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War On Fat

The War on Fat
Imagine a world where a school aged child can step out of their school and walk into a McDonalds. A world where soda companies make millions of dollars a year by placing soda machines in schools, where 30 percent of adults are considered obese, and where obesity is killing more people than smoking. What if you were told this is not in your imagination but is the world we live in today? Obesity is the second leading cause of death in the United States.
Since the 1960's, obesity in America has more than tripled regardless of sex or race. Today, 69 million American adults are considered obese. In addition, childhood obesity has doubled for children between the ages of 2 and 5 and tripled for 6 to 11 year olds in the past 30 years. Obesity causes over 300,000 deaths a year and costs the country $117 billion dollars, prompting health care providers and the government to label it an epidemic. The healthcare community defines obesity as being 20 percent or more over a person's ideal body weight, which is based on their height. Researchers found that the two main causes of obesity are the overabundance of food and people's inactive lifestyles. Other causes include genetics, lifestyle choices and environmental factors. These disturbing statistics have driven many to seek a solution for a problem that is clearly not going to go away by itself. Obesity moved across the nation without regard to sex, race, and age, or so it seemed. However, it strikes some groups more than others. "Culture, ethnicity, gender, and race, of course, also play their role in determining obesity rates" (Critser 110). Studies show that minorities in a lower socioeconomic category are more likely than whites in a higher socioeconomic bracket to become obese. Since the 1960's the only food not to decrease in price is fruits and vegetables. Obesity also is most likely to occur in the suburbs and the inner cities. African-Americans and Hispanics have higher population...