fast foods and healthy foods. In addition, the nutritional information on fast foods should be vetted accurately and conform to the set laws.
Conclusion
The strategy to address obesity in the United States should be two-sided. On one hand, the government needs to increase tax on fast foods and soda so that these establishments can embrace healthy food choices. On the other hand, insurance rates for obese people should be raised so that they can take responsibility for their health.
References
Balko, Radley. “What You Eat is Your Business.” Reason 2004: 395-397. Print.
DeBono, Nathaniel L, Nancy A Ross and Lea Berrang-Ford. “Does the Food Stamp Program Cause Obesity? A Realist Review and a Call for Place-based Research.” Health & Place 18.3 (2012): 747-756. Print.
Singh, Gopal K, et al. “Racial/Ethnic, Socioeconomic, and Behavioral Determinants of Childhoodand Adolescent Obesity in the United States: Analyzing Independentand Joint Associations.” AEP 18.9 (2008): 682-695. Print.
Zinczenko, David. “Don’t Blame the Eater.” New York Times 2002: 391-393. Print.