There is an elephant in America’s room, and no one wants to talk about it. We have a built instinct to sidestep any unpleasant reminder to weight, to rationalize our expanding bodies, to disbelieve the suspect numbers displayed on scales and to ignore the frequent and desperate calls for change. Nevertheless, obesity is the spreading like the plague amongst Americans, particularly amongst children. Children should not have to experience such a medically traumatic health hazard at such a young age. Childhood obesity should be stopped before they grow into obsese adults, afflicted with various weight-related diseases. It is only by societal recognition, diet, exercise and an understanding of our opponent and invariably its weaknesses that we can ever hope for adults and especially children to regain healthful bodies.
Childhood is a critical stage of growth and development, both physically and mentally. An extra thirty pounds is a social and health burden that no child should have to endure. Unfortunately, a new study conducted by the National Center on Educational Statistics shows that obesity afflicts 1 in 5 American four year olds. In addition, differences in race were already well established, with 13 percent of Asian children, 16 percent of whites, 21 percent of blacks and 31 percent of American Indians weighing in as obese. This rate is worrisome among children so young, even in a population at higher risk for obesity because of other health problems and economic disadvantages. Marketing firms know that they have a young audience. The average child sees more than 10,000 food ads on TV each year, most for high-calorie, high-fat, and high-sugar meals. The fast food industry spends billions per year on these lucrative marketing ads, and sometimes even infiltrates schools by signing contracts with them. Through these media bombardments and promotion of toxic foods, it is easy to understand why children crave well publicized children’s food, such as happy meals. Perhaps if vegetables were marketed with the same enthusiasm, we would have a different world. As things stand now, it is not surprising that we continue to see an increase in the percent of obese children, who will in time, become a population of obese adults.
Another reason that obesity persists is due to the way that the public views weight problems. It is generally assumed to be a “personal problem,” and is politely ignored by society. Obesity, however, is not merely an aesthetic imperfection: it is a health pandemic. In the past twenty years obesity has increased by 60 percent for adults and, in the past thirty years, tripled in children. Obesity also contributes to type two diabetes, heart disease, increased blood pressure, endocrine and metabolic disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, reproductive hormonal abnormalities, sexual dysfunction, and infertility. Clearly, obesity crosses the line from a few excess pounds to a national health condition.
While many point fingers at the domination of fast food restaurants in the United States, such as McDonalds, these dining options alone cannot assume the total blame for our eating epidemic. Nonetheless, they do demonstrate a symptomatic American eating impulse that contributes to our nation’s perceived corpulence. Americans are indulging in meals that value expediency and price over nutritional content, and are packed with saturated fats, highly refined carbohydrates, sodium and sugar. The definition of “food” in our culture has been inverted. Once used to describe “any nourishing substance eaten, drunk, or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, and promote growth,” people consume fatty, processed non-nutritional substances that are detrimental to the body’s functions. It becomes hugely problematic when this latter food group constitutes the entirety of a person’s diet, such as director Morgan Spurlock did for his documentary “Super Size Me.” During a month, Spurlock dined exclusively at McDonald’s. In doing so, he took in over 30 pounds of sugar and 15 pounds of fat, and gained twenty-four and a half pounds.
As a national health epidemic, it is our country’s obligation to help citizens prevent the disease. Campaigns against smoking and drunk driving have proved very effective in raising the national consciousness against these public-health issues. As long as the problem of obesity is acknowledged as a real threat, there is no reason that practical solutions can’t affect change. Public service Anti-obesity campaigns are gaining ground, and health officials are requiring restaurants to release their nutritional (or as is more often the case, non-nutritional) information. The U.S. is one of the world’s richest, most progressive and largest nations; there’s no reason for its people to be the largest as well.
Kendra Kirk’s column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at k.kirk@cavalierdaily.com.
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