Category: Obesity

Introduction

Research tells us that 14% of the teenagers are overweight and are at high risk for various health diseases. American teens who are subjected to teen obesity also deal with social discrimination problems which are not only devastating but also escort them towards low self-esteem. This creates many problems for overweight teenagers that keep them from joining in many useful activities with other teens resulting in social stratification.

The question that arises here is that what leads our youth towards isolation and why our teenagers classify themselves as socially excluded, as a result of which they are found in psychological disorders like depression which may lead them to stay at home watching TV and snacking resulting in gaining more weight and feeling worse about themselves (TeenageObesity, 2008).

Main text

Overweight teenagers are confronted with many problems which are the root cause of social stratification and often cut off from safe and useful information about how to reduce and control their weight. The way an obese youngster experiences taunts and criticisms from him or her peers leads him or her towards isolation. In one research it was discovered that 72% of college-age women recalled being teased as children, usually about the way their face looked or their body weight and shape.

In another study, it was found that 48% of girls were more likely to report appearance-related teasing than 29% boys, with the most common type including verbal references to poor physical appearance and being overweight. Rejection, criticism and unnecessary taunting behavior of classmates and peers likely develop an unintentional sense of rejection within obese teenagers due to which teens may hide or deny their problems and are often embarrassed to ask for help. Despite 70 million obese adults in United States, sports and PE programs are aimed at larger groups rather than obese individuals, therefore such programs fail to educate or encourage them to lose weight (Nichols & Good, 2004, p. 170).

Desire for social acceptance

Obese teenagers are considered and treated aloof from the rest of the society, and if such behavior is not adopted, they are the victims of taunting comments. There are no PE programs, no special arrangements to cope up with issues that cause discrimination among teenagers on the basis of physical fitness and appearance in American society. Whether male teenagers or females, body shape serves as a mark for beauty and this is also among one of the causes that make teenagers bold and confident in their student social life and extracurricular activities. There is a strong desire for social acceptance among obese teenagers; for they also want attention from the society.

Female teenagers who are overweight are unable to participate in any beauty contest, any fashion, modeling, even female overweight teenagers are not even able to gain the attention of their fellows or peers (Becker, 1995, p. 29). On the other hand male teenagers who are overweight are unable to participate in any sporting event and even hesitate to make new friends and increase social gatherings. This way overweight teenagers set themselves in isolated environment, which does not make them feel any good about themselves.

Although for many teenagers slimness is a marker of social prestige which seems to be equally attainable by all socioeconomic classes, popular perception associates slimness with wealth in the United States. Therefore those who are not wealthy enough to afford proper treatment lag behind the society. Obese teenagers undergo a period of transition which is characterized by negative accelerated processes of change in cognitive, social, and psychological functioning, accompanied by marked physical restructuring.

This negative acceleration is what makes the overweight teenagers consider themselves as socially excluded from the rest of their friends or peers and such adaptation in adolescence should be given more prominence. This is supported by the fact that continuous focusing on and solving of the psychological and developmental problems related to obesity seems to be the rule. The adolescent is confronted with many different changes, all he or she looking forward to is the desire to seek and adjust into other teenagers alike. Considering the large variety of tasks and problems which encounters in treating obese teenagers, adolescence is characterized by impressively effective coping in the majority of young people, a fact that has been widely neglected.

The skills and resources that overweight teenagers possess like others are hidden behind various stresses and depression through which they suffer. Obesity serves as the main hurdle in recovering through all the stressors they face that are important determinants of the course of their psychological adjustment during adolescence and adulthood. Although efforts to alter stressful conditions, strategies for managing negative emotions experienced under stress, and support received from family and friends contribute to successful resolution of stress but the confidence obese teenagers loose is difficult to rebuilt unless and until they are truly aware of the fact about equality (Krenke, 1995, p. 190).

Depression among teenagers

Psychosocial stress is common among teenagers but obese teenagers are the victims of models of depression throughout the life span. As a rule, the interaction of psychosocial stress with individual vulnerability or predisposition considers, for example, with the diathesis-stress model of depressive disorders. In examining research on stress and depression among obese teenagers it is important to address the question of specificity in the stress-depression relation i.e., to analyze whether and to what degree stress is associated with depressive phenomena.

A related question is concerned with the specific contribution of different types of stressors among teens who are overweight and are neglected. Concerning the general issue of whether stressful events are related to depression, more than 40 recent studies have established that there is a cross-sectional association between stressors and depressed mood, depressive syndromes and depressive disorders; here the stressors are the taunting of peers and friends. Moreover, other types of stress, including minor events and everyday problems and hassles seemed to contribute strongly to depressive feelings of teens.

The best evidence of social stratification behavior that is adopted by the peers of obese teens is that whenever in research studies major and minor stressors are compared, minor stressors have been found to be more strongly related to depressive phenomena than major events. Further correlations between both types of stressors have been found illustrating that major events may lead to an increase in daily or minor stressors that in turn leads to depressive outcomes (Krenke, 1995, p. 193).

Despite the important conceptual role of coping in models of depression and the saliency of minor stressors found in empirical studies, little research has considered how depressed adolescents cope with minor stressors. Our research on nonclinical subjects has revealed gender differences in coping with minor events, which probably can be regarded as a predecessor of a more clinical coping pattern. The results from the survey study show a strong need among females to solve problems by discussing them with parents and peers or, more generally, by seeking their support.

This trend increases with age and is in line with research on adults, indicating a higher tendency among females than males to rely heavily on social networks or seek help in extra familiar settings. That means in case obesity is the leading cause to create barriers between the teen and his parents, it would expand through the passage of time, while making the individual think to be aloof of the family affairs. In addition, females worry a lot about a problem and expect negative consequences more frequently than males.

That means in situations where they are unable to loose their weight, they are more towards depression as compared to male teenagers. Males, on the other hand, present themselves as more carefree and if, however, they feel more depressed and socially excluded, they try more often to forget about it by using alcohol and drugs.

Obesity issues are also linked with gender differences where we can see that stress perception and coping style explains the differential emergence of depressed affect in teenagers perception. For example among teenage girls the self-concept of body image is higher as they are more dissatisfied with their physical appearance and have more negative self-esteem than boys. Social stratification is due to the stress-moderating effects of peer relationships and friendships in obese adolescent psychopathology and has been sadly neglected. With respect to obesity-related to depression, only some studies deal with perceived support from friends and peer relationships which indicates that teenage obesity is becoming a common but neglected issue.

Although many predictions have been made repeatedly over the last five years which make us assure about the changing pattern our youngsters would adopt towards obesity and which we are not aware of any concession that they are strategically alarmist, still no progress has been made in changing their behavior towards other teenagers who are overweight.

Indeed, claims that obesity will seriously damage our youth through social awareness and that generation of parents will soon be burying their morbidly overweight children or that within a few decades entire American society will be classified as overweight or obese are consistently made without the usual qualifications and equivocations for which academics and other experts are so sure. Instead, the uncertainty that, in our view, surrounds many of these claims is nowhere to be seen and often it is our youth that makes us think in being confident towards our apocalyptic predictions (Gard & Wright, 2004, p. 18).

References

Becker E. Anne, (1995) Body, Self, and Society: The View from Fiji: University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia.

Gard Michael & Wright Jan, (2004) The Obesity Epidemic: Science, Morality, and Ideology: Routledge: New York.

Krenke Inge Seiffge, (1995) Stress, Coping and Relationships in Adolescence: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ.

Nichols L. Sharon & Good L. Thomas, (2004) Americas Teenagers  Myths and Realities: Media Images, Schooling, and the Social Costs of Careless Indifference: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ.

TeenageObesity, 2008. Web.

The authors of the article are the researchers and writers, who have already proved their professionalism due to their work at Johns Hopkins University. Their experience and achievements are known in the university, and in the spheres, they are involved in worldwide. In the article, not much information is given about the team, just brief facts that they are a part of the Johns Hopkins University team from the departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Mental Health, and Epidemiology.

Google searching provides more information about each author and helps to comprehend that their credentials, the credibility of information, and ethos are worth recognizing. For example, Mr. Onyike has a great professional experience from a Medical Officer at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria to the Director of the Frontotemporal Dementia & Young-Onset Dementias Program at Johns Hopkins University, and Dr. Crum has achieved a lot in the sphere of psychiatric disorders epidemiology and prevention.

The article touches upon the questions concerning the possible relations between obesity, as an important public health problem, and depression, as a chronic medical condition. The authors aim at investigating whether this kind of relationship may depend on the severity of obesity or the influences of obesity and depression using the information from the Third National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (Onyike, Crum, Lee, Lyketsos, and Eaton 1140). They hypothesize and prove that obesity, as a heterogeneous condition, cannot associate with depression, but the association of severe obesity and depression is possible. This is why additional studies are necessary to clarify the relations between obesity and depression, taking into consideration a number of potential risk factors.

There are many interesting ideas offered in the article. The authors underline several strengths of their project, and one of them is the possibility to introduce the analyses by gender, which allowed& to identify gender-specific patterns of association (Onyike et al. 1145). The point is that at the beginning of the article, it is stated that only some found an association between obesity and higher rates of depression in women but not in men; others reported inverse associations between obesity and depression in both women and men (Onyike et al. 1139). This is why it is interesting to observe how the authors of the chosen article find the necessary balance and introduce an interesting approach to overcome the challenges and shortages they have already noticed in the past investigations.

One of the questions that may bother the reader of the article is why the authors do not find it necessary to conduct their own independent research but rely on the interviews between 1988 and 1994. The article was written in 2003, a number of factors that may predetermine the development of obesity or depression can appear during this period and have to be taken into account in such kind of research. Maybe, they fail to give more explanations of why they have paid attention to that particular period of time.

It seems that the authors provide themselves with a kind of space for their further investigations and want to prove that the chosen topic can and has to be evaluated again. In general, the way of how the paper and research are organized is powerful indeed, and the authors prove that their work is worth attention and demonstrate their maturity and knowledge in the chosen sphere regarding the conditions under which they have to cooperate and analyze the material found.

Works Cited

Onyike, Chiadi, U., Crum, Rosa, M., Lee, Hochang, B., Lyketsos, Constantine, G. and Eaton, William, W. Is Obesity Associated with Major Depression? Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. American Journal of Epidemiology 158. 12 (2003): 1139-1147. Print.

Different kinds of data were collected to aid in analysis, and to get a better insight into the diagnosis of complications, which are as a result of overweight and obesity. Health-care providers collected data on anthropometric measurements of height and weight, used to calculate BMI, during well-child visits (Hurt, De Pinto, Watson, Grant & Gielner, 2014). Socio-demographic data were collected in terms of age, date of service, sex, date of birth, race/ethnicity.

BMI was then determined and used to categorize subjects into groups: normal, underweight, overweight, and obese. Encounter data from Medicaid/MCHP was used to obtain information on patterns of comorbidities within the last five years for children/teens, and from birth for children under the age of five years. In addition, services such as medical history and laboratory tests were also abstracted.

The 9th edition of International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) was used to decipher the primary and secondary comorbidities linked to overweight and obesity. The ICD-9-CM was also used to point out screening, counseling, and family history connected to overweight and obesity.

Health-care providers used the Current Procedural Terminology codes to link laboratory tests to overweight and obesity. Morbidity patterns were presented in the percentages where the proportion of each condition, in relation to all conditions, was determined.

The results indicated that a large percentage of children and teens were overweight (BMI between 85th and 94th percentiles) and obese (BMI> 95th percentile): 16.5% and 21.4% respectively. The present results indicated that there was an increase in the rates of obesity in comparison to previous years, but statistically, there was no significant change from 2005 to 2010.

The prevalence of obesity was higher among the Hispanics compared to any other ethnic group; there no significant difference in the prevalence of obesity in relation to sex. In contrast to recommendations made by the Expert Committee for children whose BMI was beyond the normal scale, rates of laboratory screening tests such as lipid panel testing and fasting glucose test were fewer (Barlow, 2007).

The lipid panel testing is recommended for children with a BMI for age and sex e to 85th percentile, are e ten years and with risk factors for comorbidities. The Fasting glucose test was recommended for children with a BMI e 95th percentile. Medical conditions associated with BMI, as well as visits to the emergency department increased as BMI increased.

Asthma, dyslipidemia, and depression were frequent comorbid conditions. Family history assessment on comorbidities was recommended, but few children and teens went through the process. In addition, there was poor reception of dietary/exercise counseling.

The results of the investigation were used to show that obesity was still of great health concern; hence, increased need for screening and laboratory testing for comorbidities associated with overweight and obesity among children/teens. This investigation is very imperative for policymakers because policies to aid in early detection of comorbidities associated with overweight and obesity among the children/teens should be formulated, such as increased access to screening and testing by making the services more affordable.

Program planners should aid in the implementation of these policies; they should ensure that screening and testing tools are readily available at multiple locations to enable more children and teens to be screened and tested. In addition, they should use the information from this investigation to determine the distribution of resources, and develop programs that will increase awareness and promote healthy living.

References

Barlow S. E. (2007). Expert committee recommendations regarding the prevention, assessment, and treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity: summary report. Pediatrics, 120(Suppl 4), S16492.

Hurt, L., De Pinto, C., Watson, J., Grant, M., & Gielner, J. (2014). Diagnosis and Screening for Obesity-Related Conditions among Children and Teens Receiving Medicaid-Maryland, 2005-2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 63(14), 305-308.

Obesity is one of the most difficult diseases to deal with once it attacks an individual. It is very common among adults but can also attack children (Barbour, 2011). It is one of the most serious diseases facing national governments around the world due to its health and financial implications and a large number of people involved. The main cause of this disease is the excessive consumption of high-sugar and high-fat foods (Barbour, 2011).

Parents have a very big role to play in keeping obesity in children at bay. They have the responsibility to give them healthy foods: ones that are free from too much sugar and fats and expose them to exercises that can destroy excess calories in their bodies. Pricing strategies can also be very effective in reducing the consumption of these unhealthy foods (Kelly, 2006).

It has been empirically proven that taxing certain goods significantly reduces their consumption rates (Ojeda, 2002). Such strategies can be very instrumental in countering the ever-growing number of obesity victims. This paper looks at the impact of parents on the prevalence of obesity among children, the implication of taxation on the prevalence of obesity and the impact of obesity in countries around the world.

The Role of Parents in the Prevalence of Obesity in Children

Barbour (2011) considers child neglect as a form of abuse. He argues that several developed countries have already classified neglect as a form of child abuse (Barbour, 2011). He goes further with this topic by arguing that neglect includes the inability of parents to look after and monitor their children with the view of ensuring their safety.

Neglect also encompasses the inability to train their children to take care of their personal hygiene (Barbour, 2011). As such, it can conclusively be argued that neglect includes the inability of parents to take their children through exercises and giving them unhealthy foods.

Neglect, in this case, qualifies as a form of abuse since it leaves long-lasting effects in its victims (Watkins, 2009). Behavioral psychologists argue that children carry the effects of their childhood experiences into their adulthood. Obesity is not an exception. It, usually, causes a lack of self-esteem and other psychological effects in patients (Watkins, 2009).

Therefore, it is apparent that individuals that were obese in their childhood will take extensive amounts of time trying to overcome their psychological problems and the lack of self-esteem. This situation directly implicates parents for not playing their parts properly. If parents give their children healthy foods and expose them to good exercises, then there will be a less likelihood of obesity and its implications in the children.

The Impact of Taxation in Reducing the Consumption of High-Sugar and High-Fat Foods

It is ironic that the most sugary and fatty foods are the cheapest while those foods that are deficient or have fewer amounts of sugar and fats are the most expensive on food markets in many countries (Ojeda, 2002). This situation has driven the masses into believing that sugary and fatty foods are the best for them. A research carried out in the UK is the best for demonstrating the gravity of this situation. According to the research, desserts with the most amounts of sugar were the cheapest on the market (Ojeda, 2002).

On the contrary, desserts with natural sugars and little amounts of glucose were the most expensive. According to Ojeda (2002), the food market in the US sells deep fried and fatty foods more expensively than grilled and baked ones. As a result, many people buy foods with excess sugars and fats at the expense of foods with fewer amounts of sugar and fat. The price of a commodity has a great impact on consumer behavior.

Researchers argue that taxation can be a very important tool in changing consumer behavior against the buying of sugary and fatty foods (Ojeda, 2002). Many countries have tried out this method by taxing harmful products such as cigarettes and other tobacco products and it has worked very well.

According to Ojeda (2002), two-thirds of the cigarette charges in the United Kingdom go to tax. He observes that this practice has made it possible for the number of smokers in the UK to reduce by half over the past ten years. Many nutritionists have, therefore, proposed the use of this method in reducing the consumption of foods with excessive amounts of sugar and fat.

The Financial and Health Implications of Obesity in the World

According to Kelly (2006), obesity has proven to be a serious problem among workers at the workplace apart from causing a very huge medical expense. He observes that many public and private companies raise complaints about rampant absenteeism among their employees from work as a result of obesity and related illnesses (Kelly, 2006). In the long-run, national governments and companies in many countries end up losing extensive amounts of money and time.

They spend money treating such employees and have to allow them time to look for treatment instead of working. According to recent research in Britain, the UK government losses approximately five million euros each year due to accidents and illnesses that result from obesity (Kelly, 2006).

Facts from the World Health Organization show that by 2014, 1.9 billion adults, approximately 39%, were overweight (Obesity and overweight, 2015). Out of this number, 600 million, about 13 %, were confirmed to be obese (Obesity and overweight, 2015). In most of the countries from which many of the victims come, obesity kills as many people as any other commonly known killer disease.

Worse still, obesity is no longer limited to high-income countries as the situation used to be in the past. In fact, it currently affects more people in developing countries than in developed countries. Precisely, the prevalence of obesity in developing countries is 30% higher than in developed countries (Obesity and overweight, 2015). In such countries, the urban population is the most adversely affected compared to the rural population. This situation may be a result of urban lifestyles.

Conclusion

It is imperative from the discussion that obesity is a preventable killer disease. It is preventable because parents can prevent their children from getting it if only they give them healthy diets and teach them good exercises that can help them counter obesity. However, most of the parents choose to just feed their children on any food including sugary and fatty foods. Apart from the part that requires parents, governments can also fight obesity by imposing heavy taxes on fatty and excessively sugary food substances.

This act has the effect of raising the prices of targeted commodities, which eventually reduces the number of their buyers and the rate of their consumption. It is also apparent that these steps have to be taken immediately lest the implications of consuming the foods reach an irreversible stage in many countries in the world.

References

Barbour, S. (2011). Obesity. farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press.

Kelly, E. (2006). Obesity. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.

Obesity and overweight (2015). Web.

Ojeda, A. (2002). Smoking. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press.

Watkins, H. (2009). Child abuse. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.

The recent study published in the journal Pediatrics on 20, September 2010 has established the relationship between adenovirus 36 (AD36) which is associated with the common cold and childhood obesity. Gabbert et al (2010) concluded that the higher body weight in children can be associated with the presence of neutralizing antibodies to AD36 (p. 726). The established link between the presence of antibodies and childs obesity gives rise to various questions, including the direction of causality and presence of the link in adults.

Establishing the link between childhood obesity and AD 36, the researchers used inductive arguments. They draw the conclusions from specific observations, suggesting various versions of the cause-and-effect relationships between the factors but not ensuring any of them and leaving room for further research of the problem.

Gabbert et al (2010) noted that Possibilities for this association include true causality, increased susceptibility to infection within obese children, and predisposition to persistent AD36-specific antibodies after infection (p. 726). The premises for drawing the conclusions were the results of a cross-sectional study of a study sample of 50 obese and 50 non-obese children.

The premise was The frequency of AD36-specific antibodies was significantly (P_.02) greater in obese children (15 [22%] of 67 children) than in nonobese children (4 [7%] of 57 children) (p. 723). The conclusion from this premise was that the presence of AD-36 antibodies can be associated with obesity in children.

Considering the fact that the researchers do not indicate the direction of the causality and do not exclude the reverse link between the overweight and disposition to viral infections, the conclusions can be regarded as logical. Still, the study and its design have been criticized by a number of researchers.

Walsh (2010) noted that Weaknesses include the cross-sectional design, which does not allow for conclusions about causality, and the lack of information about the timing of infection (Adenovirus strain associated with obesity in kids). Considering the weaknesses of the study design and insufficiency of the study results for defining the causality direction, the inductive argumentation was the best suitable strategy for the study.

Along with the association of AD-36 and childhood obesity, there might be some additional factors which complicate the solution of the problem and need to be taken into consideration for developing the appropriate intervention strategies.

Scott Kahan, the co-director of the George Washington University Weight Management Program, expresses his opinion concerning the issue, viewing the problem from a new perspective: This study is just a snapshot in time, so we cant say whether having this virus causes people to gain weight or predisposes them to certain behaviors (Mann, 2010, Virus may be linked to childhood obesity).

Mentioning the behavior characteristics as the intermediate factor having impact on the established relationship can give rise to doubts as to the direct link between the factors.

Similar study was conducted in Korea, establishing the same link between AD-36 and childhood obesity (Na et al, 2010, p. 93). Further research is required for establishing the direction of the causality and defining whether the obesity causes immune dysfunction and disposition to infections or the presence of antibodies results in obesity.

Though a number of studies have proven the association of AD-36 and childhood obesity, the available data is insufficient for establishing the cause-and-effect relationships between the two factors and developing the intervention strategies for solving the problem.

Reference List

Gabbert, C., Donohue, M., Arnold, J., Schwimmer, J. (2010). Adenovirus and obesity in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 126: 721-726.

Mann, D. (2010). Virus may be linked to childhood obesity. Medscape Today. Web.

Na, H., Hong, Y., Kim, H., Jo, I., Nam, J. (2009). Association between human adenovirus-36 and lipid disorders in Korean schoolchildren. International Journal of obesity, 34: 89-93.

Walsh, N. (2010). Adenovirus strain associated with obesity in kids. Medpage Today. Web.

Introduction

Obesity has currently been noted as an increasing health problem. In the last thirty years, the percentage of obese people in the United States of America has tripled. Statistics shows that in 1980, the percentage of obese children and adolescents aged between 2 to 19 years was 7.0%. By 2008, the percentage had increased to about 20%.

There is no single cause that can be attributed to the problem. Additionally, World Health Organization reports that, women from various cultures have higher risks of being obese as compared to men. It states that girls are more than 50 percent more likely to be obese than were boys (World Health Organization, 65).

However, the percentage is higher in black people as compared to white people. However the probable causes are; change in dietary patterns, availability and increased access to fast food and soft drinks, reduce physical activity among others. Efforts have been put by individuals and organizations to help those affected to regain normal weight and fight against diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, osteoarthritis among others.

According to the World Health Organization report of 2000, Americans population as well as people in other parts of the world have lost their lives due to diseases linked to obesity. As it has been noted previously, there is no single factor that leads to obesity.

Following this, there has been two divide with regards to the issue; one side strongly believe that it is the presence of fast food restaurants that has contributed to the problem, on the other hand, there are those opposing this school of thought thereby generating an endless debate on the causes of obesity and the approaches to be taken to curb it. It has been argued that obesity is a serious problem cutting across individuals of all ages.

This topic is of a paramount significance since it will help the general public to understand what causes of obesity are and work out the strategies to curb the problem.

Opposing positions

As it has been noted previously there is a controversy regarding what are the main causes of obesity. To that effect, two documentaries will be used to examine these two opposing sides. The first documentary is titled Super Size Me directed by Spurlock Morgan, produced by Jones Kelvin.

It was produced back in 2004 and features Morgan closely following a strict diet of fast-food from the McDonald for a period of one month. He ate three times a day with food totaling 20.92 mega joules. At the end of the period, Morgan gained 11.1kg, and increase of 13.0% in body mass 230 cholesterol. Other consequences he experienced include sexual dysfunction, accumulation of fat in liver and changes in moods.

The second documentary which holds a contrary view is titled Fat Head , it was produced by Ostrow page and Smiley Susan directed by Tom Naughton. The documentary refutes the views presented in the Super Size Me as well as the lipid hypothesis. The later has been a fundamental in nutrition science of the United States and a larger section of the European world.

The documentary emphasizes on how Super Size Me had utilized reasoning which was not credible by using transparency. Additionally the science as well as politics behind the U.S government recommendation about nutrition is also covered. The documentary states clearly that the lipid hypothesis does not have a strong scientific prove behind it. Naughton throughout the documentary eats fast-food from McDonald, he ultimately losses 12 pounds and his cholesterol levels dropped.

Analysis of the first documentary

In the film Super Size Me, there is no doubt that Spurlock was troubled by the fact that obesity cases in the US society have been steadily increasing. It was against this background that his documentary rested on. The director contents that he was worried with the trend and in no time American will pose themselves to greater risks as a results of consuming fast-food.

To convince the audience, the director took the initiative to be the guinea pig where he engaged in eating fast-food 3 times a day in MacDonald, before this, he was tested by three different doctors who reported that his health was perfect.

From the experiment, Spurlock gained a whooping 11.1kg an increase of body mass index by 13.0%, as well as cholesterol levels as high as 230 merely after a month of consuming fast-food. Additionally, throughout the experiment viewers are made to understand that he also experienced changes in moods, accumulation of fat in his liver as well as sexual dysfunction (Super Size Me, 2004).

Similarly, it took Spurlock a total of 14 months to loss the weight he gained within a month, 5 months to loss 9.0kg and 9 months to loss 2kgs. Concerning seeking the views of experts to support his arguments, the three doctors who examined him before the experiments tested him and were surprised on how his health deteriorated within a short time.

Interestingly through his general practitioner, viewers are made to understand that Spurlock experienced depression; he asserts that the depression, headaches as well as lethargy would be released by consuming meals from the McDonalds thereby showing that fast-food can be addictive.

Analysis of the second documentary

In the film Fat Head, it is evident that the director was motivated to produce it in order to counter the assertions held by the first documentary about fast-food. For over fifteen years, the Americans have been made to believe that obesity is a result of taking excess food full of fat, and eating less of fatty foods makes human loss weight and have a longer life span. The aim of the directors was to help readers understand that obesity was not a result of consuming fast-food.

In the first part of the documentary, the director and his producers have tried to show how the first documentary misinterpreted information or used reasoning that was not credible to assert that fast-food consumption is the cause of obesity. For instance, they claim that Spurlock indulged in consumption of very large quantities of fast-food and did not take part in any physical activities.

Additionally, the director has brought forth valid arguments with the aim of supporting his views, for instance, he managed to make viewers understand that there was no single scientific study that had linked consumption of fast-food and any heart related disease. The director also managed to ensure that his claims are backed by detailed research studies.

In the film Fat Head, the audience is taken through the concepts behind obesity by well known experts. For instance, refined carbohydrates from the food we deem staple for instance rice, pasta among others, as well as sugar from soft drinks are to blame for obesity.

Experts explain that food full of carbohydrates impact on how insulin hormone operates; this in turn affects blood sugar and fat metabolism, as well as appetite. This hypothesis comes with questions; thus consumption of carbohydrates with low fat content makes human more hungry needing more food hence growing heavier. The audience is also convinced when the director sacrificed himself and took fast-food diet from McDonald 2000 calories per day while not restricting fat.

It was interesting that after 30 days of consuming fast-food, he eventually lost 12 pounds. Similarly the cholesterol level decreased, as well as there were some improvements in some of his lipid profile. From the experiment it is evident for the audience to believe that the lipid hypothesis is wrong and might be responsible for aggravating the problem it was intended to solve.

Common ground

From the review of the two documentary, there is no doubt that the two directors although holding parallel views, are concerned with the health of Americans as well as that of the entire worlds population. Both try to ensure that the general public is aware of the concept of obesity and its causes.

However, it is apparent that Spurlock strongly believes that consumption of fast-food which is being heavily and aggressively market is to blame for the rise of cases of obesity in American populations. To that effect people should avoid them at all cost. On the other hand, Naughton refutes this claim and tries to show and convince the audience that obesity is not a result of consumption of fast-food. To him, fast food is indeed healthy if the general public learns to do things right such as exercising among others.

Indeed, it is difficult for one to quickly come to a conclusion concerning causes of obesity. Similarly, there will be continuous debates on the same issues till scientific studies are done to ascertain the claims that consumption of fast-food is indeed responsible for obesity and related health complications.

Works Cited

Fat Head. Dir. Tom Naughton. Prod. Page Ostrow & Smiley Susan. Morning star Entertainment, 2009. DVD

Super Size Me. Dir. Spurlock Morgan. Prod. Jones Kelvin. Samuel Goldwyn Films & Roadside Attractions, 2004. DVD

World Health Organization, Obesity: Preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO consultation. Technical Report Series. 894.20 (2000): 1-25. Print.

Introduction: Whos Fat?!

Being obese is a challenge. Since the modern society worships slim built, obese people are bound to be the outcasts of the modern world. However, where being overweight s a norm, another problem appears: the state of peoples health is growing increasingly endangered.

Because of the increase in the obesity rates among the USA population, the health care system has been recently preoccupied with the means to provide a healthier lifestyle for the citizen of the USA. With help of a correct approach, the situation can be somehow tackled, which means that peoples health will be no longer under such risks.

There is no doubt that the concerns about the health of the USA citizens have certain grounds to base on. According to the results of the research conducted by Zoltan (2007), there are certain problems concerning the state of the national health. Since the results of the research emphasize the growing tendency of the USA citizen to gain weight, it is necessary to consider the problem as soon as possible to provide the probable solutions.

Going into Details: Where the Problem Stems from

As Zoltan (2007) marked, In the USA, data on obesity is collected regularly through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Services (NHANES). The most recent NHAVES data, which was collected between 1999 and 2002, indicates that the prevalence of obesity in the USA was 27.6 percent for men and 33.2 percent for women (83).

Thus, it cannot be denied that the rates of obesity in the USA have gained threatening scale. Affecting the nations health, obesity is likely to result in the overall tendency to consider the problems of health unessential. With such growth of the obesity rates, there might come the time when being overweight will be considered a norm and a social standard, not the dangerous deviation from the norm. Such results must be avoided at all costs.

It is quite peculiar that the state of obesity is considered to be connected with the wages somehow. Surprisingly, scientists have found out recently that excessive weight is interrelated with the salary closely. Thus, another parallel between the personal and even biological problems and the social position has been drawn.

As Zoltan (2007) explained, Taken together, the results from the outside the USA suggest that the correlation of obesity with wages varies across countries and cultures (83). Thus, since there is certain connection between the state of obesity and the social status, the problem seems even more complicated: changing the social status in order to change the weight category is quite problematic and even impossible to put into practice.

There is no doubt that once the right approach to the existing problem is found, the society will feel relieved. In spite of the fact that ones physical state can be compared to a feature that is completely unique and serves as a mark of the given personality, deviating from norm so much can cause certain health problems, such as the heart problems, short breath and the lack of physical strength.

Leaving aside the aspect of esthetics, being overweight is first of all the threat to ones health. Losing the excessive weight cannot be compared to losing individuality  this is rather getting rid of numerous problems.

Health Care System Network: Big Expectations

However, there is no time t fall into despair concerning the deplorable state of the USA citizens. To help the activists promote healthy lifestyle and healthy nutrition, the health care system network has been created. With help of the specific approaches utilized by the members of the organization, it will be possible to obtain the necessary results and convince people to take care of their weight.

Thus, with a reasonable health care system network adopted it will be possible to help the entire nation lose the excessive weight, once people realize their problem. However, the key aim in the given situation is to convince people that they need to get rid of the excessive weight.

According to what Kavaler (2003) says, At the outset of network negotiations, the need to evaluate the various cultures of the component parts of the integrated health network and their perceptions and expectations of the new organization are important considerations (405). Thus, it is quite likely that the new health care approach will change the lives of millions of people, yet the system still needs development.

Conclusion: The Sweet Reconciliation

In spite of the fact that at present the problem described above poses a serious threat to the society, there is no doubt that with help of the health care system the ways to help the overweight people will be found. It must be taken into consideration that the main goal of the health care is to make people realize their problem. Since the problem has already been defied, people are already halfway closer to the solution.

Reference List

Kavaler, F., & Spiegel, A. D. (2003) Risk Management in Health Care Instructions: A Strategic Approach. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Zoltan, J. A., Lyles, A., & Stanton, K. R. (2007) Obesity, Business and Public Policy. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Background

Over the last fifty years, there has been a growth in obesity in the United States of America, children are the most affected; according to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services report of 2007, over 25% of American children are obese, while more than, 60% of the population was either overweight or obese. The alarming increase is because of the living standards adopted of late by the residents in the country (Keller, 2008). This report evaluates the efforts put by the United States government to combat the spread of obesity.

Thesis Statement

Because of prevalence of obesity in the United States, the ministry of health has developed a number of policies that target the nutritional disorder in the country. The approach that the government has taken can be interpolated into two dimensions: pharmacological interventions and lifestyle interventions, the main aim of the interventions is to reduce the spread of the epidemic and alert the population on the dangers of the disease.

Pharmacological interventions

Although obesity is a nutritional disorder, medical practitioners have an intervention to the cure of the disease, the intervention may not necessarily be to offer medicine to the people suffering from the disease but to create an awareness of the dangers that the disease is likely to cause on someone from a medical perspective.

At extreme case, the government has established an obesity center where patients can be attended to and given medications and surgery services to assist in the cure of the disease.

Some accumulation of fat can be removed through operation and use of medication; these cases are addressed by obesity problems in the country to ensure that the suffering population gets proper medical attention. On the other hand, there are a number of health disorders brought about by obesity; the government is improving its capacity to cater for these emerging cases.

Lifestyle interventions

Obesity is sometime regarded as a lifestyle disease, it is caused largely by the kind if foods that people eat and the lifestyle they adopt. When people eat junk foods, they increase the chances of getting the disease. Junk have a large accumulation of fat, form their processing and their own nature.

The ministry via national media tools and nongovernmental organs has embarked on massive campaigns against eating of junk food and eating proper foods. They are teaching the people on how to eat healthy and the benefits that eating healthy is lily to bring to their lives; this is in the efforts of enacting policies that lead to behavior change.

The ministry is using every available opportunity to offer nutritional educations, for example when a mother has delivered; they are advised on how they should feed their children as well as the eating habits they should enforce. Businesses that sell fast foods have been controlled in the country and the government controls their marketing campaigns.

For example when advertising for junk foods, the companies are controlled not to target children directly. The cost of junk foods have been increased through government policies in the country like taxation, their number has also been limited.

The United States Ministry of Health in collaboration with Ministry of Education is developing exercising programs through games to children. The aim of the programs is to encourage outdoor activities; when children engage in such programs, then they are less likely to suffer from obesity (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2011).

Conclusion

Obesity is a growing problem in the United States, in recognition of the dangers likely to result from obesity, the government through the Ministry of Health has started programs to prevent the spread of the disease and cure the suffering population. The government has a two dimensional approach, the dimensions of the approach are: pharmacological interventions and lifestyle interventions.

References

Keller, K. (2008). Encyclopedia of Obesity. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications, Inc

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2011). Improving Care for Medicare Patients. Web.

Obesity is one of the urgent problems of the modern society. These days, this problem bothers minds of almost all women around the world. There are many issues related to the problem of overweight, the discussions are spreading far behind the health problems related to obesity, they reach cultural, social and psychological dimensions. When it comes to obesity issue, most of us will readily agree that it is rather a female problem than a male one.

In the light of pursuit of modern women to correspond to contemporary ideals of beauty and, at the same time to be independent of the social standards, obesity becomes a feminist issue, as it is widely considered to be a rebellion against the powerlessness of the woman, against the pressure to look and act in a certain way and against being evaluated on her ability to create an image of herself (Orbach 204).

There this agreement usually ends, however, on the question of womans independence and her health, the issue of obesity provides a topic for further discussions.

Whereas some are convinced that obesity is a rebellion against social standards, others maintain that obesity is entirely a health and psychological problem that cannot be associated with feminism and should be discussed only as a medical issue. Im of two minds about the issue of obesity. On the one hand, I agree that women should fight with standards of beauty that are laid upon them by means of media and ideal appearance of top models that look at ordinary women from glance magazines and ads.

On the other hand, Im not sure if overweight can be a good means to fight against sex inequality and means to proclaim womans independence. Thus, I argue that obesity is a big problem, but one should not run to extremes and take obesity only as a response to the inequality of the sexes (Orbach 204), but it should regard it as a health problem as well.

Indeed, it goes without saying that even in a modern society woman cannot be completely equal to man. This inequality goes much further than social right and other political or social issues. The problem lies much deeper and it deal with stereotypes and psychology of both sexes. Modern media provides two images of a woman, thus dictating priorities for her and dividing her life in two major periods.

The first period is when she is not married and should find a man to create a future family: during this period she should be pretty and sexy. The second period is her family life when she should support her husband and children and be a perfect mistress. This womans functions are not emphasized, but widely provided and create stereotypes. In addition, the relationships between man and women are identified as man looks at women.

Woman watches themselves being looked at (Orbach 202). Consequently, this makes a woman to be responsible for her good look and emphasizes presentation as the central aspect of a womans existence and makes her extremely self-conscious (Orbach 202). Such situation can be commented with words by Susie Orbach that the womans body is not her own (203). In their fight against these stereotypes, feminists claim that:

Being fat represents an attempt to break free of societys sex stereotype. Getting fat can thus be understood as a definite and purposeful act; it is a direct, conscious or unconscious, challenge to sex-role stereotyping and culturally defined experience of womanhood (Orbach 201).

In this light, being fat can be considered as an attempt to show ones individuality and independence. However, is this the only reason why women put weight? Yves Engler claims that advertising fatty foods and putting delicious looking pictures for all to see is the cause of our fat (120). Indeed, in some extend we are forced to be dependent on fatty food and fast food which is around us. It can even become a psychological addiction.

Hardly a woman who eats a hamburger is too concerned about her independency and individuality. Randy Balko writes that the main cause of obesity lies within a persons own responsibility (343). Thus, if you are fat, it is all your responsibility. Orbach partially supports these opinions, but she still emphasizes that women eat fat food not because they do not have a willpower, but rather because they want to ruin the social norms and ideals provided by the media industry.

It is obvious that having a perfect body is a mania, rather than a desire to be healthy:

In the United States, a woman with a lean, strong, and well-sculpted body is the ideal. Many who do not fit the ideal struggle with feelings of guilt and shame. The percentage of women with body image disturbance is alarming and those with overweight and obesity struggle to meet the ideal (Buxton 285)

In this light, women should deal with pressure to confront to the perfect stereotype from the glance magazine, but as it has already been mentioned, she should not run to extremes. I argue that obesity is an extreme, as it is also associated with health problems.

The health problems related to obesity include coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon), hypertension (high blood pressure), dyslipidemia, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, osteoarthritis, gynecological problems (abnormal menses, infertility) (Overweight and Obesity n. p.). Thus, one question arises: Is it worth being fat, but independent if it impacts your heal so much?

I support the idea, that obesity is a problem and feminists should not proclaim it as a form of rebellion against social standards. Moreover, As one talks about the body, in addition to the physical dimensions, one must also consider cultural, political, and symbolic construct. Each of these four dimensions impact the psychological dimension of the body or body image (Buxton 285). People are different and their bodies are also very different.

Consequently, all people have different attitudes to the way a woman should look like. In fact, tastes differ and it does not mean that all men like only slim women and all girls should be thin or fat to show their individuality. Fat is not good for ones health. Thus, if feminists use obesity as a form of rebel, it can be said that they use health problem as a form of rebel as well.

Thus, obesity is the issue that should not be taken lightly. It cannot be used for ideological or personal purposes. Whereas obesity breaks social standards, it impacts greatly ones health. In this light, I strongly support the idea that one should keep within limits and develop wise attitudes towards his/her health, as well as appearance.

Works Cited

Barbara K. Buxton. Body Image and Women: How Does Obesity Fit into the PictureBariatric Nursing and Surgical Patient Care, 3(4): 285-290. Web.

Balko, Radley. What You Eat Is Your Business. In They Say I Say, The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (With Readings). Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Berkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York: Norton, 2009.

Engler, Yves. Obesity: Much of the Responsibility Lies with Corporations. In They Say I Say, The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (With Readings). Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Berkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York: Norton, 2009.

Orbach, Susie. Fat as a Feminist Issue. In They Say I Say, The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (With Readings). Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Berkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York: Norton, 2009.

Overweight and Obesity: Health Consequences. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.

Previous studies on child obesity have revealed serious prevalence of overweight as well as obesity among children in both countries. National Health and Nutrition Examination 2007-2008 data indicates that 16.9% of children in the US aged 2-19 years suffer from obesity. The data also shows that there was an increase of 6.5%-19.6% among children aged 6-11 years and an increase of 5.0%-18.1% of children aged 12-19 years during the same period (Carroll, Curtin, Flegal, Lamb, & Ogden 2010, 243).

The data revealed significant sex and racial disparities of obesity in children with a greater percentage of non-Hispanic blacks more likely to suffer from obesity. On the other hand, a research done by International Obesity Task Force in the period of 1990-2007 showed that children in Saudi Arabia have had an average obesity prevalence of 6.7% among boys and 6.0% among girls aged 1-18 years (Aziz, Jalali-Farahani, Mirmiran, & Sherafat-Kazemzadeh 2010, 247).

Survey results of the National Center for Health Statistics done in 2000, showed that child obesity in Saudi Arabia averages at about 15.8% for the same age. It is estimated that about 14% of children in Saudi Arabia who are below age 6 are obese (Madani 2000, 1).

The child obesity data among all the age groups in the US show that there has been a year-on-year increases in the rates of prevalence (Barnes 2011). The data presented shows a higher prevalence in the US than in Saudi Arabia. There were particular high increases in 1999-2000 and 2003-2004 in the US showing significant and sudden changes in lifestyle. Both countries experience higher levels of prevalence on boys than girls.

The trends in both countries are highly associated with socioeconomic status. However, as opposed to the US where children of lower socio-economic and urban classes seem to be more likely to be affected, children of high socioeconomic status in Saudi Arabia are the most vulnerable to child obesity.

Data that was collected from medical and healthcare institutions also showed that child obesity prevalence is higher among US children than the Saudi Arabian children. It revealed that about 15-17% of children aged 6-11 years and 12-19 years in the US suffered from obesity while about 10.7% of children aged 5-18 years in Saudi Arabia suffered from the same. The survey data revealed that about 18% of children in the US are obese with higher prevalence among boys.

On the other hand, the same survey data revealed that Saudi Arabian children had a prevalence rate of about 11.8%. The boys were more likely to be affected by obesity as compared to girls. This implies that there is a high child obesity prevalence rate especially among the children in the US. Besides, the data showed that obesity rate does not decrease with increase in age.

Causes of obesity among children

Statistics show that obesity in children in the US is more prevalent among low-income children especially those aged 2-4 years with about 5%-20% of this group being affected. Previous studies also indicate that most of child obesity is the result of caloric imbalance as children tend to eat foods containing more than 1000 calories. Besides, these children live in environments which do not encourage physical activity. This means that calories are not burnt off. Childhood inactivity is highly associated with obesity.

Preschool study carried out in 2009 showed that 89% of preschoolers in the US lead a sedentary lifestyle ((Dietz & Stern 1999, 23). Childhood obesity results from an interaction between genetic and other factors. 80% of children born from both obese parents are also more likely to be obese as compared to 10% of children born from non-obese parents (Kopelman 2005, 82). Psychological problems such as low self-esteem can influence eating habits of those affected.

Early introduction of solid food to infants is the major cause of obesity among children below the age of five years. According to Ferry (2011) children are also introduced to high-fat snacks as well as sugary junk food which results to high calories consumption. In addition, most children especially those in urban towns are not trained to develop healthy exercise habits. They spend much time watching television or playing video games.

According to (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011), just a third of school going children in the US get daily physical education. Low socioeconomic status could lead to poor nutrition as most families tend to eat high calorie foods to cater for their high activity level. Genetic factors could also cause obesity although the chances are very minimal unless the child eats more food.

The survey carried out showed that poor nutrition causes about 34% of the child obesity. 38% of children reported less consumption of vegetables and fruits. Low socioeconomic status highly contributed to poor nutrition among obese children. It also showed that children who watch television or play video games for more than four hours a day are 22% more likely to suffer from obesity.

When asked about how often they did exercise, most children responded negatively. However, about 36% said they suffered from obesity because their parents were also obese.

How child obesity affect childrens social life

Previous studies have discovered that obesity is highly associated with low self-esteem. Decreased self-esteem causes sadness in about 19% of children suffering from obesity. Low self-esteem also causes 21% of them to feel nervous (Strauss 2000, 15). Low self-esteem makes children less confident and therefore they are not able to interact with their peers. They are therefore condemned to loneliness. Feelings of depression could make a child to overeat (Goodman & Whitaker 2002, 498).

Childhood obesity causes several social problems to the affected children. Obesity could lead to psychosocial problems such as low self-esteem as well as reduced social networking (Gardner 2009). Such children may also suffer from depression due to discrimination and harassment from their peers and family members (Ferry 2011). This could possible cause loneliness in children who are obese. They are therefore likely to develop poor social skills.

About 8.2% of obese adolescents said they were feeling depressed. 31% said that they were teased by their peers while 19% said that they were accepted by their peers. Majority of the children said that they suffered from loneliness. It is assumed that they are not able to do most physical activities. This has led to low self-esteem among obese children. Between 24% and 38% said that they suffered from low self-esteem.

Prevention of obesity in children

Exclusive breast-feeding of newborn infants is highly recommended for nutritional benefits (Dietz & Stern 1999, 12). It is likely to help protect the child against obesity that could occur in later life. Major priority should be given to teaching children and parents about nutrition and healthy diet.

Children should also be provided with healthy food choices. They should be provided with snacks that contain low sodium, fat as well as sugar content (Shield & Mullen 2002, 123). Children should also be taught on the need to maintain a health activity level. Sedentary lifestyle should be discouraged and television viewing time should be limited. Physical education in schools should also be enhanced.

Reference List

Aziz, F., Jalali-Farahani, S., Mirmiran, p., & Sherafat-Kazemzadeh, R., 2010, Childhood obesity in the Middle East: A review. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 16(9). Nasr City, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean: World Health Organization.

Barnes, J., 2011, Childhood obesity: Statistics and trends. Web.

Carroll, M., D., Curtin, L., R., Flegal, K., M., Lamb, M., M., & Ogden, C., L., 2010, Prevalence of high body mass index in U.S: children and adolescents, 2007- 2008. JAMA 303(3):242-9. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011, Overweight and obesity. Web.

Dietz, W., H., & Stern, L., 1999, The official complete home reference guide to your childs nutrition. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics. pp.12, 23.

Ferry, R., J., 2011, Obesity in children. Web.

Gardner, T., 2009, The 5 problems caused by childhood obesity. Web.

Goodman, E., & Whitaker, R., C., 2002,. A prospective study of the role of depression in the development and persistence of adolescent obesity. Pediatrics 110 (3): 497504. San Diego: US American Psychological Association.

Kopelman, P., G., 2005, Clinical obesity in adults and children: In Adults and Children. Blackwell Publishing. P. 82.

Madani, K., A., 2000, Obesity in Saudi Arabia. Bahrain Medical Buletin, 22(3): 1-9. Bahrain: Bahrain Medical Association.

Shield, J., & Mullen, M. C. (2002). The American Dietetic Association guide to healthy eating for kids: How your children can eat smart from five to twelve. New York: Wiley. p. 123.

Strauss, R., S., 2000, Childhood obesity and self-esteem. Pediatrics 105 (1). San Diego: US American Psychological Association. P. 15.