What is the best way to address obesity in America?

Essay by marie1025College, Undergraduate July 2010

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What is the best way to address obesity in America?

America has the largest number of obese people in the world. According to the Center for Disease control, "obesity in adults has increased by 60% within the past twenty years and obesity in children has tripled in the past thirty years (Doane, 2010)." So what is it that Americans are doing so differently than the rest of the world? Shouldn't one of the richest most technologically advanced countries in the world also be one of the healthiest?

American's busy lifestyle has turned us into a society reliant on fast food, and microwave dinners. Most American's find it difficult not to take advantage of the low prices and convenience fast food chains have to offer. As a mother of three young children, I have found myself at the drive through window when in a time crunch and in need of a quick meal.

The convenience many times overshadows the fact that these meals are "loaded with saturated fats, sodium, sugar and contain almost no nutrients"(Obesity in America). It seems an unlikely coincidence that the mainstreaming of fast food restaurants in the past thirty years coincides with the steady rise in childhood obesity.

Fast food chains do not make the dangerously high calorie and fat content of the food they offer readily available to the consumer. The portions served by fast food chains and are also larger than the recommended portion size for most foods, making the consumer think they are getting more for their money.

Obesity is a problem that has many factors contributing to it; fast food is only one of many. Some experts also think television watching is directly linked to obesity as well as the economic status of the consumer. Having so many contributing factors also means...