On average, 2.8 million people die from the obesity epidemic every year. For most, obesity can be caused by eating too much and exercising too little. If the energy consumed from food is not burned off, it will transform into fat. Body mass index, an indicator for weight, is 18.5 to 24.9 for a healthy adult, but for an obese adult, it is 30 and above. Some consequences that follow obesity are diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Obesity rates worldwide have tripled since 1975. In America, the obesity rate is now 42.5 percent for adults and 18.5 percent for children aged 2 to 19 years old. Nauru has the highest obesity rate at 61 percent and Japan has the lowest at 3.9 percent. Just from this information, it is evident that different countries have varied obesity rates. We need to investigate why this disparity exists.
Physical activity plays an enormous role in one’s lifestyle. The amount of physical activity one receives can be correlated to how obese one is. For instance, only 23 percent of Americans get the recommended amount of exercise per week. This leaves the other 77 percent in bad health. Globally, 31.1 percent or 1.5 billion of the world's adults do not get the suggested 150 minutes of exercise. Americans claim that exercising interferes with their other priorities. In the United States, people work an average of 47 hours per week sitting at a desk all day. For children, many schools do not offer exercise programs. The National Center for Education Statistics found that only 17 to 22 percent of public elementary schools offer daily PE classes. A consequence of this is the rise of screen time. A study of 70,000 teens in 34 nations found that one-third of children spent 3 hours watching television or using computers. It was also found that children in Myanmar were the least active and in the Cayman Islands, they were the most active. To add on, if people were to travel one block down the street, they would most likely choose to ride in a car, train, or bus and then take the time out of their day to walk for five minutes and get into shape. Even if people make the time for physical activity, there are not enough places to do so. When people do not exercise, their muscles get weak and they start to put on pounds, leading to obesity.
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Just as a sedentary lifestyle affects one’s weight, so does one’s diet. The amount of junk food being consumed in America is a growing problem. Since junk food is nonperishable, it has a long shelf life and can be shipped almost anywhere in the world. For example in Africa, there are food deserts, which can be defined as urban neighborhoods with high food insecurity and low dietary diversity. This makes it difficult to access healthy food. Additionally, unhealthy food is less costly than healthy food. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, a healthy diet costs about $1.50 more a day than an unhealthy diet. Expenses on food alone can easily turn into hardship for a family of four, as the most important thing is to be able to provide for your family. This is where unhealthy food plays its part, therefore causing obesity rates to grow. As for children, they receive more than 50 percent of their calories at school. Unhealthy food served in many vending machines in schools around the world, plays a great role in obesity, as well. According to a study from the Journal of Adolescent Health, 97 percent of high schools and 80 percent of middle schools have vending machines. Of these vending machines, 83 percent of them offer food that barely meets the federal standards that are supposed to limit the amounts of salt, fat, and sugar. As an educated high school student, I can tell you that from my observations, vending machines do not sell healthy food. For example, baked chips are supposed to serve as a healthy alternative to fried chips. The truth is that even though baked chips may contain less fat, they are not necessarily nutritious.
Furthermore, food and beverage television commercials are partly to blame for the increase in child obesity. In England, one in six kids between the age of 10 and 11 years old are obese. Children are constantly being exposed to unhealthy food advertisements because companies often use cartoons and sports teams to grab a child’s attention. In addition, a new study finds that teenagers who watch more than 3 hours of commercial television eat more junk food than those who watch less television. Of the teens in this study, 139 percent were more likely to drink carbonated drinks and 65 percent were more likely to eat processed meals than freshly cooked meals. According to the Obesity Health Alliance, 60 percent of commercials have been reported to advertise unhealthy food and drinks. This ultimately leads younger viewers to crave and consume food that leads to obesity. Ten percent of unhealthy food commercials promote fast food restaurants, which increases the number of annual fast food transactions. Researchers found that as this number increases, the average BMI increases from 25.8 to 26.4. Fast food is somewhat responsible for obesity because it has unhealthy ingredients, costs less, and is more convenient. All this munching can lead to repercussions that can follow people for the rest of their lives. For instance, obese workers often struggle to find jobs when compared to thinner workers. Not to mention, obese people tend to earn less money as well. A study found that corpulent women made $19,000 less than women of average weight, while thinner women made $22,000 more per year. It was also found that gaining 25 pounds was equivalent to losing $14,000 in salary per year.
An uneducated lifestyle can lead to misguidance and poor choices. Lack of education plays a vital role in the growing obesity rates in all nations. Many people are not aware of the detrimental health effects of obesity. In some countries, obesity is seen as being able to provide for your family. For example, in some Sub-Saharan nations, people relate slenderness with AIDS and healthiness with obesity. In other countries such as Nigeria and Gambia, women identify obesity as being a sign of wealth and beauty. Additionally in the United States., The National Center for Education Statistics found that for children from kindergarten through eighth grade, only 50 percent of all schools have district or state requirements for students to receive nutrition education. In many schools, fruit juice is served as an alternative to soda even though it is not much better. Because of this, parents cannot rely on schools to teach their kids adequate eating habits. Parents must teach their children how to maintain their bodies at home. The education level of parents also impacts obesity rates. A study found that obese children are more likely to live in homes where the heads of the households lack high school diplomas. Lower child obesity rates were linked to parents with higher educations. Education itself is not what influences obesity. It is the benefits that come with education, such as healthier foods, safer places to exercise, and better employment opportunities. These things ultimately allow a family to afford a healthy lifestyle.
There is clearly a reason why the obesity rates in countries such as Italy, Japan, and Korea are significantly lower. It starts with better dietary habits. In Italy, the Mediterranean diet is the most popular among its people. It consists of homemade meals with high amounts of vegetables, grains, fruits, and seafood. It is also extremely low in red meat and added sugars. Italians satisfy their sweet tooths with fruits instead of surgery and baked goods. Most importantly, the thing that sets Italians apart from the United States is that they stop eating when they are full. Japanese and Korean diets are also filled with vegetables and seafood but with a reasonable addition of rice. It has been found that Japanese people consume 200 fewer calories than Americans. If we want to change the diets of people in the U.S. and the U.K., we also need to find a way to limit the amount of junk food advertisements. The media must try to promote healthier lifestyles on television and the internet. The U.K. government has already put a ban on junk food commercials before 9 pm on behalf of children. In order for children to have healthier diets in the future, it is necessary to start early and educate them in nutrition.
Another way to alter diets is to find sufficient substitutes for unhealthy foods. For instance, school vending machines in Finland are filled with xylitol lozenges. Xylitol is a natural, sugar-free sweetener that serves as a dessert and a cavity preventer. Another example is in North Karelia, Finland, where overconsumption of butter and red meat in men was discovered. They were taught to use vegetable oil and to cook more greens instead, in order to live a healthier lifestyle. If we want to lower carbohydrate consumption rates, we must swap out bread and fried foods for something else. For example, pizza crust made out of cauliflower has become increasingly popular. This satisfies the craving of eating pizza while eating a healthy meal. Instead of pasta, some alternatives can be spiralized vegetables or pasta made from beans. Another common replacement is using lettuce instead of tortillas when eating wraps. If you are craving a salty snack, kale chips serve as a good substitute for chips. If you want candy, dried fruits can make the perfect sweet alternative. If people make use of these suggestions, they will be able to lose weight and prevent obesity.
Preventing obesity in the future puts another responsibility on schools. For example, starting in kindergarten, students in Finland have mandatory exercise breaks outside to get fresh air. Similarly in Germany, parents are getting involved. German children receive exercise homework such as brushing their teeth while standing on one foot. While exercise is important for young children, a healthy meal is equally important. As said before, children receive most of their calories at school. Even though countries across the globe have implemented policies that are supposed to reduce unhealthy lunches, many schools are not actually able to meet them. In order for these policies to have an impact, we must overcome some obstacles. These are being able to budget for purchasing and preparing healthful food, teaching students to accept healthful options, and decreasing the ways to access unhealthy food outside school.
It is evident that people are not capable of reducing obesity rates on their own. This is where the help of government policies and prevention efforts come into play. The WHO suggested that countries enforce policies to replace trans fats with polyunsaturated fats, reduce salt intake, and encourage knowledge about healthy diets and the significance of physical activity. Some recommended policies include economic incentives for farmers to market healthy and fresh foods, disincentives for industries to market processed foods and soft drinks, reducing subsidies to farmers and companies who use great amounts of fertilizers, pesticides, chemicals, and antibiotics, and stricter rules towards fast-food advertising.
Even though obesity has become a tremendous global issue, people can easily overcome it by changing their lifestyles. With the growing numbers, it is necessary that we put a stop to obesity immediately. If we want our children to live long healthy lives, we must educate them from an early age. People must learn to realize that the amount of exercise and the type of foods they eat matter. The best way to make this happen is to make sure the media promotes healthy lifestyles and their long-term benefits. If the world can accomplish some of these tasks, obesity rates might just decrease.
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