Alfonso J.

Beliz
Professor Syeretta Massey-Jimenez
English Composition 1
4 July 2014
Annotated Bibliography: How to prevent and stop obesity
Green, Gregory, Brenda Hargrove, and Clarence Riley. "Physical activity and childhood obesity:
strategies and solutions for schools and parents." Education 132.4 (2012): 915+.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 25 June 2014.
This source gives an insight of the problem that is child obesity, its causes and its
consequences while supplying facts and statistics as support. It also states some of the most
prevalent causes of child obesity including biological, economical and social. The article also
proposes possible solutions involving both schools and parents while presenting treatment
programs that have worked before and could work in the future. Similarly, the source suggest a
list of possible strategies and solutions to implement at school, some of which include quality
daily physical education, introduction of salad bars and school based interventions. On the same
vein, a list of strategies and solutions is there for parents to use in order to encourage exercise
and a well-balanced diet. This article is relevant since it centers specifically on child obesity. It
also offers several concepts in order to tackle the problem in an efficient way. On the other side,
it does not show the disadvantages and the effects of implementing this measures on a large
scale. However, it still states important and relevant information to the topic that is obesity in
general by stating problems and possible solutions to the issue.

Healy, Melissa. "BMI Might Not Tell the Whole Truth." Los Angeles Times. 17 Apr. 2011:
A.32. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 14 Jul. 2014.
The piece mentions how the BMI is an outdated system that does not show the actual
level of fitness of the individual. It explains how although the BMI is helpful for an average
measure of a total population, it can be misleading when it comes to individuals as it does not
take into account several other factors such as muscle to fat ratio, genetics or ethnicity. The
article also provides alternatives that are more reliable and can be used to better measure the
level of fitness more accurately. It mentions how although other methods exist, there is not one
as simple or economic as the BMI, which is the main reason why it is still the most used method.
Furthermore, it also mentions how combining different test we can get a more precise measure of
the healthiness of the individual. This article is important as it presents a crucial factor that may
propose a problem when it comes to dealing with obesity effectively, as well as describing some
of the other elements that are involved in the individual health of an individual.

Hall, Mimi, and Nanci Hellmich. "First Lady Says: 'Let's Move' on Child Obesity." USA
TODAY. 09 Feb. 2010: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 26 Jul. 2014.l
This article explains the Mrs. Michelle Obama is trying to promote awareness about
obesity. In order to support the statements the article mentions some statistics as well as
interviews with physicians that explain some of the causes and consequences of obesity. The
idea behind the article is to disseminate the topic of obesity nationally and to promote Obamas
campaign in order to deal with the problem. The article, which focus mainly on childhood
obesity, describes the Obamas plan that includes using pediatricians to give personalized and
kid-friendly prescriptions to children every checkup, bring mayor grocery stores to the desert
communities that do not have access to nutritious food and replace the food equipment in
schools in order to cook more substantial food for the children. The main appeal of the piece is
the fact that not only shows a well-known figure trying to bring obesity to the spotlight, but also
actively contributing to fix the problem.

Monaghan, Lee F. Men and the War on Obesity: A sociological study. Abingdon: Routledge,
2008. eBook.
This ebook tries to show the social aspect of obesity. It talks about how obesity is a social
problem and how it is mostly caused by the social perceptions that the medical field has created.
It also mentions how those social perceptions affects men and women differently, with women
being more affected due to the constant image presented by the media. This book challenges the
notion that obesity is a problem that only belongs to the individual by criticizing the practices
and tactics exerted by those addressing the obesity as an issue. This particular source presents a
stance that helps to appreciate the effects of the campaign against obesity. This source does not
only cite important works on obesity but also uses interviews and informal conversations as main
basis for the development of its thesis. Moreover, the interviews increase the credibility and
reliability of the source as they are focused in people directly affected by this issue.

Norris, John. "Make them eat cake: how America is exporting its obesity epidemic." Foreign
Policy 202 (2013): 60+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 24 June 2014.
This article contains several facts regarding the current epidemic of fast food. It offers
useful background information as to why obesity is a global epidemic and what are some of the
causes and short-term consequences the food industry and its policies has had globally. It also
discuses some of the changes the food industry has made over the last 20 years in order to appeal
to a global market, focusing especially on fast and junk food. Moreover, it also shows an
interesting relationship between the tobacco and food industry, focusing mainly on how the food
industry has followed steps similar to the tobacco industry when it came to foreign policies.
This shift abroad mirrors the strategy of the tobacco industry as anti-smoking efforts and
cigarette taxes have pushed the U.S. smoking rate down steadily over the past half-
century(Norris, 2). As it is a magazine article, there are doubts of its credibility as a reliable
source. Likewise, there is a notable bias against the United States and its policy in the subject of
obesity. This article is relevant since it shows the importance that the United States has had in the
rise and spread of obesity. Furthermore, It also provides a useful, albeit small, insight on the
roots of obesity, with verifiable and relevant data.

Lunau, Kate. "Sugar Overload." Maclean's. 12 May 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 27
Jun. 2014.
The article explains that one of the biggest causes why people are obese and overweight
is sugar. It states how even though people try the best to control the diet and keep active by
exercising the amount of sugar placed in the food by the food companies will not allow people to
lose weight. It also debates how other kinds of sugar that we consume, such as high-fructose corn
syrup, are used in food and how it affects the body. In a curious comparison, the article states
how the tobacco and the food industry responded to critics in a very similar way. The article
briefly explains some of the methods the food industry uses in order to make food more
desirable, including distributing the right amount of fat, sugar and salt the body craves in their
products. This article provides very useful information regarding some of the policies and
practice the food industry has. Moreover, the article contains quotes and points of view from
both, the food processing industry and the side against it that makes it fairly objective.


Rea, Philip A., Peter Yin, and Ryan Zahalka. "Can skinny fat beat obesity? Newly discovered in
adult mammals, beige fat cells can switch between accumulating fat and burning it,
depending on metabolic needs." American Scientist 102.4 (2014): 272+. Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 July 2014.
This article focuses on the possible implications of a new type of fat cell discovery and
studied in humans. The article first describes how the white, brown and beige fat cells interact
and have different functions in the body. It then explains how drugs and diets can target these
new beige fat cells so they are retained less in the body or to be expended rapidly. This occurs
easier with these types of cells rather than with white or brown, and they are directly correlated
with age: if people are lean when young, they are more likely to have more of these types of cells
and as they age, they get replaced by brown fat cells. The article is highly technical, focusing in
the biochemical process of the body to better explain result of the experiments. However, it
proposes a better comprehension on how diet and exercise works and how they can be improved.

Weight-control Information Network. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidneys
disease. Web. June 23, 2014.
The Weight Control Information Network is a Website created in order to supply the
most recent, up-to-date and scientifically proved information. In the website there are statistics,
clinical trials and research information that are not only available for the public but also for
health care providers. The website also releases monthly publications containing different
approaches that can be used in order to deal with obesity. The site also offers different ways to
involve the community by encouraging the formation of programs around smaller communities
and also making the information available and free. Material in other languages is can be found
on the site along with several links to other organizations and resources in order to facilitate the
distribution of information. This website is particularly useful since it provides several new
resources that contain clinical trials and research information regarding obesity. It also offers raw
data in the form of statistics and charts free of charge from reliable sources.

Walker, Alan W; Parkhill, Julian.Fighting Obesity with Bacteria. Science Vol.341.6150
(2013): 1069-70. Web.
This is a peer review journal illustrate the relationship between obese mouse and the
bacteria found in their digestive system. The article explains how bacteria was extracted from
human twins, one obese and one lean, and transplanted to test mice under a high-fiber, low-fat
diet. Overweight mice saw a reduction of adipose tissue only if maintained under the diet, which
the article states that helps to spread those bacteria associated with leanness. Additionally, it also
states that bacteria from the obese twins results on the mice increasing their adipose tissue. The
article also mentions the possible mechanisms by which the bacteria might reduce obesity.
Finally, it briefly mentions how the bacteria transplants helped to marginally increase sensitivity
to insulin in obese subjects, which might be linked to the development of diabetes. This source is
relevant in providing an analysis on a particular factor that might affect the development of
obesity or a possible new treatment for it. Moreover, the article also indicates how although a
certain kind of bacteria has been correlated with protection against obesity, the results of studies
involving humans and said bacteria are still mixed. The author also states that more complex
bacterial interactions underlie protection against increased body mass and associated metabolic
disturbance., which demonstrates how this article only illustrates possible factors affecting
obesity rather than an alternative treatment.

Wieczner, Jen. Selling Health Insurance by the Pound. The wall Street Journal. 30 January
2013. Web. 14 July 2014
The piece mentions how the companies take into account the BMI when they are
calculating how much an individual must pay for its insurance. It describes how companies use
biometrics scans to calculate levels of cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure and based on that
they calculate a extra percentage the employee needs to pay to the company. Expect to see a
25% increase to premiums for BMI scores over 30 or 31 in major health insurers plans; for a
BMI over 39, one might pay 50% more a month, according to the site. In the article there are a
lot of examples as to how this may be detrimental to employees that suffer from obesity and
shows some implications that this may have to the future of health insurance. Some are ignoring
the law altogether, and simply sticking employees who have unfavorable health scores with
higher premiums. This article mainly serves as a link to other articles as it connects with other
topics relating the BMI.