Cultural Context of American Obesity

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Table of Contents

Introduction
American Behavioral Changes
Mental Health Factors
Importance of External Cues
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Few public health issues in the United States are as evident as obesity. More than 79 million American adults are seen as obese, which constitutes one-third of the population (Wexler, 2016). Although there are various explanations for this phenomenon, it is definitely connected with eating. The past decades have seen a dramatic change in the quantity as well as the quality of products available for Americans, which also influenced culture. Nowadays, US citizens are exposed to a variety of factors that cause them to overeat and develop health disorders leading to obesity. This paper will explore the food-rich socio-economic context as the primary reason for health issues related to eating.

American Behavioral Changes

Obesity became an issue for Americans when the abundance of food was combined with the reduction of necessary physical activity. It is known that an individual’s weight directly relates to their level of activity and the number of consumed calories. As Wexler (2016) argues, “the inventions of the industrial revolution such as cars, automation, and a variety of laborsaving devices sharply reduced levels of physical activity”, while the average intake of food remained the same (p. 11). As a result, the average American was consuming calories that their organism would process into fat instead of burning them.

However, the quality of food was also a new factor. A common viewpoint is that food producers engineered “highly processed industrial foods that use salt, fat, and added sugar to trigger cravings in some people” (Wexler, 2016, p. 19). Meanwhile, the size of portions served at restaurants and fast food outlets became larger than the healthy nutritional demand. Unable to resist the urge to eat as much food as possible, many have found themselves quickly gaining weight. The economic environment did not help, as the hectic lifestyle necessitated quick access to food, which was enabled by the abundance of fast food chains. Combined with large nutritional intake, the quantity of food ingredients determined the emerging widespread obesity.

Mental Health Factors

The abundance of food and opportunities to eat out has inevitably affected psychological aspects of self-control. The study by Jiménez-Murcia et al. (2019) has explored the relationship between food addiction and mental disorders. One of their principal findings was that eating disorder conditions were characterized by “dysfunctional personality traits, greater impulsivity, and more general psychopathology” (Jiménez-Murcia et al., 2019, p. 9). In essence the less psychologically resilient a person is, the more likely they are to experience food cravings and indulge themselves. It is well known that eating is a method of suppressing stress, which is encouraged by the urgency of modern lifestyle and the abundance of fast food.

Once the psychological aspects of eating are considered, the onset of subsequent disorders becomes more evident. Jiménez-Murcia et al. (2019) argue that “intense desire or urge to eat a particular type of food also, at a neural level, resembles responses to drug cues” (p. 10). As any dopamine-rich activity, eating food high in sugar is related to novelty seeking. As much as drug users have difficulty resisting substance consumption, people with eating disorders experience more cravings than those without them (Jiménez-Murcia et al., 2019). Therefore, emotional regulation is a vital predictor of a person’s propensity for succumbing to binge eating and developing eating disorders that cause obesity.

Importance of External Cues

If eating disorders are addictions, they have to be addressed within the context of neuropsychology. The study by Hay and Mitchison (2019) explores the connection between obesity and eating disorders. They have analyzed the effectiveness of bariatric surgery in treating obesity and have found that “poor mental health and eating prompted by external cues prior to surgery were associated with poorer outcomes post-surgery” (Hay & Mitchison, 2019, p. 3). The same idea was stated by Jiménez-Murcia et al. (2019), who viewed availability of fast food as a predictor of risk behavior for food addicts. The subsequent implication is that in order to treat eating disorder, it is essential to remove cues.

This observation has also been made during the pandemic-related isolation. Fernández‐Aranda et al. (2020) have studied the effect of the quarantine measures on people with eating disorders. Surprisingly, the researchers have found that “the disordered eating improved during the COVID-19 pandemic”, while “people with AN [anorexia nervosa] reported a significant decrease in ED [eating disorder] symptomatology and emotional dysregulation after confinement”. This finding is actually logical when the availability of fast food is considered as an external cue. With most outlets being closed and people limited in their movements, there was no signal sent to the brain that would activate the food craving response.

Conclusion

Altogether, it should be evident that the link between obesity and socio-economic context is primarily psychological. As technology required less movement from humans, physical activity reduced, while the caloric intake remained the same. The abundance of highly nutritious food became an external cue that propelled Americans to overeat. Inability to control cravings has caused the development of eating disorders, which were further exacerbated by mental health issues. The most appropriate solution to obesity is to minimize the presence of cues that would launch an individual into uncontrolled binge eating.

References

Fernández‐Aranda, F., Munguía, L., Mestre‐Bach, G., Steward, T., Etxandi, M., Baenas, I., Granero, R., Sánchez, I., Ortega, E., Andreu, A., Moize, V. L., Fernández-Real, J. M., Tinahones, F. J., Diegüez, C., Frühbeck, G., Le Grange, D., Tchanturia, K., Karwautz, A., Zeoler, M.,… & Jiménez‐Murcia, S. (2020). COVID Isolation Eating Scale (CIES): Analysis of the impact of confinement in eating disorders and obesity—A collaborative international study. European Eating Disorders Review, 28(6), 871-883. Web.

Hay, P., & Mitchison, D. (2019). Eating disorders and obesity: The challenge for our times. Nutrients, 11(5), 1-4. Web.

Jiménez-Murcia, S., Agüera, Z., Paslakis, G., Munguia, L., Granero, R., Sánchez-González, J., Sánchez, I., Riesco, N., Gearhardt, A. N., Dieguez, C., Fazia, G., Segura-García, C., Baenas, I., Menchón, J. M., & Fernández-Aranda, F. (2019). Food addiction in eating disorders and obesity: Analysis of clusters and implications for treatment. Nutrients, 11(11), 1-16. Web.

Wexler, B. (2016). Americans weigh in over time. In B. Wexler (Ed.), Weight in America (pp. 1-23). Cengage Gale.

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Cultural Context of American Obesity

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