Obesity in America Kevin Nguyen

Subtopics Fast Food Chains Portion Sizes Accessibility to Healthy Food

Fast Food Chains Synthesis In “The Effect of Fast Food Restaurants on Obesity and Weight Gain” Janet Curie allows me to argue that fast food chains are playing a huge role in the obesity epidemic. She states that a 5.2 percent of obesity rates result in children if a fast food chain is open within .1 miles of their school. The quick access and low price to fast food makes it an easy option for kids to get a quick bite to eat. Secondly, in “Tax processed food to subsidize healthier options and tackle obesity, says think tank” Zosia Kmietowicz states that processed foods and fast food chains are becoming cheaper and cheaper which gives an incentive to buy those items over the more expensive healthier options like fruits and vegetables. Both authors help me argue that the low priced processed and unhealthy fast food is one of the problems to the obesity epidemic. They provide me with different facts and examples I can use throughout my argument.

Fast Food Chains Sources “The Effect of Fast Food Restaurants on Obesity and Weight Gain” Janet Curie is the Henry Putnam Professor of Economics and Public Affairs and the Director of the Center for Health and well-being at Princeton University. This source allows me to argue how fast food chains affect the weight outcome of 3 million children and 3 million pregnant women. For ninth graders, if a fast food restaurant is located within .1 miles of a school, a 5.2 percent increase of obesity rates result. For pregnant women, if a fast food restaurant is located within .5 miles of their residence, there is a 1.6 percent increase in the probability of gaining over 20 kilos (44 pounds).

Fast Food Chains Sources “Tax processed food to subsidize healthier options and tackle obesity, says think tank” Zosia Kmietowicz is a medical journalist for the British Medical Journal This source helps me argue solutions to obesity in America. Unhealthy and processed foods have become more affordable while fruit and vegetables have become more expensive. Kmietowicz believes we should consider taxing unhealthy and processed foods in order to subsidize other food groups.

Portion Sizes Synthesis In “Portion Size and Obesity” Barbara E. Livingstone helps me argue that larger than appropriate portion sizes are a main factor to weight gain. The portion sizes from today are much bigger than what they used to be. Livingstone states that exposure to large portion sizes is now routine and driven by value-size pricing, and both effectively distorted consumption norms and perception of what is an appropriate amount to eat. In “Half-size me? How calorie and price information influence ordering on restaurant menus with both half and full entrée portion sizes” Kelly L. Laws helps me understand about how restaurants price their menus and the effect it has on their consumers. Laws states that if restaurants use linear pricing and display calories, customers will tend to order the smaller portion option. In “Portion sizes and the obesity epidemic” Jenny H. Ledikwe helps me argue that over the past thirty years portion sizes have grown and people are consuming energy dense foods which leads to excess energy levels. All of the authors help my argument that portion sizes are increasing which leads to us overeating and results in a higher obesity rate.

Portion Sizes Sources “Half-size me? How calorie and price information influence ordering on restaurant menus with both half and full entrée portion sizes” Kelly L. Laws is an associate professor of Marketing at Vanderbilt University This source provides me with the information about how restaurants’ prices and whether or not they list how many calories are in a dish effects whether customers order the smaller or bigger portion size. The article states that if restaurants use linear pricing and display calories, customers will tend to order the smaller portion option. And if restaurants use nonlinear pricing and don’t display calories, it has no impact of the order of portion size.

Portion Sizes Sources “Portion Sizes and the Obesity Epidemic” Jenny H. Ledikwe is a clinical assistant professor for Global Health at the University of Washington. This source helps me argue that over the past thirty years portion sizes have grown and people are consuming energy dense foods which leads to excess energy levels. People should be reducing their energy dense foods, while maintaining food weight or volume so that consumers can eat satisfying portions while reducing their energy intakes.

Portion Sizes Sources “Portion Size and Obesity” Barbara E. Livingstone is the Professor of Nutrition at the University of Ulster This source helps me argue that larger than appropriate portion sizes increase the risk of weight gain. Exposure to large portion sizes is now routine and driven by value-size pricing, and both effectively distorted consumption norms and perception of what is an appropriate amount to eat.

Accessibility to Healthy Foods Synthesis With the price of healthy foods on the rise, it makes it harder for families, especially in low income areas, to access healthier food options. In “Access to Healthy Food and Why it Matters: A Review of the Research” Judith Bell helps me argue that about 9 percent of the total population are living in communities that do not provide adequate access to healthy food retailers such as supermarkets or grocery stores within a reasonable distance to their homes. In “Neighborhood Disparities in Access to Healthy Foods and Their Effects on Environmental Justice” Angela Hilmers helps me argue that people in low income neighborhoods are offered greater access to food sources that promote unhealthy eating. Both authors help me argue that the access to healthy foods is harder to obtain than the cheaper, easier to access, processed and fast food.

Accessibility to Healthy Foods Sources “Access to Healthy Food and Why it Matters: A Review of the Research” Judith Bell is the Vice President of Programs at the San Francisco Foundation This source helps me argue that how difficult it is to access healthy foods for families especially in low-income areas. A recent national scale study conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service found that 25 to 30 million Americans, about 9 percent of the total population, are living in communities that do not provide adequate access to healthy food retailers such as supermarkets or grocery stores within a reasonable distance to their homes.

Accessibility to Healthy Foods Sources “Neighborhood Disparities in Access to Healthy Foods and Their Effects on Environmental Justice” Angela Hilmers is part of the Epidemiology, international and humanitarian medicine, and qualitative social research departments for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This source helps me argue that low-income neighborhoods are offered greater access to food sources that promote unhealthy eating. The distribution of fast-food outlets and convenience stores differed by the racial/ethnic characteristics of the neighborhood.