Indeed, obesity can be stopped with knowing the factors, the risks and how to prevent it. This paper intends to address the three limbs of the statement. Obesity has become a problem in the United States especially in the modern life. According to statistics, one in every ten individual in America either suffers from cancer or obesity . This puts the two health conditions on top of the list of the most prevalent health conditions. However, the point of deviation between the two is in the fact that cancer cannot be prevented with certainty. Obesity can be stopped and prevented with knowing the factors, the risks and how to prevent it.
The factors that cause obesity can be classified into two categories. One category includes the acts of commission while the other, predictably, includes the acts of omission. The acts of commission are those acts that human beings engage in either voluntarily or involuntarily and that can be attributed to as being causatives of obesity. They mainly resonate around the type of diet that we feed on. Majority of Americans have failed to observe the basic rules of eating healthy. They instead resort to consumption of foods that contain more of one class of food type than the others. In fact, most of the foods they feed in are junk foods which essentially contain lots of fats. In addition to poor eating habits, Americans have adopted a rather lacklustre lifestyle that does not necessarily keep their bodies healthy. Americans have become lazy to the extent that they no longer engage in body stretching activities such as gym work and casual walks. This relatively new social lifestyle, certainly alien to the nineteenth century American citizen, can be credited for the widespread cases of obesity.
On the other hand, the acts of omission capture the activities that the common American has shunned from engaging in or indulged in albeit grudgingly and sparingly. These activities which are responsible for restoring a biological balance by consuming excess energies that were perhaps consumed involuntarily include sports, casual walks and jogs, gym works and farm work. Indeed, the mentioned activities have been shunned and denigrated by the modern American who considers them ancient or low class. The typical American prefers a passive lifestyle. A few, however, engage in sporting activities while the majority preferto watch professional sportspersons from the confines of their couches.
The second limb of this essay relates to the risks inherent in obesity. Exactly what risks does obesity pose to society? It should be noted at this juncture that obesity can trigger opportunistic conditions that are fatalistic in nature. Most of these conditions are often manifested by heart conditions and diseases. Perhaps this is because of the appreciated effects of obesity to the heart functioning. For instance, obesity may cause accumulation of fats in heart’s arteries impeding the flow of blood into various body parts. This could predictably lead to heart attack which is deadly. In addition, obesity could lead to accumulation of fats especially cholesterol in the circulatory system occasioning fatal complications. Obesity also has the obvious effects of reducing the activeness of individuals. An obese person would logically be slow and less productive compared to a less obese person. This has been misinterpreted in some squatters as laziness. The reason, however, is biological since the obese nature tends to impede blood circulation compelling the body to be less active. These are only a few of the risks posed by obesity.
The third limb of this essay concerns how to prevent obesity. Exactly how can obesity be prevented? A careful audience of this paper already has several solutions to obesity. Obesity can be prevented by ensuring the acts of omission mentioned in the first paragraph are performed while the acts of commission mentioned in the same paragraph are omitted. There are no two ways about it. Obesity will only be defeated by society if people endeavour to do the hard right rather than the easy wrong. Instead of sneaking into a fast food for fat laden hamburgers, one is best advised to buy the greens at the groceries. In addition to strict observation of the diet rules, obesity would be defeated if sports, gym works and exercises were performed with the seriousness they deserve. Instead of spending time on social sites arguing on who can dunks highest, Americans would be healthier if they spend time in the basket courts dunking. This may sound ridiculous and simplistic for a problem that affects the entire nation, but sadly, it is the only way out.
In conclusion, the condition of obesity while threatening the health conditions of many Americans can be solved through the application of simple yet essential rubrics. America will be a healthier nation if all citizens engaged in a physical sport, observed dietary rules and walked at least one kilometre per day.
Works Cited
Cutler, David M, Edward L Glaeser and Jesse M Sharipo. "Why Have Americans Become More Obese?" Journal of Economic Perspectives 17.3 (2003): 93-118.
Levi, Jeffrey, et al. F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future. Issue Report. Washington: Robert John Woodson Foundation, 2010.
