Posted on 01/25/2014 8:05:47 PM PST by Armen Hareyan
The catastrophic rise in obesity across the United States and worldwide has been making headlines. Obesity is associated with a myriad of physical and emotional problems which can be life threatening. It appears modern lifestyles with too much junk food and not enough exercise are largely to blame, and yet who is actually responsible for things going this far wherein the overall health of the entire human species is at risk from obesity?
Researchers sought to determine who it is the public perceives of as being most responsible for the rise in obesity, reported the journal Appetite. The researchers also wanted to identify the determinants for such perceptions. They conducted a nationwide survey of 800 U.S. individuals. The respondents were asked in regard to three categories, primarily, somewhat, and not to blame for the rise in obesity, to list the following seven entities:
1: Food manufacturers
2: Grocery stores
3: Restaurants
4: Government policies
5: Farmers
6: Individuals
7: Parents
Eighty percent of the respondents said individuals were primarily to blame for the catastrophic rise in obesity. Parents were noted to be the next-most blameworthy group, with 59% ascribing them primary blame.
Fast food restaurants have been hit with a great deal of the blame for the rise in obesity in the United States, but questions have been raised regarding the validity of this blame, reports College of Aces on Jan. 22, 2014. The research survey, which was conducted by two food economists, has revealed that most people believe that individuals are to blame for their own obesity, not restaurants, grocery stores, farmers, or government policies.
An implication which has arisen from this research is that creating and enforcing public policies to help lower obesity and/or to encourage healthier food choices may not be as effective as policy makers would like to think. Brenna Ellison, a researcher at the University of Illinois, has explained that she and her colleague, Jayson Lusk at Oklahoma State University, have both been interested in the effectiveness of different food policies. However, previous research has shown many of the food policies which are designed to improve food choices, such as requiring calorie information on restaurant menus and taxing sugar-sweetened beverages, do not always produce the results which are intended. Questions have arisen as to why these policies are meeting with failure.
Ellison has said, “Obesity is in the news every day so it would be hard to say that people are unaware of the policy initiatives in place to reduce U.S. obesity rates.” Ellison takes the position that a more likely conclusion is that the beliefs of consumers do not necessarily align themselves with the beliefs of policy makers and public health advocates. We like to think of the United States as an individualistic based society, and so it’s not really surprising that we would put this responsibility for obesity on ourselves.
The online survey used for this survey was administered by Clear Voice Research whose registry of panelists is said to be representative of the U.S. population in terms of socioeconomic characteristics, gender, and region. The survey responders took the position that farmers and grocery stores were relatively blameless for the upsetting rise in obesity. The researchers found that farmers and people who received food stamps were more likely to blame government and farm policy for this problem. The researchers were surprised by this, feeling that opinion would not be expected from people who are benefiting from those policies. However, it appears these individuals may be in the best position to observe the potential harm which some government policies create.
This is an interesting evaluation of the problem of determining who is ultimately responsible for the obesity epidemic. Although it is fair enough to say that individuals should take some of the responsibility for this problem, I also perceive of other factors which should be evaluated in more depth. In particular placing the blame primarily on the individual does not seem fair to me when you give consideration to literal forms of brainwashing by aggressive marketers of junk food and the offering of junk food which is literally addicting.
However, it does make sense for people on food stamps to blame government policies for this serious problem, because most of these people appear to feel strained economic conditions due to government policies have pushed them into the welfare system wherein they can hardly afford to buy as much healthy food as they would like. What we therefore come up with is that the problem of obesity has multidimensional causes, all of which should be taken into account in efforts to deal more effectively with obesity. The problem begins in childhood with childhood obesity being at epidemic levels and needing better intervention, as I have reported upon in a separate article for EmaxHealth.
“Fat Peeps are responsible for themselves.”
The Fork did it, aided by the Spoon.
The Spork Weasel, however, is innocent!
80% picked "individuals" first
59% picked "parents" first
Therefore, 139% of respondents think that individuals or parents are most to blame.
100% of surveyors flunked math.
There’s been a lot of changes to our food supply in the last decade or so that are the causes of *some* health issues. Mr. Peel, for example, is allergic to genetically modified soy — a thing that didn’t exist when he was a kid, and now 90% of the soy produced in the US is genetically modified. Its used as a cheap filler in so many food stuffs. For example, the next time you’re at the market, try looking at the labels for a can of tuna — and see if you can find one without any soy in it at all. It can be a challenge.
lol
The past 10 years I was forced to notice how loaded with salt, fat and MSM most pre-made packaged foods from grocery stores are.
I ate them all the time 20 to 30 years ago, fast food too.
Now I make most of my meals myself so I control whats in them.
Getting old sucks.
That does make a statement!...does seem to be one extreme or the other now days!LOLOLOL...
HAha....HOW TRUE!
Diets prescribed by the government and people refusing to take personal responsibility.
Ironically obesity is the one American problem Obama's policies should be helping. His economic crash should, historically speaking, be producing famine, which certainly is an effective, albeit painful, treatment for excessive obesity. If Obama would stop giving his 'poor' subjects food until they reach his wife's standards for body weight, or some medically safe approximation thereof, only the fat cats could remain fat.
Lots of people might benefit from reading Why We Get Fat: And What to do About It.
http://www.abebooks.com/Why-Get-Fat-What-Vintage-Gary/11943903194/bd?cm_mmc=gmc-_-gmc-_-PLA-_-v01
The first Zone book talks a lot about micronutrients.
Here is a great fitness web site. Advocates the cave man diet — meat, veggies and berries. I’ve been on this since Dec. 28. You can eat butter and half and half. It is low carbs. Seems to work.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
Spoons are responsible. We need common sense spoon control.
Food stamps that allow people to buy fast food instead of home made food.
The fact that government tells single moms to sit on their asses, and pop out children instead of getting married and having dad provide income.
Government banning smoking. Instead of taking a puff, you fill your mouth with food when you are bored. (Not to mention smokers are thinner in general)
Lazy pukes who live in their mother's basements instead of working.
Areas around high welfare recipients are often dangerous, and kids can't go out and safely play outdoors.
Finally parents themselves allowing their kids to snack and drink soda. And letting the kiddoes play video games and watch TV all day.
That last one isn't "government", I'll admit.
Just pointing out that this would NEVER have been tolerated when I was growing up in the 70s.
My mom would have told us to go outside and play until it was time to come home at nightfall.
Chips and soda? No way.
And McDonalds?
Mom would have about died before she'd let us have that crap.
If I were a gun-grabbing Nazi ‘RAT, I’d say it is the people who make knives, forks and spoons.
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