How Economic Conditions Affects Obesity - Annotated Bibliography Example

Research question: How economic conditions affects obesity POLITICAL Kersh, Rogan, and James Morone. "The politics of Obesity." politics and public health (2002): n. pag. Web. Kersh and Morone in their well written “The politics of Obesity” discusses how the American politics intervenes in the private behavior of the natives of the country in tackling problems such as obesity. The politics of the American government plays an important role in controlling the food habit of the nation. The article gives intricate detailing of the mass movements against liquor however it is evident from the read that obesity politics failed to gain as much momentum in the country. However political response to obesity has been triggered by the Government for example the government promoted nutrition over fatty foods and increased advertisement of fat dangers. Regulation of food distribution has also been brought into play. Rogan and Morone are both political science professors at Syracuse University and Brown University respectively. The article talks about the 7 steps that political parties take before trying to solve an epidemic problem such as obesity. The article is an excellent approach towards understanding the politics linked to obesity and the consequences that come thereafter. The regulation politics of food by NIH or FDA is truly commendable as well. However what was surprising is also the fact that where on one side the government sided with nutrition at the same time it supported fatty foods as well leaving the choice ultimately to the individual. The politics here is to promote nutrition but do nothing else to restrain sale of fatty foods. The political perspective of obesity is an important addition to my research question. It helped me understand the government’s role in supporting fatty food and nutrition at the same time especially since more income is generated from fatty foods which eventually lead to increasing obesity rates. 2. GOVERNMENT Oliver, Eric J., and Taeku Lee. "Public Opinion and the Politics of Obesity in America."Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 30.5 (2005): 923-953. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. In the paper Public opinion and the politics of obesity in America, authors Oliver and Lee have established the fact that in spite of the growing consciousness of the American Government towards the increasing obesity rates in the country the average American is not concerned about the health risks involved given that the dearth of obesity related policies and expression of low support from the citizens. The authors are of the opinion that steps taken by the Government to tackle the problems of Obesity such as tackling the problem in school lunches and exercise programs did not have the desired effect. Governmental policy makers are unable to pinpoint the exact reason for the growing obesity rates among the citizens. The authors conducted a survey which established that the average American views Governmental policies as the only solution to tackling the rates of obesity. The research paper has successfully brought together the government’s policies towards obesity and the average citizen’s acceptation and implementation of such policies. Federal and legislature Government have several proposals to combat the problem such as taxing of foods and promoting fitness however most of these policies fail to pass since the laws would aim to modify individual behavior. However the results of telephonic survey showed that even though the citizens understand the importance of governmental policies yet they are reluctant to get rid of junk food. This shows that even though the government tries several measures to keep the growing problem under control, such policies do not receive uniform support from the public. The results however have shown a variance in the attitude on the basis of ethnicity and income since those with stable economic conditions do not give up junk food simply because of the increased taxes and hence contribute towards failure of governmental policies. Having read this paper, I have concluded that this could be used to answer a part of research question. The paper has revealed that Governmental policies do aim towards tackling this problem however it is also evident that even though the average citizen recognized both the problem and its solution ,increased stability of economic conditions leads to failure of such policies especially those that aim at levying taxes on fatty food and on restaurant bills. Since, the results clearly show that economic conditions modifies the attitude of the citizens towards Governmental policies, the paper will help me make my answer more accurate and detailed. The report also discusses the economic effects of obesity. In the U.S medical costs related to obesity are on the rise which effects the total income of individuals citizens as well. 3. MEDICAL "Obesity and Overweight for Professionals: Adult: Causes - DNPAO - CDC." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. According to a report published by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention there are several cause, consequences and implications of obesity. The article particularly concentrates on the health problems and associated problems of obesity. Researchers have established that genetic factors may be responsible for causing several obesity related genetic disorders. The report also shows that a few genes in the human body may make some people more susceptible to obesity problems when compared to others. The report also says that there may be several other factors which may affect the health of a person. It was reported that even psychological factors played a role in causing obesity related problems. The article also discusses the economic factors associated with the disease which includes both direct and indirect costs related to obesity. The report is primarily based on the factors and consequences of obesity in the U.S and the staggering costs involved. The representation of the data is mainly from the viewpoint of health and well being. A thorough reading of the report gives us enough information about the health impacts of obesity and the factors that cause the problems and the consequences both health wise and others that follow the problem as well. The one thing that struck me about the article is its connection to that of economics as well which is primarily of my concern. The economic costs include preventive, diagnostic, surgical and other medical costs. The role played by mortality costs in the recurring value of the income lost by the family is well supported in the article as well and represented well by the authors. The article besides being a report from a medical viewpoint also presents the view from an economical viewpoint. It clearly explains how obesity increases the burden not only on the individual or his family but also hampers the total income of a nation as well. It is also important to understand that obesity and their associated health problems have a significant impact on the U.S. health care system. 4. ACADEMIC Drenowski, Adam, and Nicole Darmon. "The economics of obesity: dietary energy density and energy cost." the journal of clinical nutrition 82 (2012): 265-273. Web. 23 Feb. 2014 Drenowski and Darmon in their research paper. The economics of Obesity observed the links between obesity, socio economic position and dietary energy and energy costs. The article discusses how energy dense foods or energy dense dietary intake has lower satiating power thereby increasing food intake which progresses towards weight gain and obesity. The article also highlights how the rates of obesity and other weight gain problems particularly in the U.S follows a socioeconomic gradient. It was an excellent article which showed how economic choices of people could have health consequences. The article was an interesting piece of discussion which academically discusses how economics, diet and obesity could be related. What struck me most about the article is that it showed that the people from lower income groups especially in the industrialized countries such as the U.S. showed higher rates of diabetes and obesity. It was evident from the paper that there was an intimate link between obesity and socioeconomic position. It was evident that the authors had well documented how lower income groups preferred good tasting but fatty foods over nutrition leading to increased obesity instances among them. The article will help me answer my research question from a whole new perspective. What is most interesting about the article is how the economical angle has been considered. Given healthy foods cost more when compared to junk and fattening foods therefore the poorer population automatically prefer fatty foods since that is what they can afford which hampers their health and weight as well. This relates to the higher rates of obesity among the population from lower income groups since it helped them save a lot of money. 5. TRADE "Exporting obesity: The role of trade." Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. Sophia Murphy in her article Exporting Obesity: the Role of Trade, discusses exactly how trade particularly its liberalization has an impact on the obesity rates on a global scale. The article discusses how the so-called free trade between countries effected not only the food security among countries and had impact on the health of the citizens. Murphy in her article highlights the find of another article where experts observed the obsogenic environment in Mexico owing to the availability of low cost, high calorific valued foods which made Mexico the second country next to the U.S. with higher numbers of obese people. Having read the article which discusses how free-trade has helped countries exchange “obesity” I feel that it provides factual elements which are well supported. What struck me most about the article is its acknowledgement of how obesity can be affected by food trade liberalization. The case study presented in the article was a well supported document where it was evident that obesity incidence in Mexico rose exponentially after the U.S. contributed significantly in the former country’s food system which made dairy products, meat products, snacks etc cheaper and readily available to the common Mexican. The article is a good find since it relates well to my topic of concern i.e. economics and obesity. It gives a vivid reasoning as to how free trade or lowering of taxes on food trade between countries could lead to drop in food prices which would eventually have an effect on the health of the citizens which was what happened in Mexico which portrayed how the obesity rates of the country rose drastically after the food rises decreased. 6. POPULAR CULTURE Miller, Toby, and A W. McHoul. Popular Culture and Everyday Life. London: Sage, 1998. Print. Popular culture has a pivotal role to play when it comes to promoting obesity based on growth and popularity of fatty foods and snacks in the world. In the book,- Popular Culture and Everyday Life, the authors discuss how popularity and the popular culture plays a role in modifying food habits. In the book the growth of fast food outlets such as Mc.Donalds, Burger King etc which are considered main culprits for obesity promotion have made huge business at a global level. Even in France where most people had previously believed in “home cooked and healthy” meals saw a rapid growth in the income of these popular food outlets. The book is an excellent example of how popular culture impacts a population and can even modify the eating habits of a country. I found the book to be extremely informative when it came to amalgamating the truth about popularity and obesity. What I most liked about the book is how it showed the growth popularity of processed foods which decreased the working hours of women in modern countries and therefore led to rapid development in processed food business. The discussion in the book where we find that in newly industrialized countries where people tried to live a good life most indulged in eating food which were high in cholesterol simply because those certain products were considered popular. Furthermore, reading the book I also found it interesting on how population fluctuations such as immigration could have an impact on higher food consumption .Immigration opened food markets and greater food diversity was easily available to the masses. The book and its theme is an excellent addition to my knowledge about my topic. the book provided detailed explanation about the growth of popular food culture like burgers etc which are extremely fattening. The most important thing to notice is that the popular culture gained momentum primarily because of the lower costs of the food available. This meant people from all social backgrounds could afford the rich and fatty foods. This was a very important factor when it came to understanding the relation between obesity and spread of food related popular culture. Moreover it also provided me with an understanding that in newly industrialized countries where the job markets opened up, more and more people especially women were being employed which meant lesser “free” time to cook meals which eventually meant greater dependence on packaged fatty foods. 7. ALTERNATIVE/NON-MAINSTREAM Cawley, John. "The Economics Of Childhood Obesity." Health Affairs 29 (2010): 362-371. Web. Cawley researched about the connection between childhood obesity and economic factors as well as the consequences. The article highlights that there is increased rates of obesity among the American children who are either influenced by the popular culture of food or owing to the lack of fitness awareness fall prey to increasing girth from an early age. The research paper establishes the consequences that childhood obesity has on the monetary security of a family. Several other reasons have been discussed to show why obesity is on the rise especially among the American children. Another major economic factor established in the paper includes agricultural policies since such polices mostly increase consumption and help in weight gain. The article is an interesting read most importantly since childhood obesity is a global problem now. The impact of popularity of fattening food products and the lack of physical fitness and even the increasing popularity of computers and online games has made the normal American child into an obese child. The article shows that in the 1990’s the prices of foods such Coca Cola and McDonald products had fallen considerably while that of nutritious food such as fruits and vegetables rose which meant that the youth preferred fatty foods over nutritious ones since they were pocket friendly. The article adds significantly to my data of how economics and obesity can be interconnected. I have found that childhood obesity had drastic impacts not only on the growth of the individual child or the savings of the family but also has an impacts on the projected income of the population in the latter years given that the childhood obesity remains untreated. The rise and fall of prices in food products also helps me understand why people eat some food more than others. ANSWER TO RESEARCH QUESTION The rate of obesity is always on the rise and there are several factors that contribute towards this. There is an intimate link between the economical factor and the rate of obesity in the country. The sources that I intend to use for answering my research question are coherent and support each other well. The effect of the market economy and governmental policies on the spread of obesity is well documented in the sources. I found that the Americans do not like the interference of the Government in what is considered “private habits” and since food choice and choice of life style is private behavior most policies involving food mostly fail to gain proper momentum. The popularity of fast and fatty foods in helping obesity numbers skyrocket is also evident whereas the economics of medical problems and that of the healthcare industry also play some role in affecting obesity rates. The trend of indulging in good food because of popular culture existed during the Industrial Revolution and exists even today. It is mostly the working classes who prefer to save both time and money by consumption of easily available and high- cholesterol content foods. There is certainly an economical angle to this rate of consumption. Further on, the fluctuations on food prices also has an impact on food consumption and obesity which is evident from the increasing instances of health problem among American children Each of these documents come together to help me understand how exactly economics of a household or that of a nation can effect a problem like obesity. CITATION Cawley, John. "The Economics Of Childhood Obesity." Health Affairs 29 (2010): 362-371. Web. Drenowski, Adam, and Nicole Darmon. "The economics of obesity: dietary energy density and energy cost." the journal of clinical nutrition 82 (2012): 265-273. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. "Exporting obesity: The role of trade." Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. Kersh, Rogan, and James Morone. "The politics of Obesity." politics and public health (2002): n. pag. Web. Miller, Toby, and A W. McHoul. Popular Culture and Everyday Life. London: Sage, 1998. Print. "Obesity and Overweight for Professionals: Adult: Causes - DNPAO - CDC." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. Oliver, Eric J., and Taeku Lee. "Public Opinion and the Politics of Obesity in America."Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 30.5 (2005): 923-953. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. Read More