Analyze the causes of the obesity epidemic affecting Americans Essay

Analyze the causes of the obesity epidemic affecting Americans children - Essay Example Obesity affects not only adults, but also children and youth. It has become a serious health problem and has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. More than this, it is threatening to become a global epidemic. There are four main factors that can cause obesity: the environment, a person’s eating habits, physical activity, and genetics. First of all, the environment plays the most important role in obesity. In the current environment of the United States, American children have access to unhealthy foods throughout schools and society in general. American children spend most of their time at school. Because they are there for so long, they need to have meals, drinks, and snacks there. However, most schools in the United States provide a great deal of unhealthy foods such as fried foods, hamburgers, and sugary drinks through vending machines, the school cafeteria, at fundraising events, and at sporting events. In contrast, there is a lack of healthy food choices such as vegetables and fresh fruit. Children who are always eating unhealthy food may gain body fat more easily, and this increases calories, which leads to obesity. Moreover, in society, fast food restaurants exist almost everywhere. The typical boulevard has at least four fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, and Jack in the Box. Among these fast food restaurants, McDonald is the most popular. The documentary Super Size Me states that â€Å"McDonald’s represents around 43 percent of the American fast food market.† In addition, there are many fast food restaurants that are located close to high schools and colleges. The reason is that it is convenient for students to have their lunch nearby their place of study. Furthermore, advertising is also an environmental factor that may lead to greater obesity. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation released a study in 2007 stating that, â€Å"many food companies