Reference no: EM133522122

In the United States, it is estimated that 1/3 of the population is obese, and the number of obese children has tripled in the last 30 years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). According to a study by Moriarty et al. (2012), compared to a normal-weight person, the average yearly cost to treat obesity-related health problems for those that are obese is $1,850. That is more than the yearly cost for a smoker at $1,275. In addition, the yearly healthcare costs for someone morbidly obese is $5,500. Thus, obesity-related problems add to our already strained healthcare system (Moriarty et al., 2012). Currently, there are education programs, regulations, and taxes to deter the population from smoking. It is argued that the same should be put in place to encourage the population to control their weight. One counterargument is that any kind of taxing of food is unfair. While people do not have to smoke, they do have to eat.

An additional viewpoint is that of science professor John Cisna who lost weight while eating fast food as part of his diet. So before you jump on the "junk food is killing us" bandwagon, take a look at the article, A Teacher Lost 56 Pounds Eating Nothing but McDonald's.

You can join the discussion by responding to one or more of the questions below, or pose your analysis of the topic this week.

1. Should people's diet be regulated? Is a fat or sugar tax a deterrent for a poor diet? Support your answer with literature or an example/data where it has worked or not worked.

2. What other ideas do you have to decrease the obesity epidemic?

3. Who should be responsible for addressing the obesity problem? Healthcare workers? Personal/family responsibility? Government? And why?

4. Should insurance companies be allowed to charge higher rates for obese individuals? Deny them coverage? Drop them if they hit a specific body fat? Explain.