essay

Zia 2

Aamna Zia

Professor Hunt

English 1B

October 26, 2018

Obesity

Obesity in America is a major health issue that leads to numerous life-threatening diseases. The consumption of unhealthy foods combined with the severe lack of proper physical activity are a few reasons as to why Americans are some of the most obese people in the world. Fast-food industries also play a heavy hand in the issue of obesity. Millions of Americans are easily influenced by television commercials and social media advertisements of million-dollar companies such as McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King, and more. Obesity is a disease that millions of people die from every year as it causes diabetes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and stroke. Obesity continues to prevail because Americans continue to consume unhealthy foods, persistently over eat, and participate in little physical activity.

To begin with, one of the main causes of obesity in America today is the consumption of fast foods. Americans eat pizza, cheese burgers, French fries, tacos, and drink Coca-Cola almost every day which leads them to be on the path of obesity. Most of these fast food places contain a large amount of fats, sugar, and carbs which all increase weight much faster than healthier foods. Several Americans choose to go to fast foods because it is convenient and cheap. People can always find fast food restaurants near their homes or have the option of it being delivered to wherever they are. Fast food restaurants are much more convenient because it’s a lot more work making food at home using healthier ingredients. Obesity is a problem worldwide, but more than half of the people live in America. Obesity has many health risks such as diabetes which root from fast foods. An increasing amount of people are developing type 2 diabetes as it occurs when the body becomes insulin resistant which is very closely linked to obesity. Television advertisements are a major influence on individuals today. When children and teens watch television programs they are exposed to several different advertisements related to food and beverages. Most food and beverages that are exposed to people through advertisements are products that are high in fat and sugar. “About 40% of all the food and beverage ads children and teens see on TV are for snacks, and there's a growing amount of snack advertising on social media and mobile phone apps” (Carina Storrs). These snacks include candy, chocolate, chips, and cookies. The World Health Organization states that “television advertisements influence children’s food preferences, purchase requests, and consumption patterns.” (WHO). Banning television ads promoting junk food can greatly help reduce obesity rates. This can be possible with government intervention to put a stop to unhealthy food advertisements. For example, tobacco companies used to advertise on television and radios to recommend their products that we no longer see today. The Food and Drug Administration helped regulate tobacco products and marketing practices. With the help of our government we can regulate fast food advertisements as well to reduce the rates of obesity.

Additionally, overeating has a significant impact on obesity in America. Overeating can become a comforting mechanism and a daily pattern. For instance, several people overeat when they get stressed out which results in them eating unhealthy snacks such as chocolate bars, candy, chips and cookies. There are very serious medical issues that need to be addressed regarding obesity such as high cholesterol, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and potentially death. “Today, 2.1 billion people – nearly 30% of the world’s population – are either obese or overweight” (Murray). Overeating is an eating disorder which is where an individual is addicted to food that leads to binge eating. People who suffer from this disorder continue eating even after they are extremely full. Binge eating leads to many health risks and can even lead to depression. In order to put an end to this, parents need to control what their kids eat and how much they are eating. Many parents choose to buy unhealthy products because they are too lazy to cook healthy foods at home. Some parents make it seem like that they don’t have a choice over the foods their kids eat or how much they are eating because their children demand it or because they can not say “no”. Children are always watching television, playing video games, or on their phones for hours just eating unhealthy snacks. Parental control needs to be put in action because overeating is one of the leading causes of obesity. Overeating is one of the main contributing factors to obesity which is a major pubic health concern.

Obesity is continuing to grow at a phenomenal rate in the United States and one of the causes is the lack of physical activity people do. Obesity is cause by eating too much and not moving enough. If a person does not burn off the energy they are eating through exercise and physical activity, then the extra energy will be turned into fat. Lack of physical activity is the leading cause of obesity in individuals. People have increased in inactive activities and decreased involvement in physical activities. Instead of simply taking a walk or eating healthier foods, people choose to watch television for hours and eat potato chips. “On average, American adults are watching five hours and four minutes of television per day” (Koblin). The lack of physical activity obviously leads to obesity and needs to be addressed to everyone. Keeping active can help people maintain a healthy weight and even lose weight. It lowers the risks of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and many more health issues. People on average need to get at least an hour of physical activity per day in order to maintain a healthy weight.

Obesity in America continues to grow at an alarming rate which is causing serious health issues. This problem has become more common as society today is all about consuming unhealthy fast foods, overeating, and lack of physical activity.

Works Cited

Koblin, John. “How Much Do We Love TV? Let Us Count the Ways.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 June 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/business/media/nielsen-survey-media-viewing.html.

Murray, Christopher J.L. “Nearly One-Third of the World's Population Is Obese or Overweight, New Data Show.” Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 9 Oct. 2015, www.healthdata.org/news-release/nearly-one-third-world%E2%80%99s-population obese-or-overweight-new-data-show.

Storrs, Carina. “Kids Seeing More Unhealthy Snack Ads, Report Says.” CNN, Cable News Network, 2 Nov. 2015, www.cnn.com/2015/11/02/health/children-snack-food advertising/index.html.

“Restrictions of Food Marketing and Advertisements Aimed at Children.” Food Directions, 6 Feb. 2017, fooddirectionsllc.com/2017/02/06/restrictions-of-food-marketing-and advertisements-aimed-at-children/.