Obesity in America

The Problem of Obesity

Over two-thirds of adult Americans are currently overweight, and one-third of them are obese, making obesity a major problem in this country. The main causes of obesity for an individual are inactivity, improper lifestyle choices, unhealthy eating patterns, family history, and genetics, among other things. The essay discusses how obesity has affected me personally, as well as one contributing factor to obesity and the accompanying prevention actions. One social theory pertaining to the selected obesity-related contributing factor will be covered in the final section.

Personal Experience with Obesity

When I was a child, obesity affected me personally. The major problem that I faced as an obese child was associating with other children during play. I was heavy and not able to run or do other activities like other children. It was difficult to create new friends as many of them hated me because of my weight. I developed self-hate and began starving myself so that I may lose weight. This led to me developing depression and anxiety most of the times. It even affected my studies as I could not concentrate properly in class.

Unhealthy Eating Behaviors as a Contributing Factor

One of the contributing factors to obesity is unhealthy eating behaviors. Here, an individual tends to eat more calories than he or she is using. Others develop obesity because of consuming foods with saturated fats and eating foods that have high sugars added to them. Two preventive measures related to unhealthy eating habits include careful choice of food to reduce calories and frequent exercise or physical activities to burn fats and unused energy.

Sociological Theory and Unhealthy Eating Behavior

A sociological theory that relates to the chosen contributing factor of obesity on unhealthy eating behavior is the social psychological theory. It is an approach that explains how individuals choose their dietary behavior. The social psychological perspective states that how a person chooses the food to eat is influenced by the social and environmental factors as well as their psychological determinants on eating behavior. How an individual profiles his or her eating behavior is an important aspect to determine their possibility of developing obesity.