Armstrong, Ruth M. (2007). Obesity, law and personal responsibility. Medical Journal of Australia; Jan 1, 2007; 186, 1; ProQuest Central. pg. 20
Personal responsibility is the key to obtaining good health eating habits but under the influence of law, it is more enhanced. This journal talks about obesity law and personal responsibility in regard to both adults and children. For adults, the food properties and qualities should be labeled in the most appropriate manner. This is because, an adult has the capability of distinguishing the good from the bad choices of food produced (Schlosser, 2012).
While for children, it is the sole responsibility of the parent to provide guidance. This is based on the control of advertising agencies some of the advertising agencies (Schlosser, 2012). According to Armstrong, food advertising agencies should have regulations made in regard to children in the United States of America, Sweden, Norway, Canada and United Kingdom.
This should be put in place such that if there is any breach of the sanctions, there are penalties given to the advertising agencies.
Public complaint and monitoring should be used as a guiding tool for advertising agencies. Areas that have gone public and addressed this issue, weight control has been made possible (Schlosser, 2012). Therefore, it is vital to note that, for any advertisement that affects children’s diet and can contribute towards obesity at an early age should not be aired before 9 pm. This is based on the fact that, through this, child indulgences into certain prohibited types of food are minimized according to report done by Schlosser (2012). This is in regard to the view given by Associate Professor James Hodge based on obesity which should no longer be viewed as a personal but public health issue. Therefore, the interventions like burn of junk food advertisements before 9pm is vital for the government.
Bayer, R., & Beauchamp, D. E. (2007). Public health ethics: Theory, policy, and practice. New York: Oxford University Press.
The use of theory and practice of policies has been undermined in most areas especially, public health. This reading is based on promotion of healthy habits that are considered ethical and have remained to be social ethical dilemmas. The article is geared towards promotion of governmental intervention in the control of health especially obesity being a core issue through implementation of specific policies.
There are so many cases that are based on illnesses, lost lives towards the destructive personal habits that need to be controlled. Thus, in the United States of America, it is vital that the advanced systems of health care are enhanced. Public and social media facilities contribute majorly to change in the pattern and behaviors of citizens which should be controlled. Media facilities are key contributors towards the control of what children and citizens consume in their diets (Oliver, 2006).
The key issue in this reading is the right individual or party that should be involved with the control of particular habits that have been developed with regard to healthy habits. The government has been identified to be a key player in forbidding and discouraging of behaviors that easily encourage and promote unhealthy conditions to its citizens. According to Oliver (2006), Personal preference should be accounted for but it should be geared towards positive impact towards health. Most of the time, paternalistic ventures in making of decisions lead to unhealthy habits as recorded by Times (The New York Times magazine, 1999). There is a higher rate of obese children in regions with less influence of governmental policy on healthy eating habits than regions that have enforced these policies. Therefore, government intervention on healthy diets especially for children is vital and deducting from the reading, there should be a government burn of junk food advertisements before 9pm.
Mackay, Sarah, Food Advertising and Obesity in Australia: To What Extent Can Self-Regulation Protect the Interests of Children? (2009). Monash University Law Review, Vol. 35, No. 1, p. 118, 2009; Monash University Faculty of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2010/41. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1810168
In Australia, food advertisement and obesity have always been considered to go hand in hand. This is due to the non enforced regulation of child consumption. According to this reading which has been done by Mackay, advertisement of food is directly related to obesity in Australia. The reading intends to give a deeper intrigue into what self regulation of the child’s interest towards a particular diet can impact his/her health. Under regulation of advertising agencies, there should be a code in relation to communications and marketing that raises awareness on junk food and their health impacts on children (Oliver, 2006). This has been enhanced through the rising child obesity in Australia.
In Australia, there is high record of rise in child obesity due unhealthy consumption of food products. As a result of this, there have been consumer and health groups that have formed to pressurize the government to burn certain advertisements that encourage children to be attracted to junk food and unhealthy food products. This strategy is meant to combat gain of weight and obesity in Australia (Oliver, 2006).
However, the greatest challenge that is evidenced in this reading is based on the idea that the advertisers try to invalidate the assertions made by health and consumer groups. According to advertising agencies, the arguments made by the consumers are inconclusive and the regulations that are in existence are sufficient and nothing should be added. It is essential for the health groups and consumers to ask the government to act accordingly. According to report given by Schlosser, (2012) child obesity rate can be reduced by 36 percent as seen in some regions of Australia that the regulations have been enforced. It is through the government that certain regulations can be made effective. Through their intervention, burn on junk food adverts that encourage child indulging in unhealthy eating habits which contribute to obesity can be effectively controlled.
Baur, L., Twigg, S. M., & Magnusson, R. S. (2012). A modern epidemic: Expert perspectives on obesity and diabetes. Sydney: Sydney University Press.
Obesity and diabetes are health conditions that are on the high rise. This is related to the modern or contemporary view of taking certain types of food in diets. This article written by Baur and Magnusson is mainly to determine the key contributors towards obesity and the role that media plays in healthy eating habits. The first attempt to reducing population weight is through determining the laws that are available in Australia as part of curbing obesity. The second issue is that which tools or strategies should be put in place in order to curb obesity in Australia (Oliver, 2006).
According to Baur, law is made to intervene at some levels. These are situations that individual or parental decisions fail to curb a particular situation. The social, economic and environmental factors are also key contributors towards the health of a nation. Policies that have been enforced by the government and cover a wide area of a population are positively implemented. For healthier population, it is vital that policies that regulate the consumption of food products should be put in place as strategic means of control of obesity (Oliver, 2006).
It is evident that through the findings in the readings of Schlosser (2012), the use of social, especially economic factors are a key influence towards unhealthy eating habits in a population. This was recorded by 2 out of every five citizens interviewed. While the producers of such food products are mainly doing it with a notion of making large profits, the child obesity rates are on the high increase. Childhood obesity programs should be part of eradicating unhealthy eating habits. This is because, as a child grows up, he or she is able to identify the good from the bad. This can be enhanced through the use governmental policies like burning of certain adverts that promote obesity. Thus, the government plays an important role in controlling increased weight among the child population (Oliver, 2006).
Rob Moodie et al. (2006). Childhood obesity a sign of commercial success, but a market
Failure. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity. 2006; 1(3): 133_138
Commercial success can only be determined by the rate of consumption of a particular good. However, unhealthy foods like junk food have contributed to obesity in children and there is need for review of commercial success in relation to market failure (Weber, 2009). This reading mainly concentrates on childhood obesity in relation to commercial success. It has been deemed that commercial success should not be equated to good prosperity but a failure to the market segment. This is due to the reason that, the highly consumed foods and habits related to health are the key contributors towards the inevitable consequences of the success of the food sold.
The short term consequences according to this reading are that, with the high success in most families in terms of income, they are likely to indulge in unhealthy eating habits. For this case, the short-term effects can be seen to overconsumption of such commodities while the situation remaining under the control of the reactions of the situation. While the contemporary forces in the market are highly in favor of the children’s needs, the long term effect is unhealthy weight gain amongst the children involved (Weber, 2009).
In such cases whereby both parties involved in production and consumption disagree on some key factors that contribute to obesity, the determinant to be used can be market failure. This is because, the market intention is to promote individual products and not consider the health impact of the products that they sell. For example, according to Weber (2009), it was determined that producers should be held accountable for all the unhealthy eating habits according to a survey carried out by Times New York magazine. It is the sole responsibility of the government to come in and act under such scenarios. Burning of certain advertisements can be implemented with an intention of reducing obesity rates. This can be achieved only through regulations made by the government based on advertisement policies.
Reference
Schlosser, E. (2012). Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. Boston: Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The New York times magazine. (1996). New York, N.Y: New York Times.
Oliver, J. E. (2006). Fat politics: The real story behind America's obesity epidemic. New York: Oxford University Press.
Weber, K. (2009). Food, Inc: How industrial food is making us sicker, fatter and poorer-- and what you can do about it. New York: PublicAffairs.
