Obesity in the Healthcare Providers in America - Report Example

Muriel Garcia Exp 202 Obesity In the United s today, more than one in every three people is considered obese. While there are different levels of obese – ranging from standard obesity to more problematic morbid obesity – there can be little question that obesity is becoming something of an epidemic in the US. Obesity has tremendous costs that must be considered by any person looking to full understand the scope of the problem (Fleischhacker, pg4). It causes health issues for those who are overweight, including heart disease, diabetes and other conditions directly related to obesity. This, in turn, costs society money, as health expenses rise in light of the physically deteriorating population (Fraser, pg16). With there are many potential causes of obesity, perhaps the most important is the prevalence of fast food and some of the policies put forward by fast food restaurants in trying to attract customers. Arguably, obesity is a main concern by the healthcare providers; over 36% of the adult population in America are considered overweight. This is a serious challenge that policies and awareness should be enhanced owing to the far-reaching result of this condition. Productive individual and nation required are required to be healthy (Fleischhacker, pg7). Many factors influence the increase in weight such as poor diets, genes, prenatal and early life influences, sleep and little physical exercise (Fraser, pg6). On the other hand, physical activity environment, food, and excessive watching of television influenced the increase of body weight. Thesis statement: While there have been many contributing causes, the most important is the prevalence of fast food. Is this statement true? Notably, the causes of obesity can be classified in three: lifestyle, diet, and education. However, eating habits and dieting is considered the main cause of obesity. The young population is consuming excessive amounts of high fat burgers, high carbohydrates, and pizza in the sprawling food industries (Fraser, pg25). The increase in living standards and wealth is forcing people to avoid consuming traditional food that have less fat contents. In addition, changing lifestyle owing to excessive watching of television makes people to engage in passive leisure hence causing the increase in body weight. In today’s society, fast food restaurants are more available than ever before. Even small towns in America now have fast food outlets on every corner and in every shopping center, giving people an almost unlimited choice of the different fast food restaurants that they might choose (Fraser, pg6). The growth in the number of fast food restaurants has come for a number of reasons. For one, the population seems more willing to accept this reality, and busy work schedules make it harder for people to make their own food. Companies like McDonald’s have been able to seize on the momentum of this movement, expanding their operations in an effort and produce more revenue (Fleischhacker, pg54). That chain has more than 13,000 stores in the US today (Schlosser). It is not simply McDonald’s that is growing. One of the primary problems today is that there is more variety than ever, and very little of it provides people with alternatives that help them keep their waist line at a reasonable level. Today’s consumers can get Italian food, chicken, burgers, BBQ, and a host of other foods just by going through a drive-thru window. This expansion of stores and options has made it easier for more people to consume food that is not good for them. Why is the expansion of fast food options a bad thing? This is mostly because fast food restaurants tend to be worse for people from a nutritional standpoint. On average, fast food meals are packed with calories that contribute to weight gain. The calorie count is not the only important element, however. Fast food tends to be high in cholesterol, sodium, and trans fats, as well. These are things that contribute directly to poor health, giving people health problems in addition to their growing waistlines. Obesity is a main concern by the healthcare providers; over 365 of the adult population in America are considered overweight. This is a serious challenge that policies and awareness should be enhanced owing to the far-reaching result of this condition. Productive individual and nation required are required to be healthy (Fleischhacker, pg25). Many factors influence the increase in weight such as poor diets, genes, prenatal and early life influences, sleep and little physical exercise. On the other hand, physical activity environment, food, and excessive watching of television influenced the increase of body weight. Simply, Fast food “up sells” contribute to obesity since they proffer “upsizing” that increases calorie numbers in a many way. For instance, large combos have a propensity to have 30-percent to 40-percent more fries and a drink. This worrisome trend needs to be minimized to promote good health among citizens and enhancing national building. In essence, this number represents 50-percent of the persons faced with challenges of obesity. There are many examples of fast food restaurant meals that ring in at a higher number on the calorie chart. When one includes a drink and a side, the average fast food meal comes in at just less than 1,000 calories. A person getting a Big Mac meal at McDonald’s – one of the most popular fast food meals – will take in around 1,150 calories depending upon drink choice (Fleischhacker). Someone getting two slices of Meat Lover’s pizza and a drink from Papa John’s will take in around 800 calories (Fleischhacker, pg43). One can go through the nutritional information of a host of restaurants and clearly see myriad options that are ringing in at more than 1,000 calories. Fast food restaurants bill their meals as being the proper serving size for all people, and this fails to make important distinctions between what a large framed person should eat and what a smaller person should consume. By setting the norms on how much a person should consume, fast food restaurants contribute to the growing incidences of obesity in the United States (Anderson). The problem with fast food extends beyond just the main menu options and into the upsells that are so tricky and dangerous. Most people know that when they choose to eat a cheeseburger combo meal, they are taking in a ton of calories (Fleischhacker, pg24). What these people do not realize, however, is that the upsells from restaurants can increase calorie counts in a major way. When fast food restaurants offer “large” size combos, they are providing customers with 30-percent or 40-percent more fries. The drink is also larger. Likewise, fast food restaurants offer sauces that can be very high in calories. Take the “Zax Sauce” from popular chicken restaurant “Zaxby’s,” which rings in around 300 calories on average. Chick-fil-a is also guilty of this, as its most popular sauce is around 250 calories. The danger of this practice, and truly, the danger of fast food, is that people eat these calories without realizing that they have taken in so much food (Fraser, pg23). For those who are budgeting their calories in a daily basis, it is difficult to account for sauces that have so much fat and so many calories. There are many counter-arguments that suggest that fast food is not the leading cause of obesity. Some argue that the most important cause is a lack of exercise among the population. Today’s individuals are busier. They are required to work more hours, and in doing so, they have little ability to get to the gym. This can cause these individuals to lose the fight with obesity. Research suggests that overall, Americans work out and exercise less today than they have in the past (Heini&Weinsler). Because obesity is a problem that afflicts two matrixes – it has to do both with input and output, the fact that people do not work out as much is a major contributing issue (Fraser, pg60). Conversely, on the nutritional standpoint, Fast food restaurants tend to cause health hazards to huge population of the society. The fast food restaurants are preparing, selling, and distributing foods with unhealthy fats, highly refined grains, sugary drinks, and red meat. This dieting leads to obesity and excessive increase in body weight (Schlosser, pg26). However, food comprising of nuts, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains plays a critical role in preventing this condition. In addition, some argue that obesity has genetic causes that are more important than fast food restaurants. There are some genetic factors that can lead to obesity. People with slow metabolisms tend to pass those things on. In addition, hypothyroidism is a condition that can come with a genetic predisposition (Fraser). Diabetes, as well, is something that can run in families. It is important to note, however, that while these factors may make it more likely that a person ends up obese, there are things that a person can do, including eating the right food, to fight the effects of genetic predisposition. Lack of awareness of good eating habits is a cause of alarm since it is increase the probability of acquiring obesity. Advertising and promotional messages is confusing many parents on healthy products in the society. Additionally, the conflicting information on healthy eating and diets from processed by the health experts and food industry is puzzling. For instance, health expert warn that Sauces tend to add calories (Fleischhacker, pg34). In essence, people do not consider this while taking stock of their daily calories, resulting to obesity. The effects of obesity are life threatening since it makes one prone to heart failure, blood pressure, crash diets, eating disorders, depression, and diabetes. On the other hand, the nation is affected by this condition since they have to provide equipments in treating diseases such as heart transplant, which is expensive. In addition, obesity reduces productivity at workplace hence affecting economic growth. Therefore, there is need for concerted efforts by government and individuals in ensuring that health of individual is enhanced. Moreover, advertisements should be checked to ensure that the public is fed with right information for them to make informed decision. In conclusion, obesity is a major problem today. It is something that continues to get worse, and fast food is the primary contributor to this (Anderson, pg36). Fast food restaurants are growing in size, and perhaps more importantly, they are growing in variety, now providing a little bit of something for every person. Likewise, fast food meals are packed with calories. One can expect to eat close to 1,000 calories when going to one of these restaurants, and when a person eats this many calories, it can be difficult to remain fit. Likewise, fast food meals are packed with sodium, cholesterol, and the wrong type of fats, leading to more incidences of obesity in the population. When upsells are factored in, people end up eating much more at a fast food restaurant than they might realize (Fleischhacker, pg64). These restaurants make bad eating easy, and this is what brings on obesity for society. Fast food restaurants are permanently changing the nature of American healthy, contributing to an obesity epidemic that is sweeping the nation. Primarily, the increase in cases of obesity is caused by the increase in number of Fast food restaurants, which are available than ever before. People are consuming food with high fat contents, calories and carbohydrates. Notably, fast food companies such as McDonald’s has established shops and outlets. Moreover, multiplicity of fast food has expanded and established their shops countywide on selling fast food such as pizza, Italian chicken, burgers, and Barbeque. The increase in advertisement and promotional messages on these products increases the chances of acquiring obesity Works Cited Anderson, Beth, et al. "Peer Reviewed: Fast-Food Consumption and Obesity Among Michigan Adults." Preventing chronic disease 8.4 (2011). Fleischhacker, S. E., et al. "A systematic review of fast food access studies." Obesity Reviews 12.5 (2011): e460-e471. Fraser, G. R. "The genetics of thyroid disease." Progress in medical genetics 6 (1969): 89. Heini, Adrian F., and Roland L. Weinsier. "Divergent trends in obesity and fat intake patterns: the American paradox." The American journal of medicine 102.3 (1997): 259-264. Schlosser, Eric. Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Read More