Why Are Americans Rapidly Becoming More Obese? Free Essay

Weight is a sensitive topic that very few people ever talk about it in public. People tend to be sensitive whenever issues are of concern and would be very fast to change the topic. The most affected people are those who are overweight. There is an argument on the right description of overweight. Some people thought to be overweight usually defend themselves by saying that they are big boned. Statistics shows that most Americans are increasingly becoming overweight. 70 percent of Americans aged 20, and above are overweight. A third of the same number is considered obese which is even worse. In children, 17 percent of those between the ages 6 and 19 are overweight (National Kidney Foundation). Obesity is a real problem in America, but the numbers appear to grow with time (Critser 4). This raises the concern why Americans are becoming more obese. People find many reasons that could be the cause of obesity in the American society, but this paper will attempt to consider the likely causes. Possible causes of obesity include peoples choice of nutrition, lack of exercise, and socioeconomic factors (Gutterman 12). Other additional factors have contributed to obesity in the American society, but these three make the greatest contribution. It becomes important that people understand how these three factors have affected the American society over time until now. An analysis of these factors will help in identifying why America is rated as the nation with the highest number of obese people.

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Choice of nutrition, lack of exercise, and socioeconomic factors are common causes of obesity. They are the main reason Americans have continued to be obese over time. It is believed that the choice of food that people take significantly determines the amount of weight they will gain. The current American habits cannot be considered compatible with healthy nutrition. Initially, obesity came about because of people eating everything on their plates. This continued over time, but recent studies should that many people consume junk food. These foods are rich in fats and sugars. There has been a reduction in consumption of fruits and vegetables while intake of junk and other unhealthy food is increasing. The application of technology in food production by different companies resulted in lower food prices. Therefore, people had access to more food than they needed. This explains why people found it easier to overfeed themselves in many areas.

In lack of enough physical activity, people have modernized the society and made it possible to do many things from the same location. This reduces the movements that people initially engaged themselves. Even leisure time activities have transformed from activities such as riding bicycles and jogging to watching television programs and playing video games. Technology has also contributed to making the situation worse. People now have gadgets such as remote controls, garage door openers, and electric lawn mowers. Another development that has made the situation worse is the introduction of the internet and social networking. Very few American engage in physical activities and even the ones that do, fail to meet the required amount. It would be significant to note that physical inactivity is a consequence and cause of obesity. This means that obese people will find it difficult to work out. That makes it a consequence for obesity.

Socio-economic factors that contribute to obesity include household income, age, and gender. Obesity is highly associated with the poor as compared to the wealthy. This would appear ironical for most people, but the rich tend to be keen with their diets as compared to poor. For instance, a rich person could easily take a fruit for breakfast while a poor person cannot. In gender, obesity in women tends to increase as their education level decreases. In adult men, obesity slightly increases with increased household income. However, with women, the obesity level increases as the household income decreases. Childhood obesity increases at any household income depending on the personality of the children.

Based on these causes of obesity, it is evident that all families are affected. People who choose to eat healthy diets are still at the risk of becoming obese if they fail to engage in adequate physical activity. These three factors are interrelated, and that shows why they have been so effective throughout history in making Americans the most obese people in the society. The combined habits of most Americans associated with lack of enough exercise and large intake of poor nutrition explains why the majority of the population is considered obese. Based on historical facts, it is evident that the choice of activities practiced by Americans becomes poorer with time. In the past, people used to eat directly from the fields, and the food was good. However, in modern America, people just have to visit stores or supermarkets and pick any food they would like. The socio-economic causes of obesity prove to be bigger causes since they dwell in the environments in which people live and their nature. This is defined by the household income patterns, gender, and age.

On the other hand, these factors could not be responsible for the high number of obese people in America. Despite the application of technology, people still engage themselves in lots of exercises whenever they go to work, walk up and down the stairs, and taking long walks. This might not be able to compare to the level of physical activity that people did in the past, but it should still reduce the rates at which people have become obese in America. It seems true when studies show that the choice of nutrition is largely to blame for the obesity crisis in America. However, even if people were to find fruits, there are fears that such fruits are genetically modified, and they pose a health threat. Many people believe that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) cause cancer. Therefore, they will still keep away from the fruits and vegetables in the market.

All these factors have been responsible for the increased population of obese people in the American society. However, there are some doubts on whether these causes could result in such a large number of people in such a vast country. Information is often considered a powerful tool, and that can be applied in this situation. Americans should be educated on how to calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI) and determine whether they are obese. In addition to that, the government and other institutions should create awareness of these overweight contributing factors among all people. When this is done, people will have a better chance at managing their weight to lead a healthy life. Doing this will help to reduce the rate at which this disaster is spreading while giving experts the opportunity to consider other factors that cause obesity.