On Tuesday in class, we learned about nutrition. The guest lecturer- a
dietician working for the UGA health center- explained things like foods we
should and shouldn’t eat, caloric intake for our age and activity levels, and
many other topics. One specific topic that really struck me was on obesity
levels in the United States. He showed us maps of the US that displayed each
state’s percentage of obese residents from 1990, 2000, and 2010
These maps really interested
me because every single state increased their levels of obesity over the
twenty-year span. Some states, especially in the Southeast, have higher levels
than others. This worries me, because I live in Georgia and I do see the
unhealthy foods that we have access to. There are whole aisles at the grocery
store devoted to chips and cookies and more fast food restaurants than we can
count. Despite this, I try to eat healthily, but why don’t other people?
The topic of obesity is
especially worrying to my family and me, because we have a history of diabetes,
heart disease, and hypertension. These diseases are often exacerbated or triggered
by obesity, and I do not want our family to join the number of obese
individuals, therefore increasing our chances of having these life-threatening
diseases.
This topic is
important to public health because of the huge number of people affected by
obesity. Many states had over 30% of the population identified as obese.
Although obesity itself is a problem, it can also lead to several other health
problems, meaning that many more Americans are being diagnosed with dangerous
conditions every year. The cost of healthcare every year for these diseases is
sky high, and they are preventable, if only we would take into consideration
what we put into our bodies, and what kind of activity we do. I feel like there
is a lot of awareness about obesity, but somehow it isn’t enough. It is also
worrying at how early obesity sets in, because many kids have this problem from
a young age.
What
kind of policies the government can put in place to prevent obesity? I think it
definitely needs to start at the school level to make sure kids are getting
nutritious meals and don’t have access to unhealthy foods, like sodas and
chips. How can they regulate what EBT dollars are used
for? This is important to ask because obesity disproportionally impacts the poor and lower social
classes.
I was also shocked at the rates at which obesity was increasing, specifically in the Southeast. Its very difficult to eat healthy when everything around us is leading us to unhealthy choices. By being a college student, we have less time to cook healthy meals and to spend the time grocery shopping. As far as the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension in your family, the only thing you can do is prevention. Exercise and eat healthier because you know you are at risk. Obesity has become a huge problem in the United States and I agree that it leads to other harmful diseases. We learn our eating habits mostly from our family. Starting at the family level and changing how families eat at home and present food to their children will make a huge difference! Starting policies in the school level have already begun with things like the "Fat Letter". I don't think its harmful to let parents know that their children are not only at risk for obesity, but for many other harmful health conditions. I know that programs such as WIC provide food for children and mothers but typically, it is healthier options like milk, eggs, bread, cereal, juice, and peanut butter, not snack foods or processed foods. By making the EBT dollars more like the WIC program, the lower social classes can be presented with healthier food options to cut back on obesity.
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