Obesity Epidemical Analysis

“The Obesity Epidemic in the United States”, is a scholar journal that was published in 2004 by Allison C. Morrill and Christopher D. Chinn to address the causes and consequences of this emergent epidemic of obesity, which has only recently been recognized. Emphasizing the severe effects of being obese and how rapidly this prevailing issue is spreading, the authors urge their audience to take action in preventing obesity for themselves and the people around them. The two authors of this scholarly journal use several statistics, factual information, and in-depth tables to thoroughly cover the causes and effects of the obesity epidemic throughout the United States, but the lack of ethos takes away from the effectiveness of the article. The

Acknowledging that this new epidemic does not discriminate against anybody, is an appeal to pathos, stimulating the feeling of fear. Table 1 on page 354, is entirely about the percentages of population that are considered overweight/obese by race and gender, supporting the idea that obesity does not only effect people of a certain race or age. The authors do not rely on an appeal to pathos, but it is present throughout the writing. Multiple times Morrill and Chinn remind the audience of the alarming rate that the percentages of people included in the category of overweight are increasing. By stating that about nine million children in the United States are currently overweight, along with the statistic “If the current trend continues, approximately one-third of all children…born in 2000 will develop diabetes”(Morrill, 356), the authors’ use of the emotional appeal of children being affected by this epidemic boosts the sense of pathos. Often, the effects of obesity on children is brought up, providing information such as the future health risks obese children are more susceptible to, mental and social problems that are more likely to occur, and details about on how food advertising companies target children. The section under the subtitle “Health Consequences”, lists a majority of the diseases, cancers, and other detrimental issues that coincide with being overweight or obese. This entire section supports the authors’ purpose, using the health issues and statistics about increased death rates to once again instigate fear and anxiety, and also maintain the idea that being overweight or obese is an urgent, adverse