The Battle Against Obesity
In a 1,509 person survey it was found that 81% of the participants voted that in America, the number one most serious health issue is obesity ("Obesity in America" para.1). This shows obesity in America is a very large issue and has a reputation for being an extreme issue amongst Americans. Although obesity is known to be an issue in America, what are the solutions to these issues and what can be done to prevent obesity? The answers to these questions are limited. However, cutting out factors and taking early precautions to prevent obesity are measures worth taking. I have always been passionate about health and wellness. I enjoy being active and treating my body right by fueling myself with the necessary components to keep me healthy. Thus, making me healthy and happy. This is something I want everyone to experience, and feel passionate about helping people reach their health goals. What can an average family do to ensure that they will win the battle against obesity.
To take a deep dive into how to prevent obesity among Americans, one would first need to take into account how unhealthy habits start at a young age. While it is normal for children to find interest in unhealthy treats, it is important for the parents to instill a healthy diet for their children from day 1 to ensure that they are used to fueling their bodies with nutritious ingredients. It is fair to state that parents influence children's health patterns. According to a study performed by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that looked at 5 unhealthy patterns from 7,000 youth, the following data was found, "We found that more than half of older children and teens exceeded recommendations for daily screen time (more than two hours for activities other than school/homework), which was the most common unhealthy behavior. Nearly as many had unhealthy overall diets." ("From The Screen Time to Smoking: Preventing Unhealthy Youth Behaviors" 4). The data collected from this study shows an interesting yet predictable pattern amongst youth in America. The surface level issue at hand is that children are consuming an unhealthy amount of screen time, foods, and other components. One might assume that culture is to blame for this pattern. In fact, this most likely is a fair assumption as the increase of unhealthy habits such as screen time has skyrocketed since the popularity of devices such as ipads, smartphones, and laptops has surfaced. People have turned to these alternatives to educate their children and now because of it create an unhealthy relationship for their children with their devices. However, if one were to take a closer look into how the rise in unhealthy habits has shot up children, parents are to blame for this occurrence. Looking into the idea of creating healthy habits, parents often do not realize that what children consume from a young age breeds habits for the future. For example, If a child is raised using southern words in their vocabulary such as "y'all", they are most likely going to continue using this language when they grow up because it is what they are used to and is normal to them. The same thing is true for what individuals consume on a daily basis. If an individual was raised eating junk food, then those habits are going to be normal to them and therefore they are less likely to break those unhealthy habits because it is what they are used to. Thus, proving that what parents feed their children from a young age matters because those habits either healthy or unhealthy, will stick around throughout their lives.
In addition to paying attention to what parents are feeding their children, it is also equally as important to be mindful of what children are consuming at school. This cause is often overlooked but is very important to pay attention to. It is fair to assess that what is served to children for school lunch plays a role in students' eating habits. This evaluation is similar to the evaluation of how parents have a big influence in children's eating habits where what is served at school lunch creates a baseline for children and helps them decipher what they like and do not like. If they are being served unhealthy meals at school they will become used to that food that is being served and build a tolerance for that food. Then, when it comes time to go home and eat nutritious food children are then more likely to refuse to eat the healthy foods because they are used to the unhealthy foods and are not likely to enjoy the healthy foods because they know there is better tasting food they can have which is the unhealthy food. The following study shows the statistics for the positive effect changing school lunches in Japan had on the obesity levels in the country, "A 10 percentage point increase in the prefecture-level school lunch coverage rate significantly decreased the percentage of overweight (0.37%, 95% CI: 0.18-0.56) and obesity (0.23%, 0.10-0.37)" (Miyawaki 4). In this study, Japan had recently changed their laws to make school lunches in their country serve healthier options in hopes that it would positively affect students' eating habits. From the data presented, it can be concluded that theory was correct and as seen, students experienced less obesity throughout the country. This shows that even though it is unlikely to consider how school lunch can negatively affect students' eating habits in such a dramatic fashion, it is true and proven through research. In addition to this example, it would be beneficial for American schools to do the same thing. School lunches across the United States have a bad reputation for being unhealthy, but switching the menu to healthier options would almost guarantee positive outcomes across America just as Japan did.
Now, knowing how obesity can affect individuals from a young age, the precautions do not stop there.Understanding that healthy eating is a necessity to fighting the battle against obesity is only one hurdle to consider. Another factor that must be discussed is the fact that healthy groceries and fresh produce continue to experience skyrocketing prices for these necessities. The question presented is why are prices of healthy groceries so expensive? One would think that healthy groceries would be cheaper than unhealthy groceries, however the opposite is true. Americans are experiencing an enormous climb in healthy food prices, specifically fresh produce. To show how enormous the prices of healthy foods have grown, the following data will show the increase in prices, "Last year, U.S. consumers saw the largest annual increase in food prices since the 1980s. While food prices generally increased about 2% in prior years, they increased about 11% from 2021 to 2022. Inflation contributed to the increase. But there were other factors-like global disruptions to the food supply chain-that may have had a greater impact" (GAO, 4). The data provided does a great job of showing how food prices not only increase about 2% which is already a large increase, it also shows something even more alarming which is the fact that food prices have increased 11% in one year. This data is significant because it shows how the prices of food continue to increase and at an alarming rate. This poses issues for people trying to purchase groceries for their family. Because the prices of food are so expensive, individuals from low income families will have to decide what foods they need and what foods they can live without. It is already difficult to purchase groceries especially for low income families but since the prices for groceries are so expensive, it makes it even less likely for the low income families to be able to purchase groceries such as fresh produce and other healthy foods because those types of foods are usually a lot more expensive, and they usually come in smaller quantities than other unhealthy foods. Overall, this means that healthy food in America is getting too expensive for Americans to purchase. Especially, low income families.
In addition to grocery prices going up, it has almost made an impression on grocery shoppers. The prices of groceries continue to rise but the mindset of low income shoppers might be slightly different, surprising. In a study performed my Social Science and Medicine, the results we found that, "Drawing on interviews with 49 low-income primary caregivers and grocery-shopping observations with 34 of these interviewees, I find that respondents judge food cost in two ways: 1) absolute judgments, or assessments of whether a food covers a family's needs with scarce resources and 2) relative judgments, or interpretations of price relative to another food that frames an item as affordable or pricey by contrast" ("Is Healthy Eating Too Expensive?" 1). As seen in the evidence provided, it is clear that instead of being concerned about buying healthy food, low income families are considering other factors such has if the food they are considering buying is worth the money in terms of if their family members will happily consume the food and the second factor is the quantity of the food for the price. Meaning that buyers will judge buying a product based on if the product comes at a low price but also has a high quantity of product in the packaging. Based on the fact that low income families are not even concerned about the health factors of the food they are buying shows that the prices of healthy food is too expensive for a regular family to be able to purchase. A solution to this issue is not simple. However, being able to drop the prices of healthy foods would definitely help low income families get the nutrition they need. As they are in a way, forced to purchase unhealthy foods for their family based on the fact that healthy items are out of their price range. Thus, making it harder for low income individuals to beat obesity.
After looking at how the pattern of obesity start as a child, then, it moves onto what students are consuming for school lunch, next, focusing on how the prices of groceries continue to increase at a high rate, and lastly how low income families are probable not in a position to be able to afford healthy groceries, there is also one more piece to this puzzle. That factor is that there is a direct link between obesity and mental health. Mental health is a tough battle that unfortunately a large number of people around the world struggle with at least once in their lifetime. Being able to have resources to help guide an individual down the right path can be hard and being able to feel comfortable enough with your mental challenges to be able to get help from professionals is difficult. Especially, when it deals with obesity. According the the National Library of Medicine, "Many individuals who have obesity also struggle with issues related to their mood, self-esteem, quality of life, and body image. This emotional distress likely plays a role in treatment seeking but also can impact successful treatment." ("The Psychological Burden of Obesity" 1). According to this source many individuals who experience obesity also most likely struggle with mental health. It is evident in the source that mental health is most likely a large factor that many obese people have to live with. It is important to help those who struggle to find solutions and make sure that they do not suffer in silence. That is the first step to helping those looking to lose weight. This quote also makes a point that people who experience being overweight not only have the burdens listed above, but they also have to deal with suffering mental health which is something not many people consider when they consider the situation of an overweight person.
Understanding that people who experience obesity could possibly be struggling with their mental health is only a fraction of the challenges overweight people experience having mental health issues. In addition to fighting their own battles, overweight people also feel unheard when it comes to getting treated at hospitals. It would be beneficial for health care workers to be knowledgeable of how to treat overweight people. In an article published by the National Library of Medicine, the following is stated, "Few health care professionals receive comprehensive training in how to effectively help their patients with obesity. Yet patients are often wanting, needing, and looking for help when they go to the doctor." (National Library of Medicine 1). In the following quote, it is made clear that people who come to the hospital to seek medical assistance often come out feeling they did not get the proper help they needed because of a lack of training on how to help those who are overweight. It is important for everyone to feel comfortable when going to the hospital, and people who are overweight should be allowed to feel the same comfort that other patients are able to feel. In addition, as one can imagine getting help by a professional can be overwhelming especially for people who are obese. However, having the knowledge and the tools to be able to assist those who are overweight is something all professionals should be educated on. As a result it would help encourage others to be seen by professionals about their weight.
In closing, it is important for people to feel educated on what steps everyday people can take to make sure obesity is not a struggle for them. To do so, it is important to remember that the bad habits that come with obesity can start early therefore it is important to take precaution with what individuals are consuming from a young age. Next, with the spike in prices of healthy foods and fresh produce, trying as best as possible to budget appropriately so that families leave enough money each month to purchase healthy options. Lastly, remember that mental health, especially for people who are overweight, is a tough battle. However, making a push for healthcare workers to receive more education on how to support people who are overweight would make a big impact because then, it would hopefully encourage others to seek help for their own health issues. If the steps above are followed strictly America would experience a decline in the amount of individuals who are overweight and hopefully encourage healthier lifestyles. Thus, making a society where everyone in the United States is able to live a happy and healthy lifestyle.
Work Cited
Lindsay.Capozzi. "From Screen Time to Smoking: Preventing Unhealthy Youth Behaviors." Policylab.chop.edu
Office, U. S. Government Accountability. "Sticker Shock at the Grocery Store? Inflation Wasn't the Only Reason Food Prices Increased | U.S. GAO." gao.gov
Sarwer, David B., and Heather M. Polonsky. "The Psychosocial Burden of Obesity." Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America
Johnstone, Janyce, et al. "What I Wish My Doctor Really Knew: The Voices of Patients with Obesity." The Annals of Family Medicine