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Research Argument proposing a “Healthy Machine” as a Public Program to fight the Problem

of Obesity

FIRST HALF OF THE ARGUMENT: THE PROBLEM

Problem identification and thesis statement

Well-being is very essential if human beings are to be productive in their daily activities. For

this reason, any government must ensure that the health of its population is prioritized since a

healthy nation is a wealthy one. Obesity has proved to be an intractable problem not only in

the United States of America but also in the world at large. It is important to note that fat

accumulation is a major problem in the case of obesity to an extent that human health is

damaged. Obesity refers to excess fat that is associated with several health hazards such as

non-insulin dependent diabetes and heart diseases (Atay & Bereket, 3). Pratt et al contend

that obesity in both adults and children is linked to fitness challenges which include unusual

high blood pressure, thickening of the heart arteries, dyslipidemia, arteriosclerotic vascular

disease, as well as insulin resistance syndrome (406). Aside from the above stated conditions,

obesity is also associated with heart diseases, liver diseases, and problems linked to the mind

such as a feeling of loneliness and separation from other individuals, and low self-esteem. In

most cases, obesity is usually measured using body mass index (BMI), whereby the weight is

divided by height of an individual with kilograms per meters squares as the S.I units. In order

to deal with the problem of obesity, it has to start with monitoring the weight of a person

from the time they are young. Research has indicated that obesity is very common among

children.
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For a long time, obesity has been cited as a health complication that threatens to have a

detrimental effect on population health. As such several policies have been formulated with

an aim of reducing the effect of obesity. However, the existing public policies have been

evaluated by scholars in a critical manner in a bid to establish how effective they are in as far

as prevention of obesity is concerned. Every day, new strategies continue to be devised using

statistics (James, 336). Some scholars have indicated that most of the current policies assume

that individuals who are obese are irresponsible and do not want to take any initiative to

ensure that they are fit. However, contrary to this theory of obesity resulting from leaving

irresponsibly, it has also been found that it might allays be the case. Therefore, it is important

that governments come up with public policies that are free of weigh bias, which has been

found to have negative effects. For instance, weight bias can impact on the mental health of

individuals, educational achievement, and even employment opportunities.

Why obesity is a problem

As earlier mentioned, obesity is a major problem that requires to be given attention as

indicated by the exiting evidence. According to the statistics from World Health Organization

(WHO), 39% of adults and 13% of children were obese in 2014. The same data showed that

around forty three million children aged 5 years and below were obese. What makes the

situation worse is the fact that, going by the same rate, over 60 million children who are five

old and below would be obese by 2020. According to Shapiro et al (264), the percentage of

children who were obese in the United States of America was 17. It is important to note that

the environment in which one grows up has been found by some researchers to greatly

determine the prevalence of obesity. For example, Reed, Patterson, and Wasserman (402)

indicate that cases of obesity were more rampant in rural areas as compared to those in urban

areas in the United States of America.

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According to Holland (7), the rates of obesity are rising every day. The following are the

reasons why obesity is a serious problem in the US:

The first reason is because more than a third of grownups in United States of America are

affected by obesity. Statistics indicate that around 36.5% of adults are obese (Holland, 7).

Additionally, 32.5% adults are reported to be overweight. What this means is that over two

thirds of adults in the US are either obese or overweight and this is a cause for concern.

The second reason why obesity is a problem in the United States of America is that around

17% of children aged 2 to 19 are reported to be obese (Holland, 7). This translates to over

12.7 million children in the same age bracket who are obese. As such, it is important for

governments, both federal and state, to come up with the right strategies in order to ensure

that the problem of obesity is dealt with accordingly.

Aside from the statistics presented above, obesity is also a problem since it is associated with

over 60 chronic diseases (Holland, 7). Scholars in the field of health studies have stated that

being obese or overweight predisposes one several dangerous illnesses or conditions such as

heart related problems, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and stroke.

Obesity is also a serious problem since it causes more deaths compared to being underweight.

Research indicates that obesity is ranked among top five killers of the world. The deaths

which are reported as a result of obesity are in excess of 2.8 million annually (Holland, 7). As

such, morbidity and mortality rates increase with obesity.

High costs incurred in treating obesity related complications vindicate the premise that

obesity is a problem worth being controlled. More than 147 billion dollars are spent on

obesity treatment on an annual basis (Holland, 7). Individuals who are obese pay more

yearly in terms of medical expenses compared to those who have normal weight.
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Why the United States of America is an obese country

Having looked at the above reasons why obesity is a problem in the United States of

America, it is important that the explanations behind the prevalence of the condition are

given. There are three major reasons why the US is an obese country. First, the people are

surrounded by fast food ventures everywhere. This is dangerous given that fast foods are one

of the main contributors of obesity. Secondly, the prices of unhealthy foods are usually lower

than those of healthy diet. Thirdly, there are a lot of adverts promoting fast foods on

televisions, radios, social media, and erected billboards.

Current measures that are taken to remedy the problem and why the policies are not

working

Most of the current measures are geared towards ensuring that individuals exercise often

judging form the increasing number of gyms countrywide. Though there has also been

emphasis on eating a healthy diet, the rate of obesity still continues to increase each day.

Programmes such as The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and

Children and the Healthier US School Challenge have been implemented with the expectation

that the number of people who are obese will decline but this has not been the case as

statistics indicate that the rate of obesity continues to increase (Salas, 598). This begs the

question: Are the existing policies on control of obesity working?

Prevention of obesity entails ensuring that individuals change their lifestyle. However,

policies alone are unlikely to achieve the desired results, especially in the case of working on

fitness because of the way new technology has made human inactive (Salas, 599). For

instance, people do not need to travel in order to communicate with their friends as they can

do so on social media. Most of the work environments are dominated by computers, which

minimize movement of human beings.

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The current policies have also been unable to tackle the problem of obesity since they do not

address the issues that make people eat excessively. One thing that can lead to excessive

eating is stress. When some people are stressed, they turn to food as a way of finding

comfort. Research has indicated that when the body is stressed it releases cortisol, which

alters food intake capacity in human beings and could lead to increased energy intake as well

as fat accumulation (Salas, 599). However, it is hard to deal with obesity which is poverty

related.

Finally, prevention of obesity becomes hard due to the goal of profit maximization which

drives all firms, fast food ventures included. The goal of profit maximization is based on

increasing sales and reducing cost, something that goes against the public policies of reducing

obesity. If food ventures are going to maximize sales, they must ensure that people take more

of snacks, sweetened drinks, and carbonated beverages.

Address the opposition for your problem

The opposition of the idea that obesity is a not a problem are advocates of the notion of

weight bias. They contend that people who are obese lack the willpower to prevent or reduce

obesity. As such, this school of thought, who comprises the majority in the society, tends to

spread the news that being obese is a result of carelessness. Though, there might be true in

what they say, there could also be a psychological explanation why this keeps on happening.

Instead of blaming themselves or others for not losing weight, people could help each other.

It has been found that even when people are sensitized on the importance of minimizing

eating junk foods they start off by heeding the advice and eventually go back to crave for

unhealthy food. For this reason, it is a struggle and victims of obesity require to be supported.

Scientists have found that the struggle with unhealthy food is a psychological problem which

requires collective effort to be overcome. The researcher refutes the claims of opponents

who argue that obesity is not a problem.

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Include a transition paragraph that moves from your problem to the proposal:

In general, it can be observed from the statistics presented that obesity is a serious problem.

Also, it is evident that the current policies do not address the issue in an effective manner.

Individuals are left to walk their journey alone as the programs which have been put in place

do not consider that human beings need the support of others in order for them to make it. It

can also be concluded that food ventures need to be regulated as they are guided by the aim

of profit maximization. It is because of the above reasons that this paper proposes

incorporation of a “healthy machine”.

SECOND HALF OF THE ARGUMENT: PROPOSED PROGRAMME

Explain the who, what, where, when, how, how much, and why of your proposed action

or program

According to Chan and Woo, strategies aimed at reducing obesity should focus on barriers to

change in lifestyle, social and environment issues, and food environments (765). Also,

programs aimed at reducing obesity should improve eating habits and. The proposal of the

researcher is that a “Healthy Machine” should be made available in all fats food restaurant.

The “Healthy Machine” would make it possible for people to enter their details such as

height, age, weight, and gender then suggest the healthiest option at that specific fast food

restaurant. Therefore, the devise proposed in this paper would be positioned in fast food

restaurants where it is possible to influence eating habit of people. It would know whether an

individual is overweight or under weight and suggest for them the best meal. The company

which will manufacture the “Healthy Machine” is Touch Bistro as it is the one that makes

walk up to order machines.

How the Funds will be obtained

In order to start the proposed program, adequate funds will be required. The proposed project

is estimated to cost more than 200,000 dollars, which will be acquired through the process of
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lending from financial institutions such as banks and micro-finances. Once the funds are

obtained and the project is up and running, additional funds will be sourced from donors

through proposal writing. Comprehensive research will done on the impact of the program to

the lives of Americans as well as cost and benefit analysis and then presented to donors.

Justification the proposal by addressing the costs/benefits related to the adoption of the

“Healthy Machine”

The proposal is expected to have the following costs: First, it will be expensive and, thus,

would be considered by some people waste of funds. Secondly, it would affect fast food

restaurants as food intake in their ventures will be regulated, hence, going against the goal of

profit maximization. For this reason, it is likely to be faced with great opposition.

One of the benefits of the programs is that it will help people take only the food that is

healthy or best suited for their bodies. They would avoid overeating and fat accumulation

associated with it. As a result, people would stop being obese and morbidity as well as

mortality rates could be reduced. Given that a healthy nation is a wealthy one, it would pay to

adopt the program.

Addressing the opposition for the proposal

The opponents would argue against the adoption of the “Healthy Machine” since it would

regulate fast food restaurants, which would be seen as a way of interfering with the industry.

Opponents would also argue that the funds proposed are high. However, the researcher

wishes to refute the arguments of opponents by emphasizing the important of the “Healthy

Machine” as indicated in the cost-benefit analysis section. If people are not healthy, they are

unlikely to be productive and this would also affect sales of restaurants since people would

not have money to buy food given that they will not have worked. As such, the “Healthy

Machine” would be very important.

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Provide a conclusion for the entire argument with a focus on the usefulness of your

proposal

In conclusion, the paper looked at obesity as a problem and used current to support its claims.

It was found that the prevalent of obesity has predisposed people to dangerous diseases.

Additionally, cases of people being obese have become a commonplace. Therefore, it is

important to come up with a solution to the problem. The researcher proposed the “Healthy

Machine” which would suggest the best meals for an individual based on their weight and

health status. The proposal would be important since it would help contain the intractable

problem of obesity that has affected almost two thirds of the American adults.
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Work Cited

Atay, Z., &Bereket, A. (2016).Current status on obesity in childhood and adolescence:

Prevalence, etiology, co-morbidities and management.Obesity Medicine, 3, 1-9.

Chan, Ruth SM, and Jean Woo. "Prevention of overweight and obesity: how effective is the

current public health approach." International journal of environmental research and

public health 7.3 (2010): 765-783.

Holland, Kimberly. Obesity Facts. Healthline,2017. Retrieved from:

https://www.healthline.com/health/obesity-facts#1

James, William Philip T. "The epidemiology of obesity: the size of the problem." Journal of

internal medicine 263.4 (2008): 336-352.

Pratt, C. A., Boyington, J., Esposito, L., Pemberton, V. L., Bonds, D., Kelley, M., . . .

Stevens, J. (2013). Childhood obesity prevention and treatment research (COPTR):

Interventions addressing multiple influences in childhood and adolescent obesity.

Contemporary Clinical Trials, 36(2), 406-413.

Reed, D. B., Patterson, P. J., & Wasserman, N. (2011). Obesity in rural youth: Looking

beyond nutrition and physical activity. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior,

43(5), 401-408.

Salas, Ximena Ramos, et al. "A critical analysis of obesity prevention policies and

strategies." Can J Public Health 108.5-6 (2018): 598-608.

Shapiro, A., Arevalo, S., Tolentino, A., Machuca, H., &Applebaum, J. (2014). Prevention

and management of pediatric obesity: A multipronged, community-based agenda.

Advances in Pediatrics, 61(1), 261-269.