A Look At Obesity In America

What can be done?

Obesity, while largely a preventable disease, can have implications not only on the individual and their health (both mentally and physically) but even on the economy and, on an even larger scale, the world around them. At an early age, eating habits left unchecked that largely consist on unhealthy, sugary, and fatty foods build a foundational feeding preference destined for overweightedness or obesity. Additionally, the socioeconomic conditions a child is raised in can have profound effects on an adult's future eating habits. In a study conducted by the International Journal of Obesity, the risk for obesity in men increased by 30% by every degree of lesser education.

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Regardless of these external factors, the obvious solution to a diet increasing the risk of obesity is to choose healthy alternatives and become educated on the foods being consumed. One of the biggest factors in the prevention of obesity is education. Having access to adequate food education and understanding the implication that an unhealthy diet has can reduce the rates in which people choose unhealthy foods. During former President Barack Obama's presidency, first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative focused on just this. Her program targeted school aged children in promoting an active lifestyle coupled with healthy eating habits to reduce the exponentially growing population of obese children in the U.S.. Further, in a journal published by pediatric dietitians Brent A. McBride and Dipti A. Dev, a parent can leave lasting effects on a child's "internal hunger cues". Here, rather than encouraging a child to "clean theri plate" or "eat more carrots", a child should be encouraged to eat if they're still hungry or finish if they feel full. In doing so, a child learns to trust their interior hunger cues that dictate satiation or hunger. This can build a strong relationship between the child and food that has them eating only what they need, thus reducing the risk of developing obesity later on. As evidenced by these initiatives, the primary way to target obesity and its secondary symptoms is at the root; with children. Eating habits are formed early on and persist into adulthood, therefore building strong notions between healthy foods, restraint, and understanding nutrition can equip a developing child with an advantageous diet as they grow.

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Further, society's portrayal of food and glorification of obesogenic junk food can have implications on the viewing population. In a study done in Brazil, the TV advertisements promoting unhealthy fast food violated the Human Right to Adequate Foods act, a basic human right acknowledged by the United Nations. Although not in America, this portrayal of fatty foods in media plagues the American diet just the same. Taking actions to reduce the amount of food advertising children (and adults) are exposed to can cause a gap in the demand for these unhealthy, saturated foods and potentially decrease the rates of their cheap, accessible consumption. This was also on of Let's Move!'s goals, as referenced earlier.

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Thanks to advances in education surrounding obesity and its many complex causes, the rates of obesity (at least in ages 2 - 19) has been slowly declining. Through executive initiatives and all the way down the ladder to the classroom and the individual, the more awareness that is spread about obesity, the less it proliferates.