Reseach approach - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages Numerous researches and studies are directed on definition of the problem deeply rooted in the minds of Americans who consume junk food and the number of obese people is growing from year to year. This research paper provides a look of the Interactionist Perspective on the problem of obesity among children. It implies that under pressure of surrounding obese people, a healthy individual would become obese also. Therefore, a parental influence within the family may turn a healthy child in an obese one. Moreover, in accordance with the recent studies, low incomes of families, a low level of education and other negatively influencing socio-economic factors prevent children from exercising and obtrude often eating upon them. Thus, within a peer group an obese individual feels himself comfortable, but in the society he is perceived as a deviant one. Children obesity is greatly triggered within their families if their parents are obese and it is natural of them to eat huge amounts of food. The often eating custom of a certain family turns into a bad habit of their child. The Interactionist perspective is incorporated in the discussion about obesity among children further on. ...
Healthcare costs are greatly influenced by obesity. “World Bank has claimed that the cost of obesity at 12 percent of the nation’s healthcare budget” (Department of Health and Human service, 2000). The costs of obesity cause negative influences on individual and governmental levels. Therefore a struggle against obesity must be held on governmental level because it is an intimidating factor for all nations’ health. There is a need to propagate healthy way of life and increase living standards of ethnical minorities and Americans with lower socioeconomic status. Literature Review: Economic factors Lower incomes lead to high levels of junk food consumption. Affordability and availability of this kind of food increases obesity levels. In accordance with National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, “there are more obese among non-Hispanic white adolescents from families with low income than from families with higher income families. Obese people among non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican-American children have no low income in their families, on the other hand” (Troiano & Flegal, 1998). Healthy Foods Access Low income of people leads them to wrong food choices: thus people decide to buy food with higher calorie levels due to its lower price (Morland a), 2002).Healthy food costs more than junk food (Drewnowski & Specter, 2004). Data obtained from the study conducted in 2002 signifies that “…there are three times as many supermarkets in wealthy neighborhoods as in poor neighborhoods, and four times as many supermarkets in predominantly white neighborhoods as in predominantly African-American ones (Morland b), 2002). Physical Activity Factors Another ...Download file to see next pagesRead More