Does Soda Cause Obesity - Essay Example

The debatable theme that soda is causing obesity Chosen Advertisement: the New York Health Department’s 2009 Anti-soda Commercial Introduction The advertisement “New York Health Department’s 2009 Anti-soda Commercial” is a disgusting video, used by the New York health department, in the efforts to discourage the public from drinking sugary beverages. The video shows a man opening a soda can, from which he pours out the contents of the can into a glass. The content poured into the glass is actually a mix of goop, blended to look like fat. After he swills the goopy mess, he ends up soiling his face with goop. The message communicated by the video, in one sentence is that drinking one soda can a day adds about 10 pounds of fat or more per year. The thesis for the advertisement is: drink soda, and you add weight, to the levels of obesity in a few years. The intended addressee’s group for the commercial is the general population, due to the fact that concerns over childhood and adulthood obesity have hit the news over the last decade (CPHE and NCCPC 4). The man used in the advertisement is meant to communicate the figurative message, of a person ingesting fat into their body – in the form of soda. However, it is also possible to interpret that the rationale for using an adult in doing the commercial was used to pass the message to adults, some of whom are parents, so that they can stop the consumption of sugary sodas among their children. Taking into account that obesity is a problem that affects all people, rich and poor, young and old, healthy and sickly, can offer the indication that the advertisement is not targeted at any social class of people (CPHE and NCCPC 5). Further, the disgust on the face of the man, as he tries to ingest the messy contents of the glass seems to have been incorporated into the advertisement intentionally. The aim of incorporating the horrible facial expression into the scene could have been made, with the aim of communicating to the audience, the kind of feelings they will experience after taking sugary beverages for some years. Support for the theme that soda (like it is communicated through the advertisement) is causing obesity In support of the theme that soda is a contributor to the increasing problem of adult and childhood obesity, Friedman and Schwartz give the information that the wide availability of obesity-contributing foods like sugary drinks in supermarkets, grocery stores, vending stores at school and other public places increases the access to these problems for all (718). More importantly, Friedman and Schwartz make the observation that the desire for the sugary beverages, among other similar foods, is heightened by the reinforcement of the information communicated over the media (718). The messages communicated using the advertisement encourages adults, as well as, children to buy these foods for themselves, and in the case of younger children under the care of their parents, it creates the thirst to nag their parents for the sweet foods. In shading light upon the impact and the role of the media in promoting the consumption of sugary drinks, Sugarydrinkfacts presented the amounts spent on advertising by major beverage companies (148). The data showed that the expenditure of coca cola had increased from USD 269 million in 2008 to USD 291 million in 2010, which was a remarkable increment in the expenses channelled towards the advertising of these drinks, which worsens the social burden of eliminating the problem of obesity. In a similar way, the Harvard school of public health presented the information that the increase in the consumption of sugary drinks is a major contributor to the problem of obesity being experienced globally (1). The Harvard school of public health continued to offer a comparison of the calorie levels ingested through the intake of food and sugary drinks, and gives the information that a 64-ounce cola drink contributes about 700 calories (USDA 1). The problem is worsened by the fact that the intake of such an amount of sugary drink does not make the consumer feel as full as they would, if they had ingested the same number of calories from food (Pan and Hu 385). Due to the lack of keeping track of their calorie intake, the consumers of sugary drinks do not compensate for the calories ingested from the drinks, by eating less food, but go on to add onto the calorie overload (Pan and Hu 386). Due to the correlation between the intake of soda and gaining weight, which ends up as obesity, the advert received a lot of attention from the public, as well as the producers of sugary drinks. The adverse effects of obesity have been well communicated by medical personnel and the various media sources, and that has kept the general public informed about the variety of health outcomes (Neovius et al. 17). The effects of obesity, according to medical personnel among other media sources, include that it is a risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease, which is a major cause of death. Further, obese individuals, as compared to the rest of the population, are twice as likely to die from coronary heart disease. The vulnerability of the obese, to illnesses is higher, when their situation is compared to that of the general population, including that they are more vulnerable to the development of osteoarthritis, uterine cancer among other cancers and hypertension (Neovius et al. 18). The negative publicity that has been channelled towards obesity had a major impact on the soda consumption levels of New Yorkers, and in reaction to the message of the advertisement, the coca cola company attempted to dilute the message. The coca cola company’s response to the advertisement, among the response of other beverage producers exposed the magnitude surrounding the relationship communicated through the advertisement. The criticisms levelled against the message relating sugary beverage intake to weight increment The first criticism is drawn from Friedman and Schwartz, who discussed the factors underlying the increasing threat of obesity (217). Friedman and Schwartz emphasized that the problem is caused by a variety of powerful, overarching factors – some beyond the control of individuals. One of the factors contributing to the problem of childhood and adulthood obesity is the nature of the foods and the drinks that are ingested by people, and the main characteristics of the foods contributing to the problem include that they are, often sweet-tasting calorie-dense processed foods. The major sources of the high-calorie levels include fast foods, high-fatty foods, processed foods and sugary beverages (Friedman and Schwartz 217). The fact that the sources of high calorie amounts include sugary drinks among other processed foods gives the evidence needed to justify the fact that beverage companies should not have been the only victims of the anti-obesity campaign. The second position in defence of sugary drink manufacturers, who were the main victims of the anti-obesity campaign, is that the New York health department should have cooperated with them, in combating the problem of obesity. This position is validly in favour of beverage companies, taking into account that some have come out and have pledged to channel their efforts towards combating the problem of obesity. Popken gives an account of the Coca Cola beverage company, which has come out to fight against obesity by producing an anti-obesity advertisement (1). By pledging its efforts to work on reducing the calorie levels contained in their sugary drinks, the company demonstrated that the New York Health department should have called for the support of beverage companies, instead of attacking them. Calling for the support of beverage companies would have offered better answers to the problem that sugary drinks contribute towards the increasing threat of obesity in society, instead of running a smear campaign against them (Popken 1). More importantly, the advertisement of the New York health department would have shown more concern for the public, in the case that it had featured the various, main contributors of the calorie-laden drinks making people develop obesity. The other side to the action by the health department, which would have contributed in a more positive way to the health of the public, would have been that of engaging the main producers of high-calorie foods (Popken 1). By doing that, the campaign efforts of the department would have been much widespread and the impacts would have been better. The last criticism against the approach by the New York health department is that it treats the case of soda’s like they should not have, taking into account that soda is not harmful like the products that are advertised freely and openly, including cigarettes and alcohol (Garfield 1). Sodas, as a product class can be compared to the case of TV programming, where the discretion and the guidance of parents is the main check against their misuse. Instead of campaigning against sodas in a radical manner, the company should have worked on increasing the awareness of the public about the dangers of drinking soda. Conclusion The advertisement “New York Health Department’s 2009 anti-soda Commercial” shows the picture of a man taking a mix of fats in a glass. The message of the advert is that taking sugar leads to the addition of weight, which contributes to the pressing problem of obesity. The support presented in support of the advert includes that, the production and the intake of sodas is worsening the problem of obesity, and the position is supported by institutions like the Harvard school of public health. The second support is that the advert increased the awareness of the public about their health and that the intake of sodas is worsening the vulnerability of the victims of obesity. The arguments against the message of the advert include that sodas are not the only food contributing high amounts of calories and beverage manufacturers have joined the campaign against obesity. Further, calling for the support of beverage manufacturers would have addressed the problem more effectively; the advert treated the problem in a critical manner it did not warrant. Works Cited Centre for Public Health Excellence, and National Collaborating Centre for Primary Care. Obesity: The Prevention, Identification, Assessment and Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults and Children (NICE Clinical Guidelines, 43). London: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (UK), 2006. Print. Friedman, Roberta, and Schwartz, Marlene. “Public Policy to Prevent Childhood Obesity, and the Role of Pediatric Endocrinologists.” Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism, 21(2008): 717-725. Garfield, Bob. “NYCs Bottle-of-Fat Ads as Nauseating as Industry Response.” AdvertisingAge, 07 Sep. 2009. Web. 28 April. 2014. Neovius, Kristian, Johansson, Kari, Kark, Malin, and Neovius, Martin. “Obesity Status and Sick Leave: A Systematic Review”. Obes Rev, 10(2009): 17-27. Pan, An, and Hu, Frank. “Effects of carbohydrates on satiety: differences between liquid and solid food.” Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care, 14(2011): 385-90. Popken, Ben. “Cokes new anti-obesity ad is a soda-maker first.” Today, 14 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 April. 2014. Sugarydrinkfacts. “Advertising Spending”. Suggarydrinkfacts, 2010. Web. 28 April. 2014. USDA. “Nutrient data for 14400, carbonated beverage, cola, contains caffeine.” National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, 2012. Web. 28 April. 2014. Read More