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Health Crisis In the U.S

There are many things that are associated with health. This is something that can be

controversial and can have different interpretations. One thing that is certain is that the United

States is one of the “unhealthiest” countries in the world. Though the biggest culprits of this

health crisis would likely be the fast food industry, there are actually many other factors that

negatively impact the health crisis in This country

Participating in a healthy lifestyle consists of many factors. Some basic factors would

include physical, nutritional and mental health. These all play a large role in not just being

healthy but also feeling healthy. Studies done by Harvard Medical School have shown that

“people who met criteria for all five habits enjoyed significantly longer lives than those who had

none”.(Healthy lifestyle: 5 keys to a longer life) Even saying how the more habits that people

adopt into their lives have shown to have longer lifespans. This portrays the importance of

making little changes in a lifestyle, and how it can have drastically positive impacts on human

health. This all in all stresses how vital health is and how much it affects everyone in this world.

Not only this but how health has been a key to the human race's very existence.

All of the positive habits that make a healthy lifestyle are like a puzzle, the more pieces

put together, the more clear the big picture can be seen. Exercise and eating habits go hand in

hand to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Exercising, another major contributor to a healthy lifestyle,

also has many categories ranging from aerobic based exercise such as running, swimming, and
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biking, and then there is strength training such as lifting weights. Any form of exercise can be

very beneficial to the human body. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,

someone who partakes in regular physical activity can show improvements of “brain health, help

manage weight,reduce the risk of disease…and improve your ability to do everyday activities.”

Many people will tend to stick to things that are in their comfort zone, which can limit and even

discourage many people from participating in exercise. Any type of exercise with consistency

will show immense benefit in the human body, not to mention the great amount of benefits that it

will provide.

Apart from this, there are more than just the physical factors that make up a healthy

lifestyle. Mental health is a major contributor to a human's well being. Mental health is very

crucial because it can be affected by factors like exercise, and dieting, and can affect how a

person will go on about day to day activities. According to the Center for Disease Control and

prevention(CDC),mental health is what allows the human body to “determine how we handle

stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.”, all in all this shows the importance of

practicing good mental health habits and what it does for the human body and why it is important

to take mental health seriously because of the major role it plays in living a healthy lifestyle.

Though there are many great ways to stay in shape and live a healthy lifestyle, there are

many factors which lead to the United States being one of the unhealthiest countries in the world.

Fast food is a major contributing factor to the American health crisis. Not just this but fast food

can almost be found in every corner of every city in this country. Apart from being so abundant,

it is also relatively cheap, and like how it is in the name “fast”. There is no wonder why many

Americans use fast food as an outlet to get out of cooking, or perhaps because there is not

enough money to put a nutritious meal on the table. A study done by (Fast Food: Oppression
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Through Poor Nutrition, Freeman Andrea” stated how “Now,one in four Americans visits a fast

food restaurant every day.” Not just this but shows in the study the rising popularity throughout

the years and the major role it not only plays in health but also the economy, and how these

major fast food industries are putting business rather than the well being of the customers.

Through this information it is clear that very little is put into making options for Americans more

healthy, this is why fast food is a significant factor in the human health crisis in this country.

Fast food is relatively very cheap, and of course fast just like the name goes. This means

that this is a major outlet for the less fortunate because of how relatively cheap it is, and it can be

a lot cheaper than putting a nutritious meal on the table. Not just this but the fast food industry

purposefully targets children through advertising because “children are more susceptible to

manipulation, but they also represent a long-term investment. Eating habits developed in

childhood usually continue through adulthood.” (Fast Food: Oppression Through Poor Nutrition,

Freeman Andrea. Through This information, it is clear that the fast food industry uses strategies

in order to attract not just new customers, but lifetime customers which will keep buying the

product because it has now become habitual to eat fast food for the adolescence transitioning into

the adult years.

Additionally, the fast food industry uses other cruel strategies so that the industry is able

to keep Americans coming back for more and more. Studies and research have found that fast

food chains purposefully put their fast food restaurants in lower income neighborhoods, a study

done in Los Angeles shows that “fast food locations in Los Angeles, 1,087 were found to be

within a half a mile radius of neighborhoods whose household income is below the states median

household income.”(“Are there more fast food restaurants in low income neighborhoods”, Amie

Mohai). This goes to show how lower income families and neighborhoods are key targets for the
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fast food industry because of how relatively cheap and convenient and very close they are to

these lower class Americans.

Furthermore, fast food is not just affecting the nutritional factor in a healthy lifestyle. It

has also been seen to affect mental health. The worst part about this crisis is that many

Americans use fast food as an outlet to relieve mental health. It is very common for people to

have comfort foods and fast food is a very popular choice. Studies done by (LiveWell Dorset)

stated how ”eating high-fat fast food and junk food on a regular basis can not only impact your

physical health, it can have a detrimental effect on your mood and influence mental health

conditions.” not just this but also how ”ingredients such as salt, sugar and fat are sometimes

added to processed foods to enhance flavor and extend shelf life. This can lead to people eating

more than the recommended amount on a weekly basis, which not only affects physical health,

but your brain health too.” This evidence shows the detrimental effects of all of the excess things

in fast food and what they can do to the human body. The fast food Industry is risking the health

of Americans in order for food to be able to stay fresh for as long as possible.

Though the negative effects which are made by the fast food industry are significant,

there are even bigger culprits such as poverty, lack of healthy habits like malnutrition and lack of

exercise, the smoking/vaping epidemic in the U.S, and social media views on body image things

which can impact a human's lifestyle.

To begin, a major problem which has been plaguing the U.S for a long time would have

to be poverty. Having less money can impact things like access to nutritious food, access to

commercial weights for exercise, and of course health care. A study done by (The

CommonWealth Fund) showed that The United States spends more on healthcare than any other

country in the world, and yet has one of the lowest life expectancies compared to those same
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countries that the U.S spends more money on healthcare. This just goes to show the importance

of how money should be spent in order to attack the problem at large which is the low life

expectancy rate in this country.

In addition, another major contributing factor to the human health crisis in the United

States would be the lack of healthy habits. According to Forbes, a shocking statistic shows that

“Just 28% Of Americans Are Exercising Enough”, this means that more than half of Americans

are not meeting the minimum requirement of doing 150 minutes of exercise per week.This

means that Americans are not receiving the immense benefit of exercise . Though the United

States may be a superpower and a beacon of freedom in the world, Through this it is very clear

that health is not something that is taken as a priority.

Another major contributor to the human health crisis in this country would be social

media and more specifically the role that it plays in the body image problem, and the effects that

it can have mostyle on young adults(teens). First off, there are many models and celebrities

which are on all kinds of social media platforms ranging from instagram to tik tok. The models

and internet celebrities can create a false image on how a “healthy body” is supposed to look

like. This causes social media users to have beauty ideals on how a healthy body is supposed to

look like. A study done by the (American Psychological association) showed that “Teens and

young adults who reduced their social media use by 50% for just a few weeks saw significant

improvement in how they felt about both their weight and their overall appearance.” This shows

the importance of social media in creating a facade of beauty ideals and how it can cause

dissatisfaction in one's own view of their body.

Another major contributor to the human health crisis in the United States would have to

be the smoking/e-cigarette problem that is not just plaguing Americans but more specifically
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young adults that are still in high school and middle school. To continue, even though cigarettes

seem to be becoming more old school, there was a large wave of popularity when it came to e-

cigarettes, these are still growing in popularity and can come in all shapes in sizes and many

different kinds of flavors. A study done by (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) showed

that 2.55 million U.S. middle and high school students reported current (past 30-day) e-cigarette

use in 2022, which includes 14.1% of high school students and 3.3% of middle school students.

Nearly 85% of those youth used flavored e-cigarettes and more than half used disposable e-

cigarettes.” This clearly shows the major problem that this has on the youth and the major

problems that it can cause in the future such as heart disease and lung cancer.

To continue, though there are many factors which contribute to the human health crisis in

the United States. Over time if certain habits are not changed like eating too much fast food, lack

of exercise, lack of healthy habits, then this can lead to health problems down the road. Disease

such as Diabetes, heart issues, and obesity which can all have been prevented for the most part

with the right precautions. Disease is also another plague which has been in full effect in the

United States for a very long time.

The United States is without a doubt a very strong and powerful country, a place where

many people go in search of better opportunities. The biggest enemies lie within the country,

those enemies are diseases like obesity and diabetes. A study done by (The CommonWealth

fund) showed that in 2019, the United States had the highest rates of obesity than any other

country in the world. Some countries which it outranked include Germany, and Canada just to

name a couple. All in all this shows how high obesity rates are, not to mention it is only trending

upwards because of factors like overconsumption of fast food, and poor healthy habits that are

made.
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In Addition, Obesity from poor healthy habits can contribute to other diseases in the long

run such as diabetes and heart disease. Sadly, diabetes and heart issues are responsible for many

deaths in the United States. A study done by (The CommonWealth Fund) showed that The

United States has one of the highest deaths of preventable causes like diabetes. This clearly

shows how the American people are not doing what is best in order to take precautions from

things like diabetes and other diseases which can be prevented.

All in all through seeing the major causes of the human health crisis in the United States,

even though the fast food industry may seem like the biggest culprit for plaguing the U.S with all

of these issues, their are actually substantially more issues which lead to this crisis on not just a

national scale but a global scale.