Obesity Epidemic Essay
Billions of people worldwide suffer from unhealthy amounts of weight gain. Obesity affects both kids and adults, and the rate for each is continuously on the rise. The obesity epidemic has flourished over the years due to the new sedentary lifestyles of people today, including working inactive jobs, easy transportation, and using electronics for entertainment, but can be fixed through simple lifestyle changes.
Starting off, the amount of daily physical labor has greatly dropped due to less demanding jobs and new inventions. Studies have shown that “Jobs requiring moderate physical activity, which accounted for 50 percent of the labor market in 1960, have plummeted to just 20 percent” (Pope). This means that about 80% of Americans have sit-down …show more content…
jobs, automatically making them sedentary for a majority of the day. This causes less calories to be burned and a higher chance of weight gain. Thankfully, despite this major issue, many companies have taken action. One thing they have done is added in on-site gyms or provided free gym memberships to nearby gyms for their employees. Other solutions are building stand-up desks or putting in signs by the elevator to encourage people to take the stairs instead.
Next, the development of electronics, providing endless hours of sit-down entertainment, has substantially increased the amount of time people are sedentary on a day-to-day basis. A 2016 study found that U.S. adults “devoted about 10 hours and 39 minutes each day to consuming media” (Howard). When the time for sleep and other basic things like eating are added in, there isn’t much time left in the day. Kushner stated that “An increase in the time spent using electronic screen media is regarded as a key factor in the decline of physical activity levels, especially the amount of free and outdoor play among children” (160). Though prolonged amounts of electronic usage presents a challenging habit to break, it can be reduced. For children, parents may set time limits for how long their kid may use electronic devices each day. Parents may also enroll their children in sports, as it gives them an ensured break from media and forces them to be active. “Studies show that parents are particularly important as models, encouragers, and facilitators of physical activity in children and adolescents” (Harvard). Adults can do the same thing by enforcing the time regulations on themselves and joining a gym or fitness club. This takes motivation and discipline, but with some effort, it is an achievable goal.
Lastly, through modern automobiles, travel has become increasingly facile.
It is easy to hop in a car, bus, plane, or train, and travel to a desired destination. No physical effort is required. To increase activity, it is very important to encourage people to take their bike or walk to their destination whenever possible. And for them to do so, bike lanes or sidewalks must be built in neighborhoods and cities. Sallis states that, “Residents of walkable neighborhoods who have good access to recreation facilities are more likely to be physically active and less likely to be overweight or obese.” It encourages them to get moving because for one, it’s there, and two, it’s safe and efficient. A study was done that found that “37 percent of adults in the highest-walkability neighborhoods met the recommendation of physical activity for thirty minutes per day, compared with 18 percent of those in the lowest-walkability neighborhoods” (Sallis), proving this to be an effective solution.
Overall, the modern sedentary lifestyle proses a prodigious problem in the world that causes weight gain and other health issues. Simple solutions can easily fix these problems though, like building gyms in offices, cutting back on electronic usage, walking instead of driving a car, and making exercise a priority. It’s vital for people to realize how much time they spend sitting each day and work to have a more active lifestyle for their own well
being.
Starting off, the amount of daily physical labor has greatly dropped due to less demanding jobs and new inventions. Studies have shown that “Jobs requiring moderate physical activity, which accounted for 50 percent of the labor market in 1960, have plummeted to just 20 percent” (Pope). This means that about 80% of Americans have sit-down …show more content…
jobs, automatically making them sedentary for a majority of the day. This causes less calories to be burned and a higher chance of weight gain. Thankfully, despite this major issue, many companies have taken action. One thing they have done is added in on-site gyms or provided free gym memberships to nearby gyms for their employees. Other solutions are building stand-up desks or putting in signs by the elevator to encourage people to take the stairs instead.
Next, the development of electronics, providing endless hours of sit-down entertainment, has substantially increased the amount of time people are sedentary on a day-to-day basis. A 2016 study found that U.S. adults “devoted about 10 hours and 39 minutes each day to consuming media” (Howard). When the time for sleep and other basic things like eating are added in, there isn’t much time left in the day. Kushner stated that “An increase in the time spent using electronic screen media is regarded as a key factor in the decline of physical activity levels, especially the amount of free and outdoor play among children” (160). Though prolonged amounts of electronic usage presents a challenging habit to break, it can be reduced. For children, parents may set time limits for how long their kid may use electronic devices each day. Parents may also enroll their children in sports, as it gives them an ensured break from media and forces them to be active. “Studies show that parents are particularly important as models, encouragers, and facilitators of physical activity in children and adolescents” (Harvard). Adults can do the same thing by enforcing the time regulations on themselves and joining a gym or fitness club. This takes motivation and discipline, but with some effort, it is an achievable goal.
Lastly, through modern automobiles, travel has become increasingly facile.
It is easy to hop in a car, bus, plane, or train, and travel to a desired destination. No physical effort is required. To increase activity, it is very important to encourage people to take their bike or walk to their destination whenever possible. And for them to do so, bike lanes or sidewalks must be built in neighborhoods and cities. Sallis states that, “Residents of walkable neighborhoods who have good access to recreation facilities are more likely to be physically active and less likely to be overweight or obese.” It encourages them to get moving because for one, it’s there, and two, it’s safe and efficient. A study was done that found that “37 percent of adults in the highest-walkability neighborhoods met the recommendation of physical activity for thirty minutes per day, compared with 18 percent of those in the lowest-walkability neighborhoods” (Sallis), proving this to be an effective solution.
Overall, the modern sedentary lifestyle proses a prodigious problem in the world that causes weight gain and other health issues. Simple solutions can easily fix these problems though, like building gyms in offices, cutting back on electronic usage, walking instead of driving a car, and making exercise a priority. It’s vital for people to realize how much time they spend sitting each day and work to have a more active lifestyle for their own well
being.