Course Project First Draft-Phyllis Young

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL SEDENTARY LIFESTYLES 1

Research Question

Is there health risks associated with sedentary lifestyles?

A sedentary lifestyle is defined to be ones way of living where there is no physical activity involved. According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), a normal person is expected to undergo at least 150 minutes of physical activity. There are also health experts that agree with the fact that when one walks for 10, 000 steps each day, there is high stake of improving one’s health and reducing ailments associated with lack of physical exercise such as heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, cancer, gout, and muscle loss. Many people have no time for physical activity and this has contributed to the number of ailments that people are suffering. Through studies conducted, it is evident that people who do not engage in physical activity are at a higher risk of contracting health disorders than those who engage in physical activity (Wing, et al. 2001). Nevertheless, many have argued that lack of physical activity is not the only contributor to increasing health disorders. Poor diet due to the junk foods can also contribute to health disorders.

When we consider the fact that many people do not engage in physical activity, there is high stake that these people will not live healthily due to the fact that the body needs some exercise in order to remain fit. When we consider the issue of diet, it is important to note that the food we eat nowadays is not healthy, from the junk foods to the genetically modified food. Nonetheless, we cannot misjudge diet to be the cause of health disorders. According to studies conducted, almost all people are now into junk foods and so long as people engage in physical activity, they are bound to live a healthy lifestyle.

Context

The topic on sedentary lifestyle is very important because of the choices we make in life today. The lifestyle we choose today could affect our life tomorrow. It is true that there are risks involved with living a sedentary lifestyle considering the fact that the food we take today is not healthy. The food has lots of calories and this is why it becomes important to reduce the calories in the body through physical activity. The consequences and effects of human behavior on life expectancy and mortality had been significant but because of recent changes in human behaviors there have been shocking news on the prevalence and increase of cases of health disorders (Wing, et al. 2001). The main human behaviors that are contributing to this increase involve the mix and amount of food taken by individuals and the amount of physical activities they are engaged in. Although it can be logical to directly identify the short-term and long-term effects of these human behaviors, it would be less useful and it is better to understand how behavioral effects combine together to cause the disorders.

The reason I have chosen to write about this topic is because I have seen people near me i.e. relatives and friends suffer from health disorders associated with sedentary lifestyles. People have chosen to drive to and from their offices without considering the dangers they are engaging their bodies into. Kids have also chosen to eat junk foods and take the whole day glued on television screens while others spend most of their time on social media sites. It is important to educate people the importance of choosing healthy lifestyles. Lots of health disorders can be reduced if people were to be considerate and choose healthy lifestyles where they have to eat smart and engage in physical activity.

Audience

The primary audience for this information is the youth i.e. those aged between 16 and 35 years. The youth are at a higher risk of contracting health disorders if they choose to live sedentary lifestyles. The reason why I chose the youth as my primary audience is because most of them are not engaging in physical activity and are using their free time on social media sites, watching television and movies and other social activities such as drinking and night-outs. It is important for the youth to understand the importance of physical activity.

Most people can bear witness that the food we take nowadays is not healthy and therefore there is need for physical activity. The youth can also bear witness that they are not engaging in enough physical activity to keep their bodies fit.

Evidence

According to studies conducted it is evident that there are lots of risks associated with sedentary lifestyles. According to data obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to examine the increased cases of health disorders. According to the study, human behaviors contributed to rising cases of health disorders because of the choices people made in life. This was attributed to the choices people have in their daily engagements, i.e. food intake and physical activities. It was noted that many people eat food that has more calories and they do not engage their bodies into physical activities (Mokdad, et al. 2003). Many people have turned to junk foods that have high cholesterol levels. The choice to junk foods with reduced exercises has led to the increase of cholesterol levels in the body. There are different health disorders such as heart diseases that are also connected to sedentary lifestyles.

The study indicated that with the correct choice of human behaviors, rising cases of health disorders would be reduced by engaging in healthy eating and engaging more in physical activities. The study by (Mokdad, et al. 2003) revealed that body disorders brought about by human behaviors can be reduced when individuals are ready to change their lifestyles. This can be done if they get more involved in physical activities and improve the diet they take. This would help in reducing the body weight and thus reduction in obesity risks. To be able to reduce weight, individuals have to eat food with fewer calories and engage in more physical activities such as sports, riding, walking, etc (Mokdad, et al. 2003).

Conclusion

Considering the fact that the choices we make have will have consequences, it would be important for us to make the right choices in terms of living healthy lifestyles. A healthy lifestyle includes eating food with less calories and engaging in physical activities. The rate of health disorders in the society can be reduced today if people were to shun sedentary lifestyles. The health of an individual is important since it helps in developing the economy of the country (Wing, et al. 2001). Billions of shillings are spent by the government to fight health disorders that can be eradicated if people would seriously engage in physical activities. it is therefore important to conclude that sedentary lifestyles fetch many risks to the health of individuals and should therefore be avoided.

References

Mokdad, A. H., Ford, E. S., Bowman, B. A., Dietz, W. H., Vinicor, F., Bales, V. S., & Marks, J. S. (2003). Prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and obesity-related health risk factors,. Jama, 289(1), 76-79.

Wing, R. R., Goldstein, M. G., Acton, K. J., Birch, L. L., Jakicic, J. M., Sallis, J. F., ... & Surwit, R. S. (2001). Behavioral science research in diabetes lifestyle changes related to obesity, eating behavior, and physical activity. Diabetes care, 24(1), 117-123.