OBESITY IN AMERICA
Riskfactors of obesity in America
Obesityin America
Obesityis the condition characterized by accumulation excess fats to a limitthat a person starts to develop some adverse health effects. Anindividual may be considered to be obese when their body mass indexis found to be 30kg/m2 and also with a range that is 25-30 kg/m2.Obesity has significantly affected the lives of children as well asadults too. Incidences of coronary heart diseases have affected boththe young and the adults. As the body mass index of a personincreases, the chances of developing coronary heart diseases alsoincreases. The number of individuals with coronary heart diseases inthe society has been on the rise and has affected the whole society(NHLBI).
Themajor contributing factor to child and adult obesity is theconsumption of unhealthy food, particularly junk foods which arecheap and plenty. Therefore, the majority of the population is in aposition to purchase junk food. Adults are also highly affected bythe behavior of drinking and smoking which creates a favorableenvironment for the condition to thrive in their body affecting theirhealth. Preventive measures are necessary to ensure that the menaceis under control. Industries should be forced to make foods that arehealthy and with no health effects. Parents at home should ensurethat their children take the right food which is healthy and willbenefit their body. Children should be educated in school and also inthe mass media on the good choice of food to take. Habits such asdrinking and smoking should be highly discouraged (Williams G. &Fruhbeck G. 2009).
Individualistexplanation is a sociological theory that explains the causes ofsocial actions and experience of an individual. The theory describesthat personal decisions, lifestyle and behavior choices are the mainfactors that determine the risks of obesity. Poor nutritionassociated with obesity is as a result of failings, inadequacies,poor choices and bad decisions that people make (Walsh, M. W. 2004).The discipline of sociology deals mainly with the study of thesociety and their social interactions on how they think and act. Amajor theoretical paradigm refers to a theory that is fullyestablished, whose work is to guide the research and thinking insociology. The major theoretical paradigms include symbolicinteractionism, structural functionalism, and the social conflict.
References
NationalHeart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), WhatAre the Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity?Retrieved fromhttp://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/risks.htmlon 12 May 2016
Walsh,M. W. (2004). Introductionto sociology for health carers.Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes, p.14
WilliamsG. & Fruhbeck G. (2009), Obesity:Science to Practice, JohnWiley & Sons, page 543