Daniel Ding

Instructor: Carlos Reyes

ENGL 100 21 30

21 September 2017

Obesity In America: Are we the culprit?

U.S. obesity rates are the highest among all... high-income countries in the world.
[1] Furthermore, Research shows that Americans living in areas with more fast food
outlets have a higher obesity rate than others[2]. Some Americans think that lack of
information is the culprit behind the obesity epidemic in America. Some people hold
fast food restaurants accountable for U.S. obesity due to menus lack of calorie
information, while others say that some people are not informed of the risks of being
overweight, and lack the knowledge to make educated and healthy food choices.
However, I believe that lack of information is not the culprit for obesity, instead it is
American citizens own responsibility to eat healthy. Calorie labeling laws have been
made in the U.S. based on the belief that it would help people pick their food
wisely.[3] Contrary to popular belief, various studies show that informing customers
about calorie information does not help people make better food choices.[4][5][6] In
one such study conducted at Ghent University, researchers displayed posters in school
cafeterias that show the menu items nutrition information, such as the number of
calories, salt, and saturated fat. Contrary to the researchers hypothesis, the posters did
not help students make healthier foods choices. [6] On the other hand, some people
argue that certain Americans, especially children, are not informed of the health risks
associated with obesity. Although it is universally agreed that children often do lack
information about obesity and healthy food choices, the majority of American adults
are surprisingly well informed of the burden of being obese. A survey of 1139
Americans showed that Obese (overweight) adults forecast life expectancies 3.9 (2.4)
years shorter than those of normal weight adults, leading to the researchers
conclusion that many obese adults do recognize the health risks of being obese, and
that interventions focusing only on health risks of obesity would be of little help to
dealing with the obesity problem in America.[7] According to a study in 2014, 94
percent of Americans hold themselves responsible for being overweight.[8] Overall,
Americans generally do not have a lack of information about obesity, what to eat and
how to eat healthy. However, Americans often fail to make healthy food choices
despite knowing the consequences of eating unhealthy food.
Works Cited

[1] Finucane MM, Stevens GA, Cowan MJ, et al. National, regional, and global trends in

body-mass index since 1980: systematic analysis of health examination surveys and

epidemiological studies with 960 country-years and 9.1 million participants. Lancet.

2011;377:557-67.

[2] Inagami S., Cohen D.A., Brown A.F., Asch S.M. Body Mass Index, Neighborhood Fast Food

and Restaurant Concentration, and Car Ownership. J. Urban Health. 2009;86:683695. doi:

10.1007/s11524-009-9379-y.

[3] Bomkamp, Samantha. Calorie labeling rule delayed by FDA until next year.

Chicagotribune.com, Bruce Dold, 3 May 2017,

www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-menu-labeling-delay-0502-biz-20170501-story.html.

Accessed 18 Sept. 2017.

[4] Elbel, B, Kersh, R, Brescoll, VL, and Dixon, LB. Calorie labeling and food choices: a first

look at the effects on low-income people in New York City. Health Aff. 2009; 28: w1110w1121

[5] Cantor J, Torres A, Abrams C, Elbel B. Five years later: Awareness Of New York Citys calorie

labels declined, with no changes in calories purchased. Health Affairs. 2015;34(11):18931900.

pmid:26526247

[6] Hoefkens C, Lachat C, Kolsteren P, . Posting point-of-purchase nutrition information in

university canteens does not influence meal choice and nutrient intake. Am J Clin Nutr.

2011;94:562570.

[7] Finkelstein EA, Brown DS, Evans D: Do obese persons comprehend their personal health

risks?. Am J Health Behav. 2008, 32 (5): 508-516.

[8] Lusk JL, Ellison B. Who is to blame for the rise in obesity? Appetite 2013; 68: 1420.

Daniel Ding

Instructor: Carlos Reyes

ENGL 100 21 30

21 September 2017

Obesity In America: Are we the culprit? (Draft)

U.S. obesity rates are the highest among all... high-income countries in the world.
[1] Some Americans blame fast food restaurants lack of transparency of calorie
information. Some say that people lack knowledge about obesity and how to make
educated and healthy food choices. I believe that the aforementioned reasons are not
what is causing obesity, instead it is peoples own responsibility to eat healthy.
Contrary to popular belief, studies show that giving people calorie information does
not help people make better and healthier choices.[4][5][6] In a study, researchers
displayed posters in school cafeterias that show the cafeteria foods number of
calories, salt, and saturated fat. Instead of helping the students make better choices,
the posters did not make a difference in what foods the students picked. [6] Some
people say some adults and especially most children, do not know what foods they
should pick and they do not know about the risks of being obese. I definitely agree,
like most people, that children are innocent and lack information about obesity and
making healthy food choices. But according to a survey, most American adults
definitely know the risk of being overweight. A survey of 1139 Americans showed
that Obese (overweight) adults forecast life expectancies 3.9 (2.4) years shorter than
those of normal weight adults, leading to the researchers conclusion that many
obese adults do recognize the health risks of being obese.[7]