Obesity In America Research Paper
Brizuela 1
Javier Brizuela
Professor Abad
English 1B
14 June 2015
America is Obese by its Own Hand
Food is a necessity for the lives of everyone on the planet. Some love food more than others, but no matter the case everyone needs to eat in order to survive. Many people have taken advantage of food and consume products they do not need and they especially eat more than they need to. The United States has become impacted with a preventable problem. Obesity, or the excess of body fat in a person’s body, has begun to harm people of all ages, from toddlers to adolescents to adults. It is simple to produce obesity by practicing unhealthy eating habits and implementing little physical activity in the daily life of an individual. Buying unhealthy fast food rather than consuming a good …show more content…
homemade meal accounts for a majority of the increase in obesity. Parents, more than others, have to provide a good example for their children, who are the future of our country. The United States has become one of the most obese countries in the world.
Throughout the past twenty years, statistics show obesity in the United States has increased to 34.9% in adults and 17% in children ages 219. If America continues to consume fast food regularly, not exercise regularly, and influence its children to result in obesity, this country will continue to be obese. Individuals in the United States have become less aware of what they consume, the amount, and the harm it will produce to their health.
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Obesity is a serious, yet preventable issue. Medical director from Healthfirst,
Susan Beane, in her newspaper article “How Does Obesity Increase Risk for Diabetes?’ published in
New York Amsterdam News in 2011 claims “
Obesity is a condition that can often be prevented. However, it takes time and effort dedicated to regular physical activity, and healthy eating habits to maintain a healthy weight.” (Beane 2011) Dr.
Beane’s claim relates to anyone, however, most will find an excuse for why they cannot make or do not have time to exercise nor make a better eating choice. The human body only needs a certain amount of food to produce the sugar which gives it energy. An average person only needs to consume twothousand to threethousand calories per day in order to maintain a healthy weight.
The average obese person consumes the same amount in one or two meals throughout the day thanks to unhealthy decisions. When this occurs, excess sugar is stored, turned into fat and over time will make a person obese. In result of people not controlling the excess amount of unhealthy food they eat, they are causing themselves to gain weight and become obese. Not consuming unhealthy products at all or multiple times a week is the correct option. People fail to make a small change here and a small change there when considering their own health and maintaining an acceptable weight. Fast food and obesity go hand in hand, in fact, it is the leading reason for obesity in the United States. These type of restaurants are more convenient than making the time to drive to the grocery when necessary and cook a homemade meal. In general, one will spend less than seven minutes to receive their meal when dining at a fast food restaurant compared to preparing a meal at home which will take more than twentyfive minutes to
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have ready. For this reason, fast food restaurants are the most popular root for obesity in the United States. They serve no purpose to the wellbeing of a human body. Fast …show more content…
foods are typically high in calories, fat, saturated and trans fat, sugar, carbohydrates, and sodium, all of which serve no positive outcome to the body. Fast food restaurants have increased to large number and will typically be found within a quartermile of each other.
In the academic journal
The Effect of Fast Food Restaurants on Obesity and Weight Gain writers Janet Currie, Steffano DellaVigna, Enrico Moretti, and Vikram Pathania make the claim, “among ninth graders, a fast food restaurant within 0.1 miles of a school results in a 5.2 percent increase in obesity rates.” The accessibility of fast food restaurants is another factor which makes them the easy way out of preparing a meal. They are commonly found within a mile from any person’s home. People will not make the time to drive to the grocery store three miles away when they can drive half a mile and stop by a fast food restaurant. The journal mentioned provides information stating “
During
2007–2010, adults consumed an average 11.3% of their total daily calories from fast food.” By consuming fast food too often, one provides the body with more than enough to create and store fat. The consistency of this chronic occurrence over time will make a person obese. Although fast food is largely unhealthy, it does not produce obesity on its own, physical activity is a factor many people fail to apply in order to keep from becoming obese.
Physical activity is a major contributor to a person’s health when dealing with controlling their weight. Daily exercise helps the body get rid of unnecessary calories consumed throughout the day. Americans fail to include some physical activity in their
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daily routine, which will help burn unneeded calories and avoid the build up of fat, especially from unhealthy foods. Dr. Beane claimed:
“When it comes to getting active, it doesn 't matter what you do; just get up and
move.
Walking, dancing or taking the stairs instead of the elevator are good ways to be physically active at any age, not to mention biking, tai chi, jogging and exercise classes.”(2011)
As an experienced medical director, Dr. Beane’s advice is valuable for the benefit of those concerned with the increasing problem of obesity. America is obese as a result of making the decision to involve little to no daily exercise. Statistics have proven less than
48% of Americans met the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines. (CDC2008) Only 52.1% of men and 42.6% of women are likely to meet the qualifications for the guidelines. The number of people exercising in the United States is directly related to the number of obese people, proving Americans make themselves overweight and do not take control in order to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle away from obesity. The obese adults making poor eating decisions are the same adults influencing the decisions children will make. Children affected by obesity have become a well heard of topic. All concerns related to childhood obesity mostly relate to their personal health and what it can be
in their future. A major contribution to obesity in children and youth is the easy accessibility of fast food and not enough exercise. Obese adults set an example to children, concluding in a large amount of children becoming obese. American children are popularly obese in comparison to other countries as a result of multiple factors including irresponsible
Brizuela 5
adults, the accessibility of fast food and not enough regular exercise. In
Prevalence of
Obesity in the United States, professor from the University of Alabama at Birmingham
M. L. Baskin provides:
“
The prevalence of obesity (for adults) and overweight (for children and adolescents) was relatively stable through 1980; however, since that time adult obesity doubled and child (6–11 years) and adolescent (12–19 years) overweight doubled and tripled respectively.”
Proving the correlation between overweight adults and children, Baskin confirms childhood obesity to be a result of adults who do not manage the well being of their children nor focus on omitting fast food or other poor food decisions. Not implementing daily physical activity for children continues to exist as a major contribution in childhood obesity. Aside from poor eating habits, children who do not exercise easily become at risk of being overweight and obese. In his article related to childhood obesity, Baskin adds, “
According to parent reports of exercise, almost threequarters of 10 to
17yearolds are physically active 3 or more days per week… However, regular physical activity decreases with age among both males and females.” Parents who are physically active influence their children and the amount of physical activity they perform. As the amount of obese adults performing less physical activity increases obesity among youth will continue to increase in the United States.
The United States has become one of the most obese countries in the world.
Obesity exists in America as a result of its citizens consuming food and adopting eating habits harmful to their health. Fast food is a fast growing industry, which compromises
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the well being of people’s weight and health. As people continue to make poor eating decisions by visiting fast food restaurants and consuming more than they can make up for in physical activity each day, they will proceed to gain weight and become obese. As adults become obese and continue to make regretful decisions the youth will follow their example and continue to do so in their future. Obesity in the United States has become a wellknown topic as it is a serious problem which leads to serious diseases. In order to decrease obesity and the probability of related diseases in our country, its’ citizens are to cease making regretful food choices. To maintain a healthy weight, physical activity has to be implemented in order to match the amount of incoming energy in food to the amount of outgoing energy being burned by ones body. Accordingly, youth will follow those footsteps and continue the trend towards a better, healthier future to live a longer life than obesity now permits. Due to obesity, diseases and other health related problems have been brought upon those whom are overweight. The people of the United States are at fault for being obese which results from their own mistakes and poor decisions. To overcome the challenge presented as obesity, Americans must cease poor food consumption decisions, cease the trend of decreasing physical activity or exercise, and quit providing a damaging influence for the youth.
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Works Cited
Currie, Janet. Dellavigna, Stefano. Moretti, Enrico. Pathania, Vikram:
American
Economic
Journal: Economic Policy
Vol. 2 No. 3 (August 2010) pp3263 Published by
American Economic Association Tatum IV, William O. , Peter W. Kaplan, and Pierre Jallon. “Obesity”
Epilepsy A to Z: A
Concise Encyclopedia
(2009): 238.
Academic Search Complete.
Web. 14 June 2015 Beane, Susan. “How Does Obesity Increase Risks for Diabetes?”
National Journal Daily
21 December 2011: 37.
Academic Search Complete.
Web. 14 June 2015 Baskin, M. L., et al. "Prevalence Of Obesity In The United States."
Obesity Reviews 6.1
(2005): 57.
Academic Search Complete
. Web. 18 June 2015.
Javier Brizuela
Professor Abad
English 1B
14 June 2015
America is Obese by its Own Hand
Food is a necessity for the lives of everyone on the planet. Some love food more than others, but no matter the case everyone needs to eat in order to survive. Many people have taken advantage of food and consume products they do not need and they especially eat more than they need to. The United States has become impacted with a preventable problem. Obesity, or the excess of body fat in a person’s body, has begun to harm people of all ages, from toddlers to adolescents to adults. It is simple to produce obesity by practicing unhealthy eating habits and implementing little physical activity in the daily life of an individual. Buying unhealthy fast food rather than consuming a good …show more content…
homemade meal accounts for a majority of the increase in obesity. Parents, more than others, have to provide a good example for their children, who are the future of our country. The United States has become one of the most obese countries in the world.
Throughout the past twenty years, statistics show obesity in the United States has increased to 34.9% in adults and 17% in children ages 219. If America continues to consume fast food regularly, not exercise regularly, and influence its children to result in obesity, this country will continue to be obese. Individuals in the United States have become less aware of what they consume, the amount, and the harm it will produce to their health.
Brizuela 2
Obesity is a serious, yet preventable issue. Medical director from Healthfirst,
Susan Beane, in her newspaper article “How Does Obesity Increase Risk for Diabetes?’ published in
New York Amsterdam News in 2011 claims “
Obesity is a condition that can often be prevented. However, it takes time and effort dedicated to regular physical activity, and healthy eating habits to maintain a healthy weight.” (Beane 2011) Dr.
Beane’s claim relates to anyone, however, most will find an excuse for why they cannot make or do not have time to exercise nor make a better eating choice. The human body only needs a certain amount of food to produce the sugar which gives it energy. An average person only needs to consume twothousand to threethousand calories per day in order to maintain a healthy weight.
The average obese person consumes the same amount in one or two meals throughout the day thanks to unhealthy decisions. When this occurs, excess sugar is stored, turned into fat and over time will make a person obese. In result of people not controlling the excess amount of unhealthy food they eat, they are causing themselves to gain weight and become obese. Not consuming unhealthy products at all or multiple times a week is the correct option. People fail to make a small change here and a small change there when considering their own health and maintaining an acceptable weight. Fast food and obesity go hand in hand, in fact, it is the leading reason for obesity in the United States. These type of restaurants are more convenient than making the time to drive to the grocery when necessary and cook a homemade meal. In general, one will spend less than seven minutes to receive their meal when dining at a fast food restaurant compared to preparing a meal at home which will take more than twentyfive minutes to
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have ready. For this reason, fast food restaurants are the most popular root for obesity in the United States. They serve no purpose to the wellbeing of a human body. Fast …show more content…
foods are typically high in calories, fat, saturated and trans fat, sugar, carbohydrates, and sodium, all of which serve no positive outcome to the body. Fast food restaurants have increased to large number and will typically be found within a quartermile of each other.
In the academic journal
The Effect of Fast Food Restaurants on Obesity and Weight Gain writers Janet Currie, Steffano DellaVigna, Enrico Moretti, and Vikram Pathania make the claim, “among ninth graders, a fast food restaurant within 0.1 miles of a school results in a 5.2 percent increase in obesity rates.” The accessibility of fast food restaurants is another factor which makes them the easy way out of preparing a meal. They are commonly found within a mile from any person’s home. People will not make the time to drive to the grocery store three miles away when they can drive half a mile and stop by a fast food restaurant. The journal mentioned provides information stating “
During
2007–2010, adults consumed an average 11.3% of their total daily calories from fast food.” By consuming fast food too often, one provides the body with more than enough to create and store fat. The consistency of this chronic occurrence over time will make a person obese. Although fast food is largely unhealthy, it does not produce obesity on its own, physical activity is a factor many people fail to apply in order to keep from becoming obese.
Physical activity is a major contributor to a person’s health when dealing with controlling their weight. Daily exercise helps the body get rid of unnecessary calories consumed throughout the day. Americans fail to include some physical activity in their
Brizuela 4
daily routine, which will help burn unneeded calories and avoid the build up of fat, especially from unhealthy foods. Dr. Beane claimed:
“When it comes to getting active, it doesn 't matter what you do; just get up and
move.
Walking, dancing or taking the stairs instead of the elevator are good ways to be physically active at any age, not to mention biking, tai chi, jogging and exercise classes.”(2011)
As an experienced medical director, Dr. Beane’s advice is valuable for the benefit of those concerned with the increasing problem of obesity. America is obese as a result of making the decision to involve little to no daily exercise. Statistics have proven less than
48% of Americans met the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines. (CDC2008) Only 52.1% of men and 42.6% of women are likely to meet the qualifications for the guidelines. The number of people exercising in the United States is directly related to the number of obese people, proving Americans make themselves overweight and do not take control in order to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle away from obesity. The obese adults making poor eating decisions are the same adults influencing the decisions children will make. Children affected by obesity have become a well heard of topic. All concerns related to childhood obesity mostly relate to their personal health and what it can be
in their future. A major contribution to obesity in children and youth is the easy accessibility of fast food and not enough exercise. Obese adults set an example to children, concluding in a large amount of children becoming obese. American children are popularly obese in comparison to other countries as a result of multiple factors including irresponsible
Brizuela 5
adults, the accessibility of fast food and not enough regular exercise. In
Prevalence of
Obesity in the United States, professor from the University of Alabama at Birmingham
M. L. Baskin provides:
“
The prevalence of obesity (for adults) and overweight (for children and adolescents) was relatively stable through 1980; however, since that time adult obesity doubled and child (6–11 years) and adolescent (12–19 years) overweight doubled and tripled respectively.”
Proving the correlation between overweight adults and children, Baskin confirms childhood obesity to be a result of adults who do not manage the well being of their children nor focus on omitting fast food or other poor food decisions. Not implementing daily physical activity for children continues to exist as a major contribution in childhood obesity. Aside from poor eating habits, children who do not exercise easily become at risk of being overweight and obese. In his article related to childhood obesity, Baskin adds, “
According to parent reports of exercise, almost threequarters of 10 to
17yearolds are physically active 3 or more days per week… However, regular physical activity decreases with age among both males and females.” Parents who are physically active influence their children and the amount of physical activity they perform. As the amount of obese adults performing less physical activity increases obesity among youth will continue to increase in the United States.
The United States has become one of the most obese countries in the world.
Obesity exists in America as a result of its citizens consuming food and adopting eating habits harmful to their health. Fast food is a fast growing industry, which compromises
Brizuela 6
the well being of people’s weight and health. As people continue to make poor eating decisions by visiting fast food restaurants and consuming more than they can make up for in physical activity each day, they will proceed to gain weight and become obese. As adults become obese and continue to make regretful decisions the youth will follow their example and continue to do so in their future. Obesity in the United States has become a wellknown topic as it is a serious problem which leads to serious diseases. In order to decrease obesity and the probability of related diseases in our country, its’ citizens are to cease making regretful food choices. To maintain a healthy weight, physical activity has to be implemented in order to match the amount of incoming energy in food to the amount of outgoing energy being burned by ones body. Accordingly, youth will follow those footsteps and continue the trend towards a better, healthier future to live a longer life than obesity now permits. Due to obesity, diseases and other health related problems have been brought upon those whom are overweight. The people of the United States are at fault for being obese which results from their own mistakes and poor decisions. To overcome the challenge presented as obesity, Americans must cease poor food consumption decisions, cease the trend of decreasing physical activity or exercise, and quit providing a damaging influence for the youth.
Brizuela 7
Works Cited
Currie, Janet. Dellavigna, Stefano. Moretti, Enrico. Pathania, Vikram:
American
Economic
Journal: Economic Policy
Vol. 2 No. 3 (August 2010) pp3263 Published by
American Economic Association Tatum IV, William O. , Peter W. Kaplan, and Pierre Jallon. “Obesity”
Epilepsy A to Z: A
Concise Encyclopedia
(2009): 238.
Academic Search Complete.
Web. 14 June 2015 Beane, Susan. “How Does Obesity Increase Risks for Diabetes?”
National Journal Daily
21 December 2011: 37.
Academic Search Complete.
Web. 14 June 2015 Baskin, M. L., et al. "Prevalence Of Obesity In The United States."
Obesity Reviews 6.1
(2005): 57.
Academic Search Complete
. Web. 18 June 2015.