Obesity In America Essay

Introduction

Obesity is a significant public health issue in the United States. Obesity in Americans continues to rise as the years go on. It is causing a countless amount of issues with loss of productivity, higher healthcare costs, and so many health issues and risks when it comes to the people that are obese. It is an issue in America that is pushed away and overlooked. This is a very serious issue that needs to be fixed and addressed before it is too late. About 70% of the American population is considered overweight or obese. It has always been an issue but most people are not fully aware of all of the different factors and risks that come with obesity and how it is severely hurting the next generation. Obesity seems simple but is actually

In America, we have very easy access to unhealthy foods that create bad habits and lead to higher risks of obesity. The increase in food consumption is itself the result of technological innovations which made it possible for food to be mass prepared far from the point of consumption, and consumed with lower time costs of preparation and cleaning (Cutler, Glaeser, & Shapiro, 2003). Instead of coming home and cooking a whole meal and cleaning up, it is much easier to drive through and throw it away when you’re done. No thinking or effort involved. These fast food places are easily accessed all over America. Eating at "fast food" restaurants was positively associated with having children, a high fat diet and Body Mass Index (BMI). It was negatively associated with vegetable consumption and physical activity (Jeffery, Baxter, McGuire, & Linde, 2006). These fast foods are so simple and seem so good but are truly hurting the health of America when serving a large amount of unhealthy options. These unhealthy foods do no good to anyone's body but are usually more tasty and convenient. People are more likely to buy cheaper and better tasting food that is already made for you then going to buy healthy products and cooking at home yourself for a price. This doesn’t just mean fast foods, it means almost anywhere. You go out and see signs and advertisements for this new unhealthy meal and it encourages people to want to buy it and eat it. Fast food places, gas stations, grocery stores, are all guilty of pushing people in the wrong direction when it comes to healthy and quality food choice. In America we are promoting obesity by advertising these types of bad eating habits and that needs to change. These bad foods also become highly addictive and become hard to remove from your diet. Addictive behavior in food consumption seems to capture