Erik Arndt
Prof. Brown
English 1B
April 17, 2013
Obesity:
Jumbo sizing America
Obesity. Just let the word sink in. We have all heard
about the growing epidemic that the developed world is facing, and yet we have
done little to stop it. These problems aren't yours, they're for someone else
to worry about, or are they? Just look around and notice if this disease has spread
into your daily life. Perhaps some friends or coworkers have put a little
weight on, maybe your kids are a little huskier than you remember, or maybe
even you have gained some extra weight? To beat the evil of obesity you must
first know what that evil is "Obesity
is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) above 30. Overweight means a BMI
of 25 to 29.9. BMI is calculated by taking weight in pounds and dividing it by
the square of height in inches, and multiplying the result by 703."(
Landau). Do you or a loved one fit into this category? Seeing the definition
helps to understand how people (even yourself) can be classified or thought of
as obese. Many people have slowly become obese over the years and more and more
are joining the ranks overtime. This is because people are changing their
habits, basically people are eating unhealthy food and living sedentary lives.
People need to reform their daily lives and be healthier/ more active if they
want to save themselves from high costs of medical bills and help our children
live healthier lives.
The cost of obesity is more than
just you or someone being overweight. People need to look to the future cost of
what it is to be obese. "Between 2010 and 2020, new cases of Type 2
diabetes could increase tenfold; so could stroke, coronary heart disease,
hypertension and arthritis. The number of cases could double again by
2030..." (Begley). People who are already prone to heart dieses and other
genetic or family dieses should pay more attention to this information. The
simple cost of your own medical bills should make you realize that being obese
is not cheap and the dieses mentioned before were not only expensive but also
could lead to your death. These reasons are truly important and relevant to our
children's lives. "But there is hope, if adults across America would
reduce their body mass index, the report said. If the average body mass index
were lowered by 5% by 2030, states could save billions of dollars while helping
many people. That's the equivalent of a 200-pound, 6-foot-tall person losing 10
pounds." (Landau). See hope and knowing how to beat obesity can happen, we
just need to take some baby steps first. The biggest Issue of obesity is
children. So many children are overweight and more are sure to follow. Parents
are not enforcing their children to eat well, play outside or even exercising
at all. How do people not see that children are the future (literally) and that
they need to be educated on how to live a healthy life. "A successful
approach to reducing obesity and its comorbidities must also embrace
understanding of community-level factors including the social, built, and
natural environments. These environmental influences interact with a child's
diet, physical activity, genetic makeup, and metabolism..." ( Brogan and
Partners).
Most people will say
that obesity is a problem but it's not my problem. Well it may not be your
problem now but it might be in a few years or even to someone who is close to
you. Well obesity is a rising problem but it's a problem we can get ahead of,
we just need to take the reins and slow it down. Well People should just buy
better foods and stop eating out. Well that would be one big step in helping to
reduce obesity but money can become an issue. People can and do live off fast
food and because it is so cheap people can spend less than going to a
supermarket and buying healthy food. What about working out? I go to the gym
everyday and I'm not obese, why can't people do that too? Well not everyone
wants to go the gym. Also people can not always afford to go to the gym. This
also brings up how people who can afford to go to the gym but don't know how to
work out but cant afford a personal trainer to teach them how to work out
correctly. We can sit here all day and poke holes in why obesity exists but the
real argument is people need to change, Change is scary and people don't like
scary. So why would we want change then? Well look at the facts and just see if
change is scarier than the really awful realities of obesity.
To sum it all up for
you, obesity is a growing problem and it will lead to higher costs to both you
and your family, and this will affect your children's future and may lead to even bigger issues.
The big picture to look at is what will this epidemic bring about? Will this
affect me or to someone who I love? Or will this growing problem really make it
impossible to have medical care in the future simply because all the medical
practices will be busy with all the obese people? Basically look at how will
the this epidemic will affect our country as a whole. Will we have a population
of people to weak to defend ourselves? Will we be too fat to get out of bed and
even clothe ourselves? If that is the case then who will take care of the new
generation or will there even be a new generation to be taken care of?
Citation
Begley, Sharon.
"Fat and Getting Fatter: U.S. Obesity Rates to Soar by 2030." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 18
Sept. 2012. Web. 17 Apr. 2013. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/18/us-obesity-us-idUSBRE88H0RA20120918
Environment and Obesity
in the National Children's Study
Leonardo Trasande, Chris
Cronk, Maureen Durkin, Marianne Weiss, Dale A. Schoeller, Elizabeth A. Gall,
Jeanne B. Hewitt, Aaron L. Carrel, Philip J. Landrigan and Matthew W. Gillman
Environmental Health
Perspectives , Vol. 117, No. 2
(Feb., 2009), pp. 159-166
Article Stable URL:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/25434919
Landau, Elizabeth.
"Health Care Costs to Bulge along with U.S. Waistlines." CNN. Cable News Network, 01
Jan. 1970. Web. 17 Apr. 2013http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/18/health/us-obesity.
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