The obesity crisis in America, now referred to as “a worldwide epidemic” is on a scale incomparable to that of any other disease with an estimated death toll of “approximately 280,000 … subjects and 325,000.” One of the principle issues with this epidemic is the fact that that the illness and the consequent symptoms and deaths caused by the disease have not significantly improved over the years. An idea that is clearly visible when looking back at early newspaper articles that state that “Obesity on rise in U.S., may kill nearly 300,000 annually” and then to compare it to far more modern articles express that that obesity is at “the highest rate the country has ever seen” it is clear to see that the obesity epidemic shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. …show more content…
However, it is important to note that there are many people who disagree with me and believe that television is an “educational tool” and although I do agree with this statement to an extent, I believe that if stricter guidelines were to be put on television and advertising, guidelines similar to that of the guidelines that have been reinforced on alcohol and smoking, then the obesity crisis may not be as big of a problem as it is today. This dissertation will explore they extent to which television and advertising has fuelled obesity in children aged 5-17 years old in the United States. By looking at a vast range of sources, this dissertation will examine the idea that both television itself, the adverts produced within television and other contributing factors such as online adverts and videogames have had a substantial impact of weight gain and obesity among