Fast Food and Obesity Issues - Research Paper Example

FAST FOODS AND OBESITY The Latin America has characteristically the most hit by alarming levels of obesity, mostly affecting the young and school going age. However, this implies that the condition is witnessed even with the older generation as it spills over through the development stages. Much of the studies revolving around this menace have focused on who is to blame over the alarming levels that obesity is taking over the society, not only with the Latinos but also with the entire US at large. For instance, Glassman, Figueroa and Irigoyen in the year 2011, studied the perceptions of Latino parents on the role that as parents to school going children, they would play to control the condition in the society. They carried out this study to understand the perceptions among Latino parents on their role(s) in countering the alarming obesity cases among children (Glassman, Figueroa and Irigoyen, 4-13). This study had a sample representation of twenty-six parents and was conducted in New York City with preschool parents. The parents unanimously agreed that they had a critical role in preventing the obesity problem among their children through proper dietary practices. However, there were also some hindrances to the effectiveness of their fight against obesity through issues of societal pressures, family history and interparental / intergenerational issues as well as the adolescence issues. Therefore, the study would reveal the importance of empowering the parents to fight the obesity menace among the children through such mechanisms as family based interventions which are culturally effective and helping them overcome the hindrances outlined above. From such a study as this, it is clear that though the problem has a lot to blame on the actual food taken and thus by extension to the fast food industry, the most to blame over the condition are the particular persons taking the food. For instance, the fast food outlets would not be blamed over the increasing obesity conditions among the kids but rather the parents who take the active role of funding the children to get the food or better still taking them to these outlets for meals. Diet is the major cause of obesity as a fact as illustrated from the above excerpt. Nevertheless, genetic structure within families as well as developmental stages of human beings such as the adolescence has critical contribution to the occurrence of such a condition. It is therefore a justified concern to evaluate the role that fast food, as part of regular diet to many people in the modern society, has played in raising the cases of obesity. The fast foods are blamed on having high levels of saturated fats and calories which are interpreted to contribute greatly to adding weight uncontrollably (Sheehan, para 2). This therefore confirms the fears and blames that people often level on fast food on occurrences of obesity. Research has equally played a major role in supporting the claims on causes of obesity where many such study findings support poor dietary practices to be the major cause of the condition. This however does not totally disregard other influential factors that would equally be blamed on the rising cases of obesity among people, especially the Americans. They are therefore justified to level accusations and blame on fast food as a cause to their weight problems; obesity is such an example. Although it is a well-known fact that fast food is commonly unhealthy, the obesity epidemic in America is not caused by the fast food industry, but rather the individuals that make the conscious choice to dine at these restaurants. Discussion Parents and guardians have a most influential role to pay on the habits that the children pick up as they grow, with diet and eating habits being among them. Good parentage entails setting good examples to the young on such aspects as healthy eating and best joints to hang out in among other responsibilities. In this argument, I stand to refute that the availability fast food joints at the proximity of school and living quarters are wholly to blame on the tendency of children to consume fast foods as against other healthier foods. A study carried out by Currie and friends revealed a substantial support to the claim that joints that offer fast food services at the proximity if schools has high influence on the weight problems among the kids (Currie et al, 32-63). The study lacked a justifying correlation between availability of the outlets near the schools and the tendency of the children to choose fast food to other healthy foods. The conclusion to the study carries great weight to support that it is not only the availability of the fast food outlets around the schools that influence the likelihood of the kids to take the fast food but on the centrally, other factors arte at play in the decision. As my thesis stands, the individual persons that opt to go for the fast foods as against better and healthier foods have much blame laid on them as against the outlets in the context. I would therefore argue that parents and other guardian have critical role to play in showing the kids right dietary habits, which would work to influence the kids I making right choices in foods. Ignorance and bad precedence from the people that the children rely on to set the example would be my point of supporting that the people (children) in this context are to blame for increased weight problems because of taking fast foods. However, one may argue that children would never have fast foods if the outlets had not been set up at proximity to which my argument would remain that information is a critical tool that would be necessary in all decision-making processes. The choice of what food to eat despite the availability is wholly dependent on the information available to the kids. Moreover, Hyunjae in an article concerning parental role in advising the children ascertained the position that the attitude towards consumption of fast food is dependent on the information available (Hyunjae, 87-107). Arguing that parents play the most significant role in influencing their children towards the consumption of unhealthy fast foods, the author relates the rate of obesity in children, aged 7-12 years and the attitudes of the parents towards a healthy lifestyle. He argues that children tend to emulate their parent’s response towards fast food, which then determines that child’s fondness or aversion for fast food. However, there still would be the argument that adolescence or other developmental stages give the kid power to reason and as such, their decision would be wholly dependent on their choices as against their parent. This equally does not refute the strategic position that individuals are seen to occupy in the discussion. This therefore supports the postulation of my thesis that individuals are to blame for the rise in weight problems such as obesity. Behavior is another factor that highly influences the likelihood of people to suffer weight related problems such as obesity. Behavior is wholly a human trait and as such takes our discussion from the focus of the role played by the fast food outlets in influencing people to take fast foods as against other healthier foods. The topic of behavior as a determinant to the likelihood that individuals would opt for the fast foods revolves the ability of a person to make choices and thereafter act. Though it is influenced by both intrinsic factors as well as environmental factors, human behavior can be controlled through the power of reason. From a study carried out by Garcia and team, human behaviors have a strategic role to play in influencing the outcome of taking fast foods and the likelihood of occurrence of weight related problems (Garcia et al, 810-818). The patterns of intake of fast foods among other behavioral traits are influential in the likelihood of the cases of obesity cases. Study has revealed that the frequency of intake of fast food plays a major role in occurrences of the weight related problems where the higher the level of intake of the fast foods, the higher the likelihood of occurrence of obesity. The reverse is equally true that the lower the kevels of intake of fast foods the lower the likelihood of suffering obesity. This therefore serves to affirm my position that obesity is wholly to blame on individual persons as against blaming the fast food joints. Though a counter argument would focus on the influence of fast food joints to the frequency and level of consumption of fast food by individuals, decision-making capacity is wholly to blame on the particular individual(s). The government efforts to fight and control rising cases of obesity in the US has pointed towards controlling people in regards to their dietary practices. Through the article by Marlow and Alden (1633-1637) the argument is that obesity is a health problem and widely spread across the states of US. The government is shown to have devised and used education and community awareness in addressing the menace all over the country. In rather supportive manner to the argument in context, the study reveals that government acknowledges the influence or role played by ‘human factors’ in progressing the occurrences of the epidemic. It is therefore supportive to the papers argument that the obesity cases resultant on intake of fast foods is to be blamed on human beings and not on the fast food industry as otherwise argued. Arguments to counter the position of this paper concerning the direction taken by the government would point out that the government only employed one among other ways to address the issue. However, it is the reasoning of this paper that despite there being other causing factors to the problem, human related causing factors are more prevalent. It is therefore justified to reason that human beings stand to be blamed for the rising cases of obesity due to uptake of fast foods. Moreover, another study conducted by Richardson and friends blamed human lifestyles in the failure of policies adopted in the country to control the rise of obesity cases (Richardson et al, 543-550). The study focused on many articles, which had documented on the issue and the efforts that had been put towards controlling rising cases of obesity. Policies, which are in place in reducing fast food outlets at close proximities to residential places, fail to realize the intended outcome as a result of the lifestyles adopted by the people themselves. Therefore, through the information provided by these studies, the author concludes that it is the individual’s lifestyle and stance towards fast food, which contributes greatly to the increased consumption of fast food, and putting them at an increased risk for obesity in the near future. It is in this conclusion that the position of this paper is founded on in that individual human beings are to blame for the challenge in taking fast foods and the resultant outcome of rising cases of obesity. It would therefore unfounded to reason that the fast food industry itself is to blame on rising obesity cases within the country. Jaworoska and the team in yet another research on nutrition and take away fast foods found out that the fast foods were the major cause of rising cases of people with obesity (Jaworoska et al, 310-318). Nevertheless, the study affirmed that the society is not ignorant of the fact despite the preference of many to indulge in fast food intake. Though the study recommended the role of government in controlling the fat content within the foods produced as a mechanism to regulate the effects in causing the weight problem, the paper still held the people on the blame side because they are well informed. This therefore supports the thesis that human beings should be blamed for the problem of fast foods causing obesity. Much more efforts leveled in reducing the size or portions of fast foods serviced in order to regulate the obesity cases proves futile as revealed by Young and Marion in their study (238-248). Though the policy formulation appears justifiable, people are hesitant to comply in taking reduced amounts of the fast foods that are great contributors to the rising cases of obesity within the country. Therefore, the success of efforts by the health authorities and the government to regulate intake of fast foods through reducing the amounts would only be realized only with the condition that people would cooperate. It is therefore supportive of the postulation that human beings are the major determinants of the rising cases of obesity from uptake of fast foods. Conclusion In sum, America notes increased levels of obesity, which is attributable on poor dieting which is much blamed on fast foods. Though there are many factors that would be blamed on the rising cases of obesity within the population, factors surrounding individual human beings takes the larger blame. As was allude to by the introductory research case study, parents have a critical role to play in influencing the attitudes and practices of the children I regard to healthy eating habits. The paper has engaged numerous case studies, which equally support the strategic role that human beings take in the choice to consume fast foods, which are associated with obesity. It is therefore the position of this paper that weight problems with special focus to obesity as a result of eating fast foods is to be blamed much on the personal decision to consume the foods. The capacity to make choices concerning healthy foods is wholly dependent on personal awareness and the availability of information to such people. However, this study does not refute wholly the influence of other factors towards rising cases of obesity because of taking fast foods but insists that human beings are greatly to blame. Works Cited Currie, Janet, Stefano Della Vigna, Enrico Moretti, and VikramPathania. “The Effect of Fast Food Restaurants on Obesity and Weight Gain.” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 2.3 (2010): 32-63. Garcia, Ginny, Thankam Sunil and Pedro Hinojosa. “The Fast Food and Obesity Link: Consumption patterns and severity of obesity.” Obesity Surgery 22.5 (2012): 810-818. Glassman Melissa E., Figueroa Marilyn and Irigoyen Matilde. Latino Parents’ Perceptions of Their Ability to Prevent Obesity in Their Children. Fam Community Health, 34.1 (2011): 4–16. Hyunjae (Jay) Yu. “Parental Communication Style’s Impact on Children’s Attitudes toward Obesity and Food Advertising.” Journal of Consumer Affairs 45.1 (2011): 87-107. Jaworoska A., T. Blackham, IG Davies and L. Stevenson. “Nutritional challenges and health implication of takeaway and fast food.” Nutritional Reviews 71.5 (2013): 310-318. Marlow, Michael L., and Alden F. Sheirs, “The Relationship between Fast Food and Obesity.” Applied Economics Letters 19.16 (2012): 1633-1637. Richardson, Andrea S., Janne Boone-Heinonen, Barry M. Popkin, and Penny Gordon-Larsen. “Neighborhood Fast Food Restaurants and Fast Food Consumption: A national study.” BMC Public Health 11.1 (2011): 543-550. Sheehan Jan. “Fast Food Health Risk Facts.” Healthy Eating. Web. 10 August. 2013. Young, Lisa and Marion Nestle. “Portion Sizes and Obesity: Responses of Fast-Food Companies.” Journal of Public Health Policy 28.2 (2007): 238-248. Read More