The Relationship between Obesity and Fast Food:
The Statistics on
obesity in children and adolescents have gone overboard in the world.
Four percent of children, aged between six and eleven years, and five percent
of adolescents, aged between twelve and nineteen years, are considered overweight.
This healthcare nightmare might follow this delicate population into its
adulthood if drastic measures aren't taken, giving the US a serious health
headache. Although fast foods aren’t the only cause of obesity, they are a major
contributor. In fact, an individual’s weight is directly correlated with how
frequently he visits a fast food restaurant (Davis & Carpenter, 2009).
Additionally, only a few Americans have adjusted their feeding habits.
Nutritional experts prescribe healthy alternatives, but most people opt for
unhealthy provisions. The content of
this literature analysis will be critical in aligning fast food restaurants
with the need to maintain a healthy and obesity-free population.
Some studies have found out a
causal link between obesity and the intake of fast food. Citing the American population study, an
observational study shows that relationship between fast food consumption and weight
gain exists. This study reported that people who ate more than twice a week in
a fast food restaurant gained 4.5 kg more than individuals who ate sparingly at
these joints. Researchers maintained that fast foods are obesogenic due to some
of their characteristics. These properties include portion size, fat content,
and industrially produced trans-fat and energy density. Fast food entrepreneurs
complain that healthy selections provoke little excitement or attention from
consumers than traditional foodstuffs high in calorie, sugar and fat . Studies
employing different variables, such as Jeffery and French (1998) and Powell
(2009), also produced results showing a significance relationship between fast
food and obesity.
Some scholars caution that fast
food is only a part of the lifestyle that induces weight gain and obesity.
Davis and Carpenter (2009) argued that fast food must be supported by a
sedentary lifestyle if it is to induce full-blown obesity. Physical activities, diet restrictions and
lifestyle issues are important contributors to obesity . Although scholars that
present this school of thought back it with worthwhile research , a majority of
other works refute them. Referring to an earlier study, Jacobs (2006) recapped to
a lesser extent the consumption of sweetened fruit drinks and red meat predicts
a weight gain of _0.4 kg/y independent of energy intake, physical activity, and
television viewing. Hence, the causal link between obesity and fast food is a
valid claim that isn’t necessarily dependent on other factors.
In recent years, a debate has
ensued on how fast food restaurant cause and deal with obesity. Tracy (2010)
did a study that seemed to prove that fast food companies are doing little to
fight childhood obesity. Her study showed that only 12 out of 3000 kids meal
combinations meet nutritional requirements. Children are also reported to be
seeing more McDonalds and related ads than they did a couple of years ago
(Tracy 2010). ). Although the government
claims that regulations on fast foods advertisements exist, millions of dollars
spent on advertising these products make us consume them in large quantities
(Chou, Rashad, & Grossman, 2008). Studying how the proximity of fast food
to children impacts on weight gain, Davis and Carpenter (2009) concluded that
children in pre-schools closer to fast food stores are more likely to be obese
than those miles away. The results of these studies are a clear indication that
fast food companies aren’t doing enough to alleviate obesity.
Since the industry hasn’t been
able to regulate itself, scholars such as Chou, Rashad, and Grossman call for
government regulation. Opponents of regulation argue that it as and a welcome
intrusion of governmental authority into the private realms of personal
responsibility and individual choices. With obesity costing our society $190
billion in healthcare yearly (Nestle, 2012), this outcry must be ignored. It’s imperative to study and implement the
four policy measures suggested by Gagnon, Freudenberg and Corporate Accountability
International. The four approaches are promoting the school policy, health
zoning, curbing kid-focused marketing, and redirecting subsidies to healthier businesses.
These approaches are a sure way of discouraging people from over-consuming fast
foods and encouraging companies to provide and promote alternatives that are
healthy.
Every so often, fast food
practitioners argue that they are unfairly targeted by obesity crusaders. Some
studies also support this argument by presenting other factors that lead to
weight gain and obesity other than fast foods. Nevertheless, studies have shown
that their menu contains high levels of fat, sugar and calories. Taking
appropriate measures would be more helpful to fast food restaurants' image and
the health of the general population than complaining. Research indicates that
people are becoming aware of their health and focus is shifting to health-oriented
menus. Reduction of portions and introduction of healthier alternative would be
more beneficial to food companies than maintaining the status quo. As the
campaign for a healthy lifestyle continues, the market will lock out businesses
that won’t conform to the emerging trends. Luckily, the whole debate is not
just about gloom and doom since appropriate policy tools can ease this menace
in a way that promotes health and supports fast food businesses.
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