Sara Jean Shepperson
Professor Boone
English 1101
September 27, 2014
Who Should Public Blame for Obesity Over one half of the adult population in the United States is overweight or obese. Yes, obesity is a problem America has been dealing with for years. Many wonder who is to blame for Americans being so fat. Well, majority of Americans blame fat people for being obese! However, the public is not to blame for obesity; instead the advertisements, chemicals, and fast food restaurants are the main contributors to this rising epidemic.
Advertising low nutrient foods has a significant contributor to obesity. Americans are constantly bombarded with messages and signs, and eating has become so convenient. Considering a study illustrated within the last year in the journal BMC Public Health under “Outdoor advertising, obesity, and soda consumption: a cross-sectional study.” A research team studied data on outdoor advertisements. The authors state that “For every 10 percent increase in food advertisements, the odds of being obese increased by 5 percent.” (Lesser 1) With that being said, individuals living in areas with less food ads are affected differently. Food vendors react if overweight people are more likely than non-overweight people to purchase their products, in reaction they will place more ads in areas where obese people already live. Americans are being subjected to the exposure of food advertising and un-subconsciously making poor food decisions.
It is not always personal responsibility when it comes to weigh gain. Scientists are now investigating what they call “obesogens” which basically is chemicals in the environment that are linked to cause weight gain. Bruce Bloomberg did some research involving a chemical called tributyltin and mice at the University of California. Tributyltin is found in marine paints, plastics, and people, which is often consumed by people drinking water. In Begley results he discovered that mice offspring were born with more fat already stored, more fat cells, and became 5 to 20 percent fatter when reaching adulthood. (Lohan) Everything around Americas is making produce more fat cells and gain weight. To give just a few of these environmental chemicals; PCB is used in coolants, lubricants, and plastics. The list goes on and on, PCB isn’t just in products but in the air and water. Many people are exposed to this chemical by eating fish. (Lohan) This threatens the Americans citizens because this cause of weight gain is beyond their control and knowledge.
Fast food restaurants are a major contribution to this issue. Many Americans know the fast food industry is known for unhealthy food. For example, this food is processed, high in fat, calories and sodium. One fast food meal can be consumed with a total of 1,500 calories; the recommend caloric intake for Americans is 1,500-1,800 per day! Fast food restaurants are not hard to find, plus it’s quick, easy, and cheap. Most Americans are appealed by this concept because customers can order through a