Joel Colunga
Professor Hammett
ENGL-1302
7 May 2019
Obesity Epidemic
Introduction
Imagine yourself in a hospital
with heart problems and not being able to walk because your legs can’t handle
your weight. While you are in the hospital as an obese patient, not being able
to function like a normal and healthy person, not being able to experience the
rush of being on rollercoasters or any rides, and not being able to fit in a
car or even drive are things obesity does to people that are very overweight.
People who are unhealthy and obese or even overweight don’t get to experience
the same things as what a healthy person gets to experience. Would you want to
be a person who can’t walk on his own and has to stay in a bed for the
remainder of your life?
Obesity has been a damaging health issue in America and in
the world for many years. This epidemic
has caused heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, and even cancer which is a deathly
health issue to the world (“Adult Obesity Facts |
Overweight & Obesity | CDC” 1). This epidemic has affected many
Americans and the charts are still increasing for more and more people becoming
overweight. Being obese or overweight has made the people in the world or in
our country get more sick which will lead to a fall in the population if people
keep neglecting their health. If the “36.2% of its population having a body
mass index of over 30.0” (Dillinger) doesn’t take care of their health, then
America can be in more danger than it already is. America and other countries
need to watch their health and try to keep themselves healthy because it is
important for the people in our world to stay alive. If we keep having this
Obesity Epidemic take over, then there might not be another generation that
will carry on the human race.
History
The Obesity Epidemic can date back all the way to the 19th
century and still occur in present time which is the 21st century
(Komlos). Many researchers and evidence of obesity are mainly dated in the
1900s because that was the start of electronics and many foods were created in
that time. In the 19th century, many of the evidence found was from
military camps, which is said “For the 19thcentury, we have samples
from the West Point Military Academy...” (1). People started gaining more
weight after World War 1 and the obese percentage kept increasing as the time
went by. In the article “The Evolution of BMI Values of US Adults:
1882-1986", it states that the Body Mass Index increased, “a true surge in
BMI values took place among those born after the First World War”(1). In the
1900s, the evolution of foods and technology was starting to change how the
society ate and what activities they did during the day.
In the 20th century, specifically in 1947, the
Agriculture act was introduced to the society. This act was one of the first
policies “to support subsidies and encourage mass
production” (Highfield). The Agriculture Act was introduced in Europe at the
same time as postwar Baby Boom, and there was also a decline in breastfeeding
which caused babies to grow up without the benefits breastfeeding gives (1).
The babies also had an abundance of mass produced foods which allowed them to
keep eating. In 1954, the broadcasting of commercial television was presented
in many homes which affected the productivity level of many people (1). The
commercial television or television in general has made people stay in bed or
stay on their couch, and give them less motivation to be active and decreasing
work activity. Commercial television by the 1960’s, created “a reduction of
social and leisure pursuits, an increase in snack consumption and
availability...” (1). The commercials that appeared on television would
convince people to buy the advertised foods and make them keep buying these
products, which caused many people to gain extra weight. The appearance of fast food outlets was a
huge factor in what caused obesity (1). When some of the first fast foods were
created, such as McDonalds and White Castle, people would eat their food and
get hooked on it because of how good the fats and grease would taste. When
these fast food restaurants were created in the 1900s, cars were also being
created and it made it easy for people to grab a bite a McDonalds through the
drive-thru. The creation of fast food and automobiles were made at the right
time together; “The history of fast food in America runs
parallel to the invention of the car...”, which made it the perfect duo to work
together and increase obesity and overweight people (“The History of Fast Food
in America.” 1). There has been many causes for people to become overweight or
obese and there’s still till this day reasons for people to eat more than they
should.
Social Effects
The nationwide social effect of obesity
has wrecked medical costs, military recruitments, and indirect costs such as
productivity as a society. Medical costs are very high for obesity, “In 2008
dollars, these costs were estimated to be $147 billion..” (“Adult Obesity
Causes & Consequences | Overweight & Obesity | CDC.” 1). Obesity causes
many health problems and leads people having to get diagnostics, medications,
and treatment services which make all of these services add up to a high cost.
People also get procedures done to reduce fat and even get surgeries because of
heart diseases, cancer, or any health issue which could be excessively
expensive (“Obesity Consequences.” 1). The Armed Forces have specific body
weight and body fat people need to have to actually enlist into the military
(“Adult Obesity Causes & Consequences | Overweight & Obesity | CDC.”
1). Obesity has effected the nation greatly and has held back our national
defense from recruiting fit and healthy people which can be a risk to America
if a war would ever occur. According to surveys and data, “In 2007-2008, 5.7
million men and 16.5 million women who were eligible for military service
exceeded the Army’s enlistment standards for weight and body fat” (1). That’s a
huge amount of people who could’ve served and protected our nation, but due to
obesity our nation has standards that have to be met and followed in order to
have the best of the best. Indirect costs such as productivity has also been
affected due to obesity, and obese people have become more lazy and less
productive which leads to more people missing work or being less active at work
because of health issues (1). The nationwide productive cost can range from
$3.38 billion to $6.38 billion, and that can be from people being absent from
work (1). Obesity has cost the nation a good amount of money and it will
probably keep rising for a long time.
Another social effect is the
psychological state of an obese individual. Obesity changes how a person looks
and will seem different from others. Obese or overweight people are at a
disadvantage because of their physical appearance which is something that
determines how their social and work life turns out (“Obesity.” 1). Obesity can
make an individual seem different which will cause this individual to be
discriminated with hate and blamed of being lazy, weak, and slow (1). A person
who is obese can also go into depression from all of the negativity they
receive and being neglected which is not good for their health and emotional
conditions. Obesity has effected individual, nations, and our world greatly,
and it will continue to do so because obesity is still rising.
Examples
First example of obesity is a woman
named Madeleine, and she was someone who weighed 21 stones which is about 300
pounds (White). She was at the point to where she couldn’t climb stairs without
having a hard time, and felt sick everyday from the unhealthy issues (1). The
fat was so hard for her to carry and would make her breathe heavily after
making any kind of movement (1). After meeting her significant other, Evan, at
21 years old, that was when obesity was giving her a hard time in life (1). She
had a contraceptive injection that protected her from unwanted pregnancy, but
while it helped in protecting her it also made her gained 7 stones in 18 months
(1). She gained weight even when she tried diets because people’s negativity
and mockery towards her made her eat even more (1). She made herself believe
that she deserved being obese and was a failure in society (1). It took her
quite some time to get a job because of how she looked but that didn’t stop her
from trying (1). After dieting unsuccessfully for a couple months, she saw an
article about a gastric bypass operation and then remortgaged her home to be
able to pay for this life-saving operation (1). She lost 10 stones after the
operation and started to exercise more, and while she improved her body she
also gained more confidence (1). She then achieved a senior role at her work,
and today she is 38 and weighs 11 stone (1). She runs 15 miles a week and also
swims and rides, she now works hard to be someone who belongs in the society
(1). This information on the long and tough journey of a hard working woman was
taken from an article Madeleine wrote on the website The Guardian (1).
Another example is a black lady named
Melissa, and she was a woman who was overweight and was aware that people look
at her body first and not her actual self (“'OK, I'm Fat - and This Is How It
Feels'.” 1). She describes herself as a person with many stomachs, a big circle
as a face, and 46F breasts that keep her stomach warm (1). People have their
own thoughts of obese people like Melissa, and believe that they are lazy, fat,
and stupid (1). She feels bullied and ridiculed as a person who is very visible
and takes up a lot of space but is actually invisible to the society (1). She
believed that she is fat because she lacked control, lacked confidence, and
didn’t have love for herself (1). In her office, she has “shelves of beer,
wine, cider, porridge, snack bars, crisps, condiments and a second freezer”,
and this is happening because she is afraid of running out of food (1). Melissa
has heard that it’s easy to lose weight and that all you have to do is eat less
and exercise, but it’s more than that (1). It’s about motivation and
consistency, if you don’t have that then losing weight is just impossible (1).
Melissa changes her way of thinking by using her weight as someone who is strong
and looks herself in the mirror and believes she is beautiful they way she is
(1). She believes that normal is boring and that she wants to be the best of
herself (1). This information was taken from BBC News (1).
These examples of obesity show how hard
it can be to be obese and how much hate they receive for being who they are.
Obesity has impacted many people in the world and the examples is just a peek
of how millions of people could have lived their life.
Solutions
With many decades and centuries of obesity
roaming the world, there has been many solutions that were used and are still
being used to prevent and stop this obesity epidemic. America has tried many
solutions, and those solutions such as diets, exercise, and even surgery have
been used and used but the obesity epidemic keeps increasing (Lee). This is
mentioned, “The past several decades have seen a seemingly endless series of
proposed diets, exercise programs and contraptions that were supposed to help
everyone lose weight” (1). The most recommended solution is dieting because
what a person eats can change the nutrition the body receives (Martinac).
One solution that seemed to reduce
obesity was dieting, which is watching what you eat and eating healthier foods.
There has been several dieting programs that have different purposes and
different methods to do them. Some diets include fasting which means to eat
less meals and at a certain time, and that is a little bit bad for the body but
it still works to reduce obesity. There are many diets known as “...the Werewolf Diet, which entailed fasting
during certain phases of the moon... the Five Bite Diet, which told you to skip
breakfast and eat no more than five bites of food at lunch and five bites of
food at dinner,... the Sleeping Beauty diet, getting heavily sedated for
several days to "sleep off" weight and wake up thinner” (Lee). Diets
help people be nutritionally healthy and they also keep people from eating
“Fast food, soda, hot dogs and other high-calorie food products like potato
chips and sugary cereals” (Martinac). Doctors recommend diets because they
allow people to have healthy bodies which allows people to lose with weight
easier and faster (1). Michelle Obama changed the food in schools to more
healthy and nutritious food that allows students and kids to be healthy (1).
Being healthy can change how people feel and how productive they are.
Another solution is exercise or being
more productive like going outside, going to the gym, or taking a run around
the park. There are many workout videos and workout machines like the vibrating
belt and the shake weight, and those help burn calorie and fat (Lee). Being
more productive can help a person’s active level to be up and running, and also
lets people burn calories throughout the day. Including easy methods to
exercise throughout the day is good way to burn fat and calories, and some easy
methods are “taking the stairs instead of the elevator, using a push mower
instead of a power mower and parking the car at the far end of a store's lot to
get in more steps” (Martinac). People exercising is a good way to prevent
obesity and also reduce it because it allows people to burn fat and lose
weight.
Another solution is bariatric surgery
which is an operation where surgeons remove fat from the body and reduces a
person’s weight and body fat. Bariatric surgery has become a growing solution
for obese people because this surgery allows the most effective long term
solution for weight loss (Person). The bariatric surgery reduces the risks of
getting diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes (1). Surgery lets
people lose weight fast and reduce the obesity epidemic around the world.
Camus and Absurdity
Albert Camus was a writer that was
atheist, and believes that life is meaningless (Hendricks). Even though Camus
believed that there was no meaning to life, he still enjoyed “sunshine, women,
the beach, kissing, dancing, and good food” (1). Camus also didn’t believe in
religion or organizations, and wants people to face the absurdity of life with just
a smile (1). He believed that people shouldn’t create a meaning to life and
believed that people should have freedom (1).
Albert Camus’ beliefs would not relate
to obesity because his beliefs are that life should have no meaning and not be
created by the people, and obesity was created by the people and they have
created a meaning for obesity in the world. Obesity is just part of how life is
and how people treat their bodies. Camus would think that the obesity epidemic
is not the representation of freedom and equality because people that are obese
do not receive the same treatment as others. Obese people also do not feel free
in society because they feel that they’re trapped with fat and sicknesses.
Camus would not agree with the results because obesity keeps increasing which
means that people keep falling into a category separate from everyone else, and
Camus doesn’t believe inequality. He would love the fact that exercise is used
to for the obesity epidemic because he also was part of sports and loved playing.
Conclusion
It is important to pay attention to
obesity in our world because if we don’t then many people could die from
diseases and sickness. America and everyone else in the world should reduce
obesity by dieting and exercising, and make the people healthier and more fit.
If you don’t want to be stuck in a hospital bed and not be able to walk by
yourself then eat healthy, be more productive. If the obesity epidemic is not
prevented and reduced then many people would fall into the obese world, and instead
of saving people obesity will just kill us off one by one.
Works
Cited
“Adult
Obesity Facts | Overweight & Obesity | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html.
“Adult
Obesity Causes & Consequences | Overweight & Obesity | CDC.” Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/causes.html.
Dillinger,
Jessica. “The Most Obese Countries In The World.” World Atlas, Worldatlas, 2
Nov. 2015, www.worldatlas.com/articles/29-most-obese-countries-in-the-world.html.
Hendricks,
Scotty. “The Meaning of Life: Albert Camus on Faith, Suicide, and Absurdity.”
Big Think, Big Think, 5 Oct. 2018, bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/the-meaning-of-life-albert-camus-on-faith-suicide-and-absurdity.
Highfield,
Roger. “When DID We Start Getting Fat?” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 6
June 2007, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/3296662/When-DID-we-start-getting-fat.html.
Komlos,
John. “100 Years of US Obesity.” 100 Years of US Obesity | VOX, CEPR Policy
Portal, 31 Aug. 2010, voxeu.org/article/100-years-us-obesity.
Lee,
Bruce Y. “The One Thing To Do To Stop The Obesity Epidemic.” Forbes, Forbes
Magazine, 13 Oct. 2016, www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2016/10/12/the-one-thing-to-do-to-stop-the-obesity-epidemic/#15e3b5956046.
Martinac,
Paula. “Solutions for Obesity in America.” LIVESTRONG.COM, Leaf Group, www.livestrong.com/article/342134-solutions-for-obesity-in-america/.
“Obesity.”
Stanford Health Care (SHC) - Stanford Medical Center,
stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/healthy-living/obesity.html.
“Obesity
Consequences.” Obesity Prevention Source, 12 Apr. 2016, www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-consequences/.
“'OK,
I'm Fat - and This Is How It Feels'.” BBC News, BBC, 13 May 2018, www.bbc.com/news/stories-44087715.
Person.
“Bariatric Surgery: A Growing Solution for Obesity.” Nebraska Medicine,
Nebraska Medicine, 23 Feb. 2017,
www.nebraskamed.com/for-providers/bariatric-surgery-a-growing-solution-for-obesity.
“The
History of Fast Food in America.” AccuPOS, www.accupos.com/pos-articles/history-of-fast-food-in-america/.
White,
Madeleine. “Experience: Being Obese Made Me Feel like a Social Outcast.” The
Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 Mar. 2008, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/mar/01/healthandwellbeing.familyandrelationships.
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