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Contents Page

Introduction 3

For Argument 4, 5

Against Argument 6, 7

Alternative Viewpoint 8

Concluding Statement 9

Bibliography 10

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Introduction

In this case study I am going to be investigating the question Should the government be blamed for obesity? I will investigate this question by giving views for and against and by including graphs and detailed scientific explanations, then I will sum it all up with a concluding statement of what I think. For my for argument I will look at arguments and reasons that give an idea of whether the government should be blamed for obesity, for my against argument I will look at arguments for why the government should not be blamed for obesity and give examples on who should be blamed instead. Obesity is when a person is carrying too much body fat for their height and sex. Obesity can occur when you eat more calories than you burn off over a period of time. The rate at which you burn off calories from food and drink is known as your metabolic rate. This is often faster during growth spurts and puberty, but reaches a fairly steady rate by adulthood. Most of us have more calories than we need- male adults need between 2100 and 2600 calories, female adults only need 2000 calories. Fast foods, high calorie snacks and large portions all mean it is easy to take in more energy than we need. The treatment for obesity is by dieting and physical exercise. If this fails, there are anti-obesity drugs that can be taken. These drugs help lose appetite or absorb fat. In several cases a surgery is performed which reduces stomach volume. After this operation the person can only eat half a cup of food for each meal. Obesity has now become one of the most serious medical problems of the western world. Obesity is rapidly growing, especially in young people.

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For Argument
The government should be blamed for obesity as they play a big role in a childs life. As soon as children come out of school they rush to the nearest fast food shop. Experts say that most people become obese by eating fast foods like Burger King or doing a small amount of their daily exercise. Lawsuits also blame biscuit companies like Oreo as they contain a huge amount of fat. Fast food companies sell food which has a lot of fat and is high in calories. The Government can put a stop to the fast food industry or improve it but theyre not. When was the last time we saw an advert of fresh fruit and vegetable? The government have the power to stop this but theyre not. Schools are linked to the government too, the government can stop schools from selling junk food and instead encourage them on eating healthily. Many pupils have a school meal, by selling healthy food they have already made a difference even if it Food Servin Calori Fat Carbs Protein small.
Description gs es (gms (gms) ) (gms) Burger King Whopper(R) w/Cheese, w/o Mayo (Hamburgers) Burger King Whopper(R) w/o Mayo (Hamburgers) Burger King Hot Fudge Brownie Royale (Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, Toppings) Burger King French Fries, salted (Potatoes) Burger King French Fries, salted (Potatoes) 1 ea (10.4 o z) (295 g m) 1 ea (9.5 oz) (270 g m) 1 ea (4.0 oz) (113 g m) 1 king (6.0 oz) (170 g m) 1 med (4.1 oz) (116 g m)

600

31

47

35

Fast food companies like Burger King make a lot of money out of junk.

510

23

47

29

440

19

62

590

30

74

400

21

50

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This graph shows how much calories, fat, carbohydrate and protein Burger King food has. When going on a diet it does not mean that you have to completely cut of fast food but when you are buying it you should try to buy the food with the least calories, least amount of fat and more vegetables. Most surveys show that children become obese by lack of exercise. Studies show that not all towns have a sport centre for children to get some exercise. The government should try to make difference. Primary and secondary schools have got a large amount of children who are suffering from obesity, from as young as four years old. Nearly one in four children are obese or overweight by the time they start school at the age of four or five. The government should increase physical education lessons for children. They should at least do an hour of exercise a day. Some schools do not have good P.E equipment or do not have enough for all the children so the children cannot do P.E. This graph shows the percentage of prevalence of overweight children and adolescence from 1963 to 2000. It shows how much obesity is increased over 37 years.

The minister said that obesity costs the NHS 7 billion and that could rise in the next forty years to 46 billion if the government does not make some changes. Reports claim that the solution to all this is not in the individual, the government needs to change the policy to reduce obesity levels. There are problems with obesity all over the world because the government is not taking action. Even children as young as 4 years old are turning out to be overweight. The government needs to take action. They need to make a change in their lifestyle and food. The government have the power to make a change but they arent doing anything. The government could close down fast food industries if they wanted to but no, they dont. The
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government is not doing anything about people being overweight and obese. The government may be giving people health benefits but that doesnt help everyone. In some countries, especially in poorer regions of the world, the government does not give health benefits. The person could explode by over eating but the government would still not care. I think the government should take action, if they did obesity wouldnt be such a big issue. If the government made laws about obesity, parents, the media and fast food shops would have to follow. I think it can make a big difference. After one country takes action others would too.

Above is a graph that shows body mass index. The dashed lines represent subdivisions within a major class. For instance the "Underweight" classification is further divided into "severe," "moderate," and "mild" subclasses. The body mass index (BMI) is a statistical measure which compares a person's weight and height. Though it does not actually measure the percentage of body fat, it is used to estimate a healthy body weight based on a person's height. Due to its ease of measurement and calculation, it is the most widely used diagnostic tool to identify weight problems within a population, usually whether individuals are underweight, overweight or obese. Body mass index is defined as the individual's body weight divided by the square of his or her height. The formulae universally used in medicine produce a unit of measure of kg/m2. BMI can also be determined using a BMI chart, which displays BMI as a function of weight (horizontal axis) and height (vertical axis) using contour lines for different values of BMI or colours for different BMI categories.

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Against Argument
The government should not be blamed for obesity as obesity can be controlled by an individual. But in childhood obesity, parents should be blamed. Dr Collins said that overweight children cant do anything without the support of their parents. If we can get parents to take action against their own weight problems, then we cant expect to influence their kids. I agree
with this statement as most children are controlled by their parents.

Data from the Bureau of Labour cites that both American children and parents are spending increased time commuting from work, school and activities. Eating takes place en route from one venue or another, making sitting down to a home-cooked, carefully balanced meal even less of a reality for families. "Children's eating habits are suffering due to the lack of structured meal time, and this is as big a challenge as the lack of balanced meals," said Amanda Archibald, analyst and registered dietician for Mintel. "Compressed schedules and cramped time availability for both children and parents may play a more important role than previously thought in making healthy food choices." Looking at these quotes I can tell that by having a fixed dinner time and a home cooked meal we can control obesity. Some parents also get the impression that by giving their children fatty foods their children will grow up to be strong and healthy. This is not only done by giving them fatty foods but by encouraging them to eat more. Eat all and whatever you desire then pop this quick fix diet pill and you will slim down. Now that there are more and more ways to reduce fat in bodies, parents tell their children to eat what they want because they think that due to these new inventions their children can never become obese. But can the damages already done to the body? There is also the fact that most of these pills are licensed for adults. The
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number of under-18s in the UK being prescribed weight-loss drugs rose 15-fold between 1999 and 2006.

As fat blockers like Xenical remove excess fats via the intestines, they may cause uncomfortable cramping, gas and diarrhea. Because these drugs also reduce the body's absorption of essential vitamins and nutrients, people who take Xenical are advised to take a daily multivitamin supplement. Sibutramine (Meridia) and other similar appetite suppressants stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, which can raise blood pressure and heart rate. This increases the risk of heart attack and cardiac arrest, especially among people who already suffer from high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat or heart disease. In fact, between February 1998 and March 2003, the FDA received reports of 49 deaths related to Sibutramine. Other, more minor side effects include constipation, headache, dry mouth and insomnia (because the chemicals in these drugs also influence sleep patterns). Most children eat fast food after school; they go to their local chip shop or KFC and eat with their friends. As parents are at work they do not know what their children are up to after school and by the time their back from work the children are at home. Parents should try to make sure that their children have a balanced diet. David Day said that with all the negative publicity and political views on advertisers, food manufactures and schools it is interesting to learn that the global public opinion clearly blames parents for the rise in obesity in children. Most people over eat because if food is put in front of them, they'll eat it. Some parents force their children to eat because they think that there child is not eating enough. Parents tend to do that a lot especially if a friend or a relative says that their child looks like they havent been getting fed. Parents hate that. Children who have bad eating habits when they are young are the children which turn out to be obese when their older. When children are older they know who to blame for their size. It usually turns out to be the parents. Children think they are living the dream sitting at home watching TV and eating pizza, but they dont know whats going to happen to them when theyre older- they just have to wait and see, but by then it may be too late. Most adults blame parents for America's current adolescent obesity crisis, though the proliferation of junk food remains a critical concern according to a new report.

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More than 77 percent of adults surveyed by Mintel decided that parents are to blame for the national crisis.

My research shows that two thirds of parents blame themselves. Parents can help their children to make healthier choices, both at home and outside. Then can also limit their childs TV watching and time spent on video games. Research also suggests that having overweight parents has a big influence on the child.

Advertisers Food Manufacturers Government Parents Restaurants Schools

AustraliaGermanyFranceGB 12% 14% 16% 8% 9% 1% 77% 1% 1% 13% 1% 72% 1% 1% 20% 1% 63% 1% 0% 11% 1% 78% 1% 1%

Italy NetherlandsSpain SwedenTotal 24% 7% 15% 8% 13% 17% 1% 57% 0% 1% 12% 1% 76% 1% 3% 14% 3% 66% 1% 1% 9% 1% 81% 1% 1% 13% 1% 71% 1% 1%

This Poll was conducted in Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Australia among 99,109 respondents in June 2006. There was very little difference between the sexes when pointing the finger of blame, although females did blame parents slightly more than males (73% vs. 67%).

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Alternative View Point

My research shows that children arent doing enough exercise. The Director of the National Obesity Forum said that childrens weight has doubled as there years through primary school. Schools need to extend their P.E time so the children can get more exercise. Children are becoming overweight that when you look in a play ground you cant tell if there are overweight or not. As the children get bigger, the proportion of obese children double. Sarah Cassidy who works for the Education Correspondent said that they should make physical activity a core subject. Obesity is more common in Primary schools as the results show that 11.3% in reception and 20.8% in year 6. This shows how rapidly obesity can grow in 7 years. If primary schools start teaching children to eat healthy then as the children grow these habits will stay with them. Schools have a big impact on children as they spend most of their day there. If schools could just teach the children to eat healthy and tell them what can happen to their bodies if they keep eating junk food. Junk food can do a big damage to their bodies especially at a young age. Junk food is addictive but there are ways to just say no to it.

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Whilst concluding my research on the question Should the Government be blamed for obesity? I have come to an overall answer by using my research on for argument, against argument and alternative view point. I admit that both sides have strong views but in my opinion I think that arguments should be blamed for obesity. I say this because I think that parents should be the ones to blame for childhood obesity as the parent is fully responsible for their child. As for adult obesity, I think that the person is responsible for his/herself as they are old enough to control their own weight. They know what is good and what is bad for them but they just dont care about their health. Adults are old enough to take care of themselves they shouldnt need doctors to keep telling them what they should and shouldnt eat. They just need some self control.

Concluding Statement

Whilst concluding my research on the question Should the government be blamed for obesity? I have come to a conclusion: Both sides have strong views but in my opinion I think that parents should be blamed for their child being obese. I say this because parents are fully responsible for their child and also the government cant take the responsibility of all the children in the country. As for adult obesity, I think that the person is responsible for his/herself as they are old enough to understand the consequences. They know what is good and bad for them so it all comes down to them not caring about their health. Adults are old enough to take care of themselves they shouldnt need doctors to keep telling them what they should and shouldnt eat. They just need some self control.

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The government gives parents health benefits and trust funds for their children but it still seems that it isnt enough for them. The government is trying to help but to make some dramatic changes the person has to control their eating habits. Eating a healthy and balanced diet can help you keep in shape. The government is trying to make a change by advertising healthy food. They are also selling vegetables in happy meals in Mc Donalds for children. They have also made no fizz or sugary drinks in happy meals for kids only water and fresh juice. The government is giving them so much help so why is obesity still rising? In most countries the government does not give support to people, most of them dont even have homes to live in and the government does not care. People in richer countries are the ones which are ending up being obese. They have the money so they buy a lot of fast food with it, but they should realise that the money could be used for something else then making them sick and maybe even die. Overall I think parents are to blame for obesity. They should control their own obesity and their childs obesity.

Bibliography

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/08/1089000295698.html This website is reliable as it is a worldwide newspaper http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/blame_obesity.htm http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Met-Obe/Obesity.html http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2203830,00.html This is reliable as it is a worldwide news channel. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5386024.stm This is reliable as it is a well known T.V channel.

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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/focus-on-tests-isblamed-for-obesity-in-primary-pupils-785590.html This website is reliable as it is a well known newspaper. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Obesity/Pages/Factsaboutobesity.aspx This website is reliable as it a national health service. http://www.juicemaster.ie/newsarticle.php?id=28 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index http://www.paulmc.org/whatithink/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/bmi_graph.gif http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080317130308AAPkoXg http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Obesity/Pages/Introduction.aspx This website is reliable as it a national health service. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080421113634AApIlvy http://www.who.int/topics/obesity/en/ http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/obesity.htm This website is reliable as it is written by professional doctors. http://www.livescience.com/health/090209-obesity-parents.html http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9812095/ This is reliable as it is a well known American news channel. http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=786 http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Obesity/Pages/Treatment.aspx

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