Fast Food Restaurants and Obesity

Fast Food Restaurants and Obesity
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Fast Food Restaurants and Obesity
Introduction
Obesity refers to a disorder in which the body has an excessive accumulation of fat that poses a negative impact on health, and that may lead to reduced lifespan and increased health complications. An individual is considered obese when what are referred to as the body mass index are in excess of 30kg/m2 (Flegal, et al. 1998). This is a measurement carried out by working out on an individual’s weight divided by the height. In most cases, a range of 25-30 kg/m2 is considered as overweight while that which is over 30 kg/m2 is considered as obese. An obese condition occurs when fats accumulated in the body is more than the energy used during activities. This imbalance that stretches over a long period can cause an overweight body or obese. The BMI (Body Mass Index) is a measure used to analyze and check the body weight. Doctors use it to specify risk level for diseases and death rate at the level of the population (Klein, et al. 2007). For instance, a person with a height of 165cm and weight of 64kg has a Body Mass Index of 24. This is normal and within the recommended range. A BMI that is above 25 is considered overweight while over 30 is obese.
Risks Associated With Obesity
Obesity has joined the world’s leading deadly killers with its prevalence moving up from 56.3 percent to 62.8 percent within a time frame of 10 years. This is prevalent amongst adults of over 18 years while that of children is at 25.7 percent as at 2012 in the United States. The phenomenon is majorly prevalent amongst men and women living in urban centers with those in remote areas registering low prevalence. The disease has seen a sharp rise in recent years globally with reasons behind the trend pointing to poor dieting and lifestyle (Klein, et al. 2007). Obese is associated with many health risks especially chronic diseases such as gout, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, gall bladder disease, cancer, and cardiovascular complications. There are many other potential risks associated with obesity especially on the normal health of an individual. In most cases, obese individuals are prone to falling ill and succumbing to diseases. This is because an individual’s immunity is low with the many risks involved with being obese. Furthermore, obese is associated with many chronic ailments such as stress, sleep apnea, back pain, insulin resistance, among others (Flegal, et al. 1998).
Causes
Various factors are involved contributing to the accumulation of fat in the body. Most of these causes and factors originate from childhood and poor eating habits. Besides eating habits, research and studies have shown and linked certain habits as contributors in the development of obesity, especially in children at birth. These involve maternal smoking and poor nutrition during pregnancy. Studies have also linked obesity to genes in the family though these explain only a small portion of the contributing factor. Overweight in parents is occasionally linked to bringing forth an obese or overweight child. Reduced physical activity has been associated with the accumulation of fat in the body whereby less fat is burnt (Flegal, et al. 1998). Researchers occasionally blame it on modern trends of living in which children and even adults are addicted to the television, computers, computer games, and other home appliances contributing to a sedentary lifestyle. However, the number one cause of obesity is the consumption of excess energy foods that are not used by the body and that are not needed. These fats end up being deposited in the body and with time an individual surpasses the recommended Body Mass Index.
The most notable contributing factor to obesity is poor healthy diet. This essay paper focuses on the role played by fast food restaurants contributing to obesity amongst most individuals’. Fast food restaurants have had its fair share of blame linked to the rising number of obesity cases in the country. However, despite the fact that widespread research has associated fast food restaurant to the high number of obesity cases, restaurants should not be blamed entirely.
Fast Food Restaurants
Results of several research studies have proven that fast food restaurants have highly contributed to the exposure of unhealthy eating habits besides low-quality food stuff. Most of the research studies have focused on fast food restaurants located near schools and among middle and high institutions of learning. In one of the researches carried out in California, results showed that students partake less of vegetables and fruits. Their consumption of soda besides snacks and processed/canned foods were high. The results showed a unique trend in food consumption with many of the student opting for quick fixed meals such as fried potatoes and Crips. Over 50,000 students were involved in the study, and later results confirmed the fears of high levels of overweight and obesity amongst the students. The same trend could be observed in families located close by fast food restaurants with a high level of overweight and obese. This clearly showed that restaurants play a great role peoples eating habits since people go to restaurants and order only what is available which in most cases are of poor quality and with low nutrition.
Blames directed at fast food restaurants are in actual sense misplaced, and most of the people laying blame on these premises are doing so to shift the blame. Fast food restaurants are business premises and only offer what people need and require. People use fast food restaurants due to various but especially because they have ready meals, mouth-watering and dishes. However, foods prepared in fast food restaurants lack the essential nutritional value required by the body. Besides, fast food restaurants put more emphasis on foodstuffs easy to prepare and that do not involve much in their preparation. Fast food restaurants engage in aggressive marketing strategies aimed at the larger population comprising of children, families, and young adults. The strategies are goal-oriented marketing plans geared towards improving sales and boosting their business (Chou, et al. 2005). As to what they offer, it is upon the state government to legalize and ensure that they are up to standard and recommended state. The restaurants follow the laid down business ethics and the states legislation aimed at streamlining the food industry.
Critics of fast food restaurants point to the fact that their foods are of low quality and less in essential nutrients and supplements. The critics use this argument to point to their contribution towards the rise in obesity cases. Such like reasoning is biased and aimed at pointing all the blame to the restaurants. This is same as shifting and playing the blame game. Foods prepared in restaurants are prepared to the best standards since they believe it is a moral and ethical practice in business. There is no point for researchers and people to blame the restaurant for side effects of eating a given food at the restaurant as long as it meets the expected standards by the government. Foods prepared are often good, nutritious, delicious, and this explains why customers keep coming back more and eat to their full. Coupled with aggressive marketing strategies, fast food restaurants are capable to attract and retain many potential customers especially students and young adults who are always on the move with tight deadlines on school work and career jobs (Chou, et al. 2005). These are groups of people who have no time to prepare a full meal at home. Of particular interest are bachelors and bachelorettes’ who perceive cooking at home as a tiring exercise. So they prefer ready meals.
The fast food restaurants have perfected their marketing strategies aimed at young adults and young families. These marketing strategies work perfectly well with many customers trying out on their foods. Blaming fast foods restaurants for the rise in cases of obesity is like trading on blame game. The same foods served at fast food restaurants are the same foods prepared and served at home. In fact, it is at home that individuals eat to their fill with less worry of the bill or rising cost. Supermarkets and groceries also stock the same foods on their shelves, and no one has ever pointed fingers at groceries to be contributing to the rising cases of obesity. The same situation applies to canteens located in learning institutions providing the same menu. So blaming fast food restaurants is a misplaced concept aimed at avoiding the reality of the major causes such as exercising. Fast food restaurants serve large populations of customers who if at all the blame had any elements of truth in it, a very big percentage of the country’s population could have been obese. Studies by Anderson and Matsa (2009) revealed no direct link between eating in fast food restaurants and obesity.
The above argument by Anderson and Matsa brings into focus the difference between the foods consumed at home and foods consumed in restaurants. The fact is there is practically no difference as both foods are derived from both animal products and plants. However the nutritional value of foods served in fast food restaurants may contain limited nutritional value due to the high level of processing, all factors in preparation and packaging does not differ much from home based cooking. For instance foods at McDonald are processed under very strict conditions that ensure that their content and value are sweetening and healthy. It promotes healthy dieting with great emphasis on offering its customers value based food that is healthy and good for the body. If the case were as critics put it, the number of obese individuals in the country could have been double the number.
Despite the fact that foods served at fast food restaurant may contain high calories, most restaurants have gone ahead to create awareness amongst its customers. They have emphasized on the type of foods available including nutrient content, supplement, level of calories, fats, and vitamins. This is to ensure that customers are consciously aware of the food they are taking (Rosenheck, 2008). Also, most fast foods restaurants create awareness amongst the public on the best types of foods to take to create good public relations with their customers and give them the best meals. The management of most fast food restaurants does call upon their customers to take good responsibility of their health and the food they do take. This is aimed at spreading awareness of some of the chronic diseases got from poor dieting. For instance, Maid-Rite carries its awareness campaign on its marketing and advertisements to inform customers of the health benefits of their foods (Rosenheck, 2008). Also to marketing its products, the foods chain has put great emphasis on ensuring its foods are according to recommended standards. Only during disease outbreaks can fast food restaurants be put to blame. However, such like situations are rare as most of the restaurants have well-established health mechanisms and strategies aimed at preventing any outbreak.
Conclusion
Good health is an individual’s decision. No fast food restaurant can intentionally put its customers’ health at risk. The blame arises from people unable to take personal responsibility for their health and is busy finding excuses to their poor health status. No fast food restaurant forces its customers to eat and be addicted to its foods. It is an individual’s choice to maintain healthy status and observe healthy eating methods and foods. By taking responsibility of one’s own health status, an individual is capable of knowing and understanding his or her health status. By taking healthy recommended foods, exercising, going for medical checkups and watching one’s weight and eating habits, it is possible to avoid chronic health complications such as obesity. Chronic diseases such as obesity are not health complications that just pop up overnight, they are diseases that develop and grow gradually and depending on one’s attention to his or her, these conditions can be reverted and one goes back to good health status. By laying blame on restaurants, individuals miss the opportunity to get to the bottom of the causes of obesity in people. This is taking the blame game too far and great efforts need to be put in place to determine the rapid rise in obese cases amongst both the young and old.
References
Chou, S. Y., Rashad, I., & Grossman, M. (2008). Fast‐Food Restaurant Advertising on Television and Its Influence on Childhood Obesity. Journal of Law and Economics, 51(4), 599-618.
Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., Kuczmarski, R. J., & Johnson, C. L. (1998). Overweight and obesity in the United States: prevalence and trends, 1960-1994. International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders: journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 22(1), 39-47.
Jeffery, R. W., Baxter, J., McGuire, M., & Linde, J. (2006). Are fast food restaurants an environmental risk factor for obesity?. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 3(1), 2.
Klein, S., Allison, D. B., Heymsfield, S. B., Kelley, D. E., Leibel, R. L., Nonas, C., & Kahn, R. (2007). Waist circumference and cardiometabolic risk: a consensus statement from shaping America’s health: Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention; NAASO, the Obesity Society; the American Society for Nutrition; and the American Diabetes Association.Obesity, 15(5), 1061-1067.
Rosenheck, R. (2008). Fast food consumption and increased caloric intake: a systematic review of a trajectory towards weight gain and obesity risk. Obesity Reviews, 9(6), 535-547.