Obesity Epidemic Research Paper

Obesity Epidemic The rate of obesity has grown triple fold since in the last two decades (Cluss 1). High rates of obesity occur in developed countries that have a high food supply as well as many options. The United States is arguably the wealthiest country in the world, so it makes since that our obesity rates would be high. Developing countries that are struggling to meet the caloric needs of its people do not have problems with obesity because the food supply is extremely low and options are nearly unheard of. Though the average American is aware of this problem, little has been done to address the problem as a whole. I share a connection with this topic because several members of my family have been labeled overweight or obese based
48 obese and low income families with 52 obese children were selected as participants. Along with guidance from nutritionists and provided fitness facilities, the families were also given incentives to lose weight. If they reported to weekly in person sessions, they were rewarded with $25 gift cards (Cluss 4). If also in that same week they tracked their caloric intake, they were given an additional $10 gift card (Cluss 4). Similar to the European study, the results were highly successful and showed that when money is no longer a factor, the families respond similar to any other test group (Cluss 5). The results also showed decreases in overall BMI as well as type to diabetes. This particular study proves that if these methods are more readily accessible, the results could be very successful. However, this research represented a controlled environment in which the average American could not achieve
Unknown to me, the government launched a national campaign in 2000 to bring awareness to obesity in America (Keppel 1). The campaign was then called Healthy People 2010, with a goal of significantly reducing the effects of obesity by the year 2010 (Keppel 1). This campaign however, went unknown and remained on the back burner for the government due to many other distractions. After a few years, the government let go of the campaign, but now, after a new decade the program is back with the same name (Keppel 1). The program focuses on education rather than specific groups that should be tested like the low income and European studies. Examples of this national education are seen in serving suggestions, calorie recommendations, and at home fitness guides available for download ( Keppel 3). This broad approach eliminates the need for personal visits to the office as well as expensive surgery. It takes the preventative approach from a distance. This helps the average American have access to valuable to informative material without being pressured to go to an office or spend money on diet