Obesity Rising 1

Pikes Peak Community College

Obesity Rising

News Analysis

Gloria Nikolai

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

SOC 101-125

Introduction to Sociology I

By

Sari Barnes

Colorado Springs, Colorado

June 2012
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Abstract

Discussed are the social applications of obesity, the risks and possible outcomes. There is a

rising number of Americans becoming obese and developing health issues.

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Obesity Rising

Americans are growing, but not in the way people would probably think like our

economy or technology. This time it’s something else. America’s obesity rates are climbing and

Americans themselves are living more unhealthy lifestyles. With these unhealthy eating habits

and lifestyles, it can easily be assumed that illness and common diseases that are attached to

obesity would be on the rise as well, along with health care costs skyrocketing. What does this

entail for Americans who are obese and why such an increase? How are these people viewed in

society?

Point One and Summarization

For American adults, about thirty five point seven percent are obese (Bouquet, 2012). It

is clearly stated that obesity can cause many diseases such as diabetes and cancer. In a span of

about eight years, children diagnosed with type two diabetes has increased by twenty one percent

(Bouquet, 2012). These can be easily avoided if Americans consumed foods better for their

bodies. Sadly, Americans are often times unaware of what is really in the foods they eat and the

portions they are exposed to. Not to also mention that the foods put out there for consumption are

ones that are very poor in nutrients anyway. Also, scientist have been discovering that people’s

diets and even their genetics play a role in determining their illnesses (Bouquet, 2012).

Consequently, people of America do have access to information about nutritional value of some

foods, but are often misguided with the dieting fads. On top of all these pressures, there seems to

be different dieting trends that become popular all the time and healthcare costs that are above

many people’s comprehension. In health care costs, chronic diseases caused by obesity make up

for about seventy five percent of the costs (Bouquet, 2012).

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Point Two

Though Americans have set goals to become a healthier society, it would seem that there

are many obstacles society puts in the way of these goals. It would seem that a lot of foods that

are readily available are a lot less healthy for people, probably because they are also cheaper to

purchase. Again, portions are much larger in America than before. “According to a 2007 paper

published in the Journal of Public Health Policy, portion sizes offered by fast food chains are two

to five times larger than when first introduced (Monte, 2008)”. America gives the idea that it

wants to become a healthier nation and constantly debates on the best diets and ways to attain

these goals, but at the same time, has such a high rate of diseases because of such high exposure

to unhealthy foods. The American society seems undereducated about nutritional knowledge and

lack making better food decisions. As said in the article of Ralph Bouquet, America is “a nation

that is overfed and undernourished.” This is the strain theory in action, which is the different

levels of difficulty in obtaining what is seen as normal or proper, which causes some people to

change either how they reach this goal or what they see the goal as, to accept it or to change

them altogether (Kimmel and Aronson, 2009). Being physically healthy and having healthy

foods and smaller portions is what is deemed as acceptable and proper, but there is much

difficulty in obtaining this with the facts stated. There are many conformists who accept

searching for the healthier foods among all the unhealthy ones and value the idea of having a

healthier lifestyle, which will lower their risk of being diagnosed with such diseases that are

linked with obesity, which also can lower health care costs. They may or may not be obese

themselves, but they find it important to eat healthy and to lower their chances of such diagnoses.

They may even participate in exercising, which is commonly connected with eating well.

Innovators can see that, as beneficial as living a healthier lifestyle is, they themselves will not go
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out of their way to practice it or maybe are financially unable to do so, with healthier foods

normally costing more than fast foods or foods that are readily available. These people like the

idea presented, but won’t be seen eating healthier foods, exercising, or maybe they take the

means of surgery or other health practices to avoid becoming obese (though this often doesn’t

lower health care costs). Rebels reject this altogether and may see it as more beneficial to be

obese and eat whatever foods are readily available. This could be said for people who admire big

women or men or admire the image of people who are obese. Retreatists are on neither side and

don’t accept either means nor values to being or not being obese and what that entails. They do

not aspire to any means or values on either side.

Point Three

It could be assumed that in today’s society, being obese is seen as a deviance in the

context that it is breaking a social rule of not being “healthy” and “slim” which is deemed good.

Again, mentioned earlier, many people outright refuse to follow along a healthier lifestyle for

reasons such as disinterest to possibly not being able to financially do so. It is most often times

seen as unacceptable to be obese and acceptable to live a lifestyle where one can be physically

fit. More often, being obese is commonly a negative thing because it does go along with the

common chronic diseases mentioned beforehand. Those who are obese are commonly

stigmatized as unhealthy for these reasons. One can look at this and say that Americans must be

resocialized in their dietary habits and physical activities. Americans aren’t meeting their needs

in nutritional health, causing many health complications and chronic diseases. In definition by

Kimmel and Aronson, resocialization means “learning new sets of values, behaviors, and

attitudes that are different from those you previously held.” As a nation, it seems crucial that

Americans change the way in which they eat, in which they prepare foods, in which they
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essentially take in food and how much (portion control), and considering that food items

nutritional value. It can be a new idea of “you are what you eat”. Also, seeing how eating well

and exercise can benefit one’s health. The values of one’s health coming first would be crucial.

Once this is accomplished, there could be a significant drop in things like heart disease and

diabetes, along with the decline of overwhelming health care costs for treating diseases

associated with obesity. America’s youth would grow into this new idea and expectation that

they must eat healthy to live healthy. The failure to resocialize Americans into becoming a

healthier nation would most likely only bring about higher numbers in these rates.

Conclusion

Overall, Americans can see the ideas that must be in place for a healthier nation, but

cannot attain their interest in eating better without making nutritional information much more

prevalent and reducing the overall costs of healthier food choices. It seems in the last few

decades, it has become far easier to become overweight due to increased food portions and

reduced price for less healthful alternatives. These facts have led to an increase in obesity related

health problems and has developed a stigma that obesity is a negative quality for modern

Americans. It can be viewed as a deviance and, with increasing numbers of people who are

becoming obese and attaining these health issues through obesity, Americans must go through a

process of resocialization for a healthier society in order to change these statistics. If they fail to

do so, the outcome can only be a grim rise in obesity, higher health care costs and more

complications for future generations of America.

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References

Bouquet, R. (2012, June 27). American Obesity Crisis Paradox: The Richest Country With the

Best Doctors Has a 35.7% Obesity Rate. In polymic.com. Retrieved June 29, 2012, from

http://www.policymic.com/articles/10260/american-obesity-crisis-paradox-the-richest-

country-with-the-best-doctors-has-a-35-7-obesity-rate

Kimmel, M., & Aronson, A. (2009). Sociology Now (pp. 149-179). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Monte, L. (2008, May). Portion Size, Then vs. Now. In divinecaroline.com. Retrieved June 29,

2012, from http://www.divinecaroline.com/22177/49492-portion-size-vs-now

*Note: Article used for essay is first reference by Ralph Bouquet.