Critique on Blog
In the blog, ‘We Have an Obesity Problem in This Country’, written by Richard H. Adamson, explicitly described about obesity in America, that the number of the obese are increasing, and if this condition continues then the population of obese adults will drastically increase in the coming 20 years. The author has estimated that by the year 2030, approximately about 60% of the adult population in 13 American states can be a victim of obesity. Further, it is also expected that 39 states can have obesity rate of 50%, and all the 50 states can have the overall obesity rate of 44% (Adamson, 2012).
Further, the author is of the view that America is facing several problems since long, and obesity is one of those problems, but as a matter of fact it is not something that cannot be controlled. Further, the author points out towards a fact that, the cause of increase in obesity is the cultural change and the increase in the calorie intake. The author has also included the research of The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, which is of the opinion that the Americans also take most of the calories from the alcohol. It is also confirmed from latest research that alcohol is also a major factor that cause obesity (French, Norton & Maclean, 2010).
Further, as a bias the author has introduced a point that there is nothing that can be accounted as the cause of the obesity, not even butter, wine, bear, and soda are the cause of obesity. According to the author, this can be analyzed from the fact mentioned by Beverage Digest, the consumption of the soda comprising of full calories has decreased to about 12.5% in America, but still the rate of obesity is high in the country. At the end, the author has introduced a view of an obese expert, who has said that grasping the common sense firmly and staying grounded will help in the control of the obesity.
Critique on Video
In the video ‘National Childhood Obesity Rate Increasing’, the author Jared Pelletier, has described about the increase in the obesity rate in children. The author in this video is of the opinion that the t body mass index of children is above the normal BMI, and is ranging between 120%-140% (Pelletier, 2014). But, also there are studies that claim that the obesity rate is decreasing, such as the research by Centre for Disease Control has claimed in 2014 that the rate of obesity kids having ages from 2-5 years have been dropped to about 43%. This fact is also mentioned in The New York Times, that the obesity rate is now declined in the kids having ages ranging from 2 to 5 years, because they are now taking fewer calories from the sugary beverages as compared to the year 1999, in which intake of calories was high (Tavernise, 2014). Similarly, in Virginia, the rate of obesity declined to about 9.6% in the year 2013. The author has mentioned the opinion of experts that healthy food and energetic life are the significant factors for fighting against the obesity in the childhood.
Critique on Podcast
In the podcast, ‘100 Ways to Fight Obesity: A New Freakonomics Radio Podcast”, obesity in children is described, it is described that obesity is terrible as well as wonderful. It is wonderful in a way that it is paving way to the production of the delicious and affordable food, and terrible in a way that we are collectively eating too much. Further, it is explained that in America 1 out of 3 children is obese. The rate of obese children has tripled in the last four years; some children are suffering from medium term obesity, while others are suffering from long term obesity. Furthermore, adult obesity is also prevailing in the country; about 66% of the adult population is obese.
Obesity is paving way to catastrophic and expensive diseases such as diabetes, and cardiovascular disease etc. so, 20% of GDP is spent on the total health care. Further, in the podcast, for the purpose of brainstorming related to the obesity views of different nutritionists, psychiatrists are considered, and it is concluded that there is a problem in the nutrition of babies under the age of 1 year. Sugar is present in all the food such as soda etc (Bray, Neilson & Popkin, 2004). In the recent years the intake of soda has doubled in children. Furthermore, obesity is because of the extra calories that come from snacks, and the calorie is driving the weight up, making children obese.
This web based information significantly exerts its influence on the global citizenship and multicultural understanding. It helps in the creation of awareness among the individuals, and promotes multicultural education. This can be analyzed from the fact that a person sitting in India or Pakistan can be aware of the fact through such internet-based sources that In America, majority of adults and children are suffering from the obesity. Further, the factor contributing the obesity in Americans can be traced out with the help of these sources. Such sources are also useful because they help to understand the traditions and values relating to food that are prevailing in different countries. Such as mentioned in the podcast that more and more children are taking snacks in their diet, which is a cause of obesity.
Furthermore, the three important and significant factors that should be considered when evaluating Internet sources for use in researching information are:
- Statistics, as they help in getting the idea in percentage and make estimate and understanding of fact easier.
- Views of Economists, experts, and Sociologists regarding the matter that helps in depth analysis of the matter under consideration.
- Recent Information as it helps to analyze the latest trends prevailing in the country.
References
Adamson, Richard H. (2012). We Have an Obesity Problem in This Country. Scientific American. Retrieved from:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/12/19/we-have-an-obesity-problem-in-this-country/
Pelletier, Jared. (2014). National Childhood Obesity Rate Increasing. 5 News WDTV. Retrieved from:
http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view§ion=5-News&item=National-Childhood-Obesity-Rate-Increasing-15288
Lechtenberg, Suzie. (2013). 100 Ways to Fight Obesity: A New Freakonomics Radio Podcast. Freakonom
http://freakonomics.com/2013/03/27/100-ways-to-fight-obesity-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/
Bray, George A., Nielson, Samara Joy., & Popkin, Barry M. (2004). Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 79(4), 537-543
French, Michael T., Norton, Edward C., & Maclean, Johanna Catherine. (2010). Alcohol Consumption and Body Weight. Health Economics, 19(7), 814-832
Tavernise, Sabrina. (2014). Obesity Rate for Young Children Plummets 43% in a Decade. The New York Times. Retrieved from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/26/health/obesity-rate-for-young-children-plummets-43-in-a-decade.html?_r=0
