How Governmental Decisions Caused Obesity In The United States
Within the framework of the liberal political doctrine and deregulated economy, the government imposes guilt upon citizens themselves for their health issues. Citizens have to demonstrate higher level of personal responsibility for their own health. On the other hand, obese citizens are potential clients for various businesses such as gyms, pharmaceutical companies, and beauty industry companies. Complete absence of obesity would mean fall of the aggregate demand for various goods and services such as fitness programs at gyms, healthy nutrition programs, detoxification meals, fitness devices (e.g., running tracks), etc.
According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO), the top death cause worldwide is ischaemic heart disease. In turn, at least one-fifth of all heart diseases are directly related to obesity. Approximately 700 thousand Americans die every years due to obesity because 614 thousand Americans die of heart diseases and 76 Americans die every year due to diabetes, according to National Center for Health Statistics (2015). Out of total annual mortality rate of 2.5 million people, about 700 thousand, or 35%, might die because of obesity. The government cannot help citizens within the framework of deregulation and neoliberal political doctrine. People are responsible for their health, spending money on drugs and fitness programs. Super-fat and super-sugar food is also a lifestyle choice of millions of Americans across the country, but the government cannot forbid so called junk food.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can only make fast food vendors warn their clients about calories they consume with super-sugar and super-fat food with a help of labeling. Vendors have to make information about calories visible and readable for the clients. If vendors provide complex meals, they have to provide their clients with a calculated sum of calories of the meals provided. Food and drug labeling is major governmental policy against obesity. The customers can at least calculate calories they consume every day, while calculating the necessary workload to provide equilibrium between calories consumed and calories spent. However, the junk food cannot be banned.
The government intentionally limited its influence on the food industry, obliging some minimal requirements on food and drug labeling. At the same time, the government declared the principle of personal responsibility of the customers themselves. At that point, the government chose the minimal influence on the free market in general and obesity problem in particular. The National Center for Health Statistics, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration publish reports on the negative impact of obesity on health and subsequent death risks. However, the government causes minimal effect on the junk food industry, obliging fast food vendors provide information on calories contained within the goods they offed in the market.
As a conclusion, the free market economy itself must be a factor that promotes obesity because most vendors add flavor enhancers and other artificial ingredients that facilitate the sense of hunger. The government advocates the principle of personal responsibility of the customers in the market. The government only provides information on potential health risks. The food labeling must be the main government policy aspect, aimed at protecting the rights of customers to know amount of calories they consume along with the goods they buy in the market. The neoliberal political doctrine and deregulation are the main causes of obesity.
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