The Factors of Modern Obesity Issue and Ways to Prevent It

Did you know that obesity can cause more deaths than being underweight? According to the studies, Obesity is the top leading five causes of death with having more than 2.8 million deaths per year. Which comes to prove that obesity has a more significant higher death rate than with being underweight. Obesity is a quite common disorder that involves excessive body fat that can lead to major health problems. Those who are suffer from obesity, the diseases and major health problems may include heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. Reports have shown both adults and children struggle with being overweight. With obesity being a problem, the community and electronics play a major factor in obesity, but there can be a way to reduce the high rate of obesity.

In fact, most communities in America know about popular fast-food chain restaurants like McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and many more. Restaurants like McDonalds for instance, are known for their burgers, fries, and other foods they come out with every other month that people would talk about on the media. These foods on their menu contain a high number of calories that Americans take on a daily. With fast food consumption, it has been part of the American diet because of how quick and easy it takes from the server to the customers. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they stated in article “Caloric Intake from Fast Food Among Adults: United States, 2007-2010', “More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, and frequent fast-food consumption has been shown to contribute to weight gain.” This statement has proved that U.S. adults are to suffer from weight gain because of how fast-food restaurants play a major factor with high calories in their food. Not only has fast food restaurants been part of the obesity problem, but low-income areas do not have a variety of healthy food choices and a lack of dieting and physical activity. Neighborhoods in low-income areas where access to supermarkets and grocery stores are very scarce to which is why access to better healthy food options are at minimum. This can not only affect the adults but also with the future generation of children in the long run. In article “Low-income obesity more likely to face childhood obesity”, it reported “In low-income communities where places to play and supermarkets may be scare, it can promote consumption of low nutrition and fast food and little to no physical activity, authors say. Among the school districts for every 1 percent increase in low-income status there was a 1.17 percent increase in rates of overweight/obese students.” Meaning since low-income communities have a low access to healthier options, fast foods and foods containing little nutrition are what they mostly been consuming to which can put children’s health at risk and have a higher chance to becoming obese.

Similarly, to fast food and communities being a part of the obesity problem, electronics and technology do take part as well. As well as today, about over 3.8 billion people use technology throughout their lives. People today use their electronics 16 to 18 hours daily, which in this case most teens and children do. So, you may think how can the use of technology promote obesity? Well, many children spend more time tapping on their devices or playing video games rather than doing physical activities. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, they have concluded “Estimated that the average child spends upwards of seven hours watching television, browsing the internet and playing video games each day.” With children spending their time watching TV, they lack exercise which can lead to obesity in the future. Furthermore, it has been shown that children prefer to watch TV or play their favorite game on their phones rather than playing a physical game, which can make them feel sluggish and becoming less active. With children putting most of their time using their electronic devices, they do not get quality sleep. The average sleeps a child should have every night is 9-11 hours. But adolescents today get about 5-6 hours of sleep every night which can promote weight gain. Studies have shown that when we do not get the quality sleep we need, it promotes weight gain because of how insufficient sleep causes hunger and appetite. But not only has technology make children feel sluggish, it is what they see while using it to. On their screens, children are exposed to seeing high-calorie or low nutrient food ads that may seem appealing. For example, burgers like the “Travis Scott meal” from McDonalds has been a famous meal this 2020. The burger is a Quarter Pounder burger with bacon, and it comes with a fries and drink on the side. Everyone has ordered it because it was made from the rapper known as Travis Scott which then boomed all over the media like Instagram, Tik Tok, and Facebook. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, they have stated that “Current evidence suggests that screen media exposure leads to obesity in children and adolescents through increased eating while viewing; exposure to high-calorie, low-nutrient food and beverage marketing that influences children’s preferences, purchase requests, consumption habits; and reduced sleep duration.” With ads from food companies showing how very appealing the food is, they do not show the negative side and risks of what low nutritious and high caloric food can do to one’s body. Although technology has done effective use today, there is also a negative side that can affect the body physically and even mentally also.

Apart from the factors of the causes of obesity, there are alternatives to prevent it. While obesity can start from a youthful age, it is good to focus on what you could do to not only prevent obesity but to live a healthier lifestyle. First off, you can start by changing eating habits and limit yourself on the junk food. Cut down on sugary drinks and fast food, also drink more water. For healthy food options, start by looking at healthy food options such as fruits and vegetables that you can start eating more. Look at foods that are good for your health and pick foods that have good nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, minerals. Also, when buying foods, pay attention to the nutritious facts that have listed in the back to see how much calories it contains. You can even look online to see on how to cook different healthy meals. Another way is by taking the time to exercise. Take about 30 minutes to 1 hour each day doing exercises to get the body to sweat and become active. Get family involve also so that it can be used to motivate each other and reach fitness goals. Using the time to exercise, you burn off calories and even will start to shed a few pounds. Not only has exercising helped cut down pounds and calories, but the benefits of it is that it strengthens the heart and improves circulation also lowering the risk of diseases, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels. Finally, cutting down screen time and getting enough sleep are what can help to reduce obesity. Limit screen time and replace it with activities that can help keep you active. For example, take a walk for about 30 minutes to clear the mind so that you could at least be active. Along with this, set your time to sleep early at around 9:30 pm because the more quality sleep you get, your body has a chance to control the appetite and even burn some calories.

In conclusion, the main factors of our obesity issue today are from how fast food, communities, and our technology influence society. Obesity has been an issue and reports shown that it risen from the 1980s through the 2000s. It is to be considered one of the leading main deaths in the world today. However, it is profoundly serious because it associates with lack of mental health and to reduce the quality of lives. 35% of Americans struggle from being overweight including children. How obesity can happen is when a person intake more calories than they can burn. Yet, even if obesity is a problem, it can be self-treatable. With taking the time to looking forward to getting into a healthy lifestyle, you can prevent obesity. I have stated the causes of how obesity can happen. This disorder is a very common health problem that is a problem in society today. For all that, the problem with obesity is a problem we can stop by looking forward to change with choosing a healthier options and promote others to do it too.