Hernandez1

Miguel Hernandez

“Professor Hugetz”

“ENGL 1302.06”

“21 October, 2020”

Causal Proposal Essay

People face a lot of problems around the world. Some of those problems can be a

pandemic, a natural disaster, hunger, poverty and wars between countries. However there is

another problem that has become a serious problem in the life of people and that problem is

obesity. Obesity is a problem that millions of people deal with and among all those people there

is a high percentage of children. Obesity can be a silent problem that can cause a variety of

problems in people’s health. For example, adolescent obesity is a growing problem in the U.S. In

the past 30 years, the number of obese adolescents has quadrupled, leading to more than one-

third of adolescents in the U.S. being overweight or obese. The cause of this growing number is a

combination of genetic and environmental factors; however, weight gain can be limited by

implementing a healthy lifestyle, including physical activity. This type of pandemic can also be

caused by the lack of healthy food, the lack of better health care and the lack of inclusion to

sports such as soccer and other physical activities.

Studies reveal that the cause of obesity is the lack of health care to people specialty

among minorities. The study shows that the disparities in prevalence of obesity in racial/ethnic

minorities are apparent as early as the preschool years and factors including genetics, diet,

physical activity, psychological factors, stress, income, and discrimination, among others, must

be taken into consideration. A multidisciplinary team optimizes lifestyle and behavioral

interventions, pharmacologic therapy, and access to bariatric surgery to develop the most
 Hernandez2

beneficial and equitable treatment plans to slow down the levels of obesity in people of low

income. Obese people incur higher health care costs at a given point in time, but how rising

obesity rates affect spending growth over time is unknown. We estimate obesity-attributable

health care spending increases between 1987 and 2001. Increases in the proportion of and

spending on obese people relative to people of normal weight account for 27 percent of the rise

in inflation-adjusted per capita spending between 1987 and 2001; spending for diabetes, 38

percent; spending for hyperlipidemia, 22 percent; and spending for heart disease, 41 percent.

Increases in obesity prevalence alone account for 12 percent of the growth in health spending.

(Thorpe et al. The Impact of Obesity on Rising Medical Spending) the article is clear that

minorities are the one who struggle with this obesity problem that is considered as a pandemic by

some health organizations. Obesity can be caused by many different issues. Stress, lack of

opportunities, and the lack of information can be considered one of the reasons why there is an

increase of obesity in America.

Racial disparities, low income and poor diet are one of the reasons for obesity in the

minor communities in the United State of America. The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) plays a key role in tracking data on the burden of obesity and its related racial

and ethnic disparities to provide information that can highlight areas where state and local

actions are most needed. Until further innovations allow for measured data on height and weight

to be available for all states, self-reported data are the best source for understanding where the

burden of obesity is highest among different populations. This understanding is critical given that

the prevalence of obesity is increasing among adults in the United States (1). As such, obesity

continues to put a strain on overall health status, health care costs, productivity, and the capacity

for deployment and readiness of military personnel. Adults with obesity often have multiple-
 Hernandez3

organ system complications from the condition and, as a result, are more at risk for heart disease,

stroke, type 2 diabetes, and multiple types of cancers (2). The estimated annual medical cost of

obesity in the United States was $147 billion in 2008 (3). Compared with spending for someone

of normal weight, medical spending for a person with obesity was $1,429 higher (42% higher)

per year (3). Adult obesity decreases productivity, and the cost of lost productivity is between

$3.4 and $6.4 billion per year (4). Adult obesity also increases the risk of workplace injuries (2).

Obesity among young adults limits the eligibility for many to serve in our military, given the

weight standards for recruitment that nearly 1 in 4 young adults are not able to meet (5).

( (Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Adult Obesity in the United States: CDC's Tracking to Inform

State and Local Action)) The CDC is a very reliable source that studies any kind of disease. In

this case, the CDC is describing the alarming growth of obesity in America. The number of

people with obesity are growing and it does not look like it is going to stop soon. We need to

create a better way of living for those people with low incomes. Creating projects that will help

them to be part of a society that has better life conditions. The CDC article is alarming because

obesity is the cause of plenty of chronic diseases among young and adults. The CDC along with

the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) is working to stop this food

and income disparities among minorities. The article also mentions that one of the diseases that

come with obesity are type 2 diabetes, heart attacks and high cholesterol in people with obesity

problems. With an FY 2019 budget of $103.8 million, DNPAO focuses on improving nutrition,

supporting breastfeeding, increasing physical activity, reducing obesity, and reducing disparities,

which are differences in health status or access to health care across different geographic, racial,

ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.( (About Us Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and

Obesity) it is important to mention that obesity that the government is investing money in order
 Hernandez4

to reduce the high level of obesity in America. The article also mentions that obesity is not just

for minorities or low income communities, this pandemic is also in high income families. The

difference is that in high income families the level of obesity is lower than in low income

families. AmpleHarvest.org is a unique nationwide resource that is eliminating the waste of

food, the outcome being a reduction in hunger and malnutrition along with an improved

environment. It is accomplished by utilizing the Internet to enable 61 million Americans who

grow food in home/community gardens to easily donate their excess harvest to one of 8,797

registered local food pantries spread across all 50 states. These food pantries help nourish the one

out of six Americans (including a quarter of all kids under six) that rely on these pantries.

( (Ending Childhood Obesity) ) It is clear that obesity can be caused by various reasons. People

can be obese by eating plenty of unhealthy food. This type of food can be canned food, box food

and fatty foods.

The lack of inclusion, the low income that families face every day and the lack of

opportunities for people to have access to any physical activities such as soccer and other sports,

can be a great reason why people, especially young people are dealing with obesity. According

to the article, soccer has been the fastest youth sport in the United States of America. Soccer is

an excellent opportunity for adolescents to have or meet the recommended 60 minutes a day of

aerobics physical activity. The article suggests that one of the solutions to the obesity problem is

to do physical activity at least 60 minutes a day. Soccer is a sport where people are constantly

moving. As we know, in other sports players take multiple breaks and the player may do less

moving activity. However, during soccer games players move backward and forward for 90

minutes. According to American Heart Association, people that play soccer can see the results in
 Hernandez5

the first 12 weeks of playing it. This is a great reason why people need to go outside and play at

the park or in open areas. The article also mentions that soccer is a simple sport to play and that

should be a good reason to go to the open fields and play the sport. Creating green areas or

recreational parks near communities or neighborhoods will help people with low income to have

access to go and to do physical activities by playing sports such soccer and others. Soccer is a

sport that will help to create social relations among people. When a group of friends get together

to play soccer, they realize how much they have in common. After they play for a few hours,

people usually start asking questions. These types and talks help people get included in the game

and in their community.

In conclusion, obesity is a pandemic that is affecting more than a third of American

people young and adults. The social status, the low incomes, the lack of opportunities and the

racial discrimination are some of the reasons that caused high levels of obesity in America. It is

clear that the private and public sector are doing something about it, but it is not enough. We

have to stop seeing people differently and do more for those communities that are more likely to

suffer with this pandemic. We live in a country where all is possible and we all must believe that

we can stop injustice among people. We are all equal, we all must have the same opportunities in

order to face problems such as obesity. All these articles clearly describe the problem and they

also present some solutions. It is a fight that we all must fight.

 Hernandez6

Work Cited

“Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Adult Obesity in the United States: CDC's Tracking to

Inform State and Local Action.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, 11 Apr. 2019,

www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2019/18_0579.htm.

“About Us.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 26 Aug. 2020, www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/division-

information/aboutus/index.htm.

“Ending Childhood Obesity.” AmpleHarvest.org, ampleharvest.org/ending-childhood-

obesity.
 Hernandez7

. Thorpe, Kenneth E., et al. “The Impact Of Obesity On Rising Medical Spending.” Health

Affairs, 1 Jan. 1970, www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.W4.480.