Obesity and Responsibility Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Obesity and Responsibility - Lab Report Example Obesity is defined as weight at least 20% in excess of the range suggested in standard height weight tables or a body mass index greater than 27 (Martin 2005).. Every year, child obesity costs 100 million dollars to the government. Poor education and absence of equal opportunities is the main factors limited the equal distribution of economic and social resources. The responsibility of the government can be explained by the fact that it does not introduce strict rules and regulations to control fast food industry and advertising. Most researchers (Anderson et al 2003) parallel child obesity epidemics with economic problems and development and growth of fast food industry which became a distinctive feature of the life style. Fast food life style is dangerous because it results in disbalance of nutrition and causes eating disorders. All fast food contains high cholesterol level which is the primarily cause of obesity. Limited physical activity worsens the problems of obesity. Most fast food restaurants popularize and promote unhealthy eating behavior which leads to obesity problems. Most food proposed in such restaurants is fat saturated with high caloricity level. In spite of advertising efforts to promote health conscious menus or calorie free diet, hamburgers and fried potato are the most "dangerous" products sold by fast food. Social dimens ions are manifested in the ability of mass media to control the circulation of ideas about body image and fashion. The researchers state that: Fast food consumption is the other leading suspect in the childhood obesity epidemic. Fast food typically includes all of the things that nutritionists warn against: "saturated and trans fats, high glycemic index, high energy density, and increasingly, large portion size." They further note that a large fast food meal can contain about 2,200 calories, which at a burn rate of 85-100 calories per mile would require something near a full marathon to expend!" (Anderson et al 2003, p. 30). Thus, children's relation to McDonald's and other forms of popular culture is complex: it is not always oppressive; it is not always empowering. All phases of the relationship must be analyzed in their specificity and uniqueness. In the same manner every aspect of McDonald's does not signal a macro-social dynamic at work; on the other hand, however, many do. Researching the impact of McDonald's on children's attention to the testimonies and actions of specific child customers of McDonald's is certainly necessary, but it is not sufficient in the inquiry needed to tell this story. The government can be blamed for false advertising and lack of strict control over fast food industry. The main social institution responsible for ability problem is a family. Staveren and Dale (2004) underline that today many families have a possibility to buy and eat healthier fat free food in contrast to low-income families which are used to buy lower-price fat saturated food. That is why more blue collars suffer form obesity than white collars. In addition, families with high income usually visit more expensive bars and restaurants where they order fat free dishes, but the popular place for low income people is fast food restaurants. The effect of fast food on risk of obesity is tremendous. It was proved that fast-food habits have strong, positive, and independent associations with weight gain and insulin resistance in young