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Kyle Durkin

English 102

Professor Padgett

11 Nov 2019

Earth’s Fat Environment Human’s Unhealthy Epidemic

Our goal as a civilization is to advance and do things processes faster and more efficient

than before. We will continually keep advancing and creating short cuts to do things better. We

advance technology through innovation but in regards to nutrition our society is taking short cuts

and regressing as opposed to advancing. Although food is created fasters, the nutritional value in

the foods being created are decreasing immensely. Instead of curating food that is healthy, the

majority of people would deem healthy eating as an inconvenience. the majority of people

would claim that fast food is eaten because it is convenient, and it is showing in the world today.

Every 1 in 3 people are either overweight or obese (Sifferlin). While it might be easier for some

people to put on weight, this is not a genetic issue. People are brought into these world being

ectomorphic, endomorphic or mesomorphic however an individual decides what to put in their

body and how to take care of themselves. Genetics and biochemical make up determines what a

person’s body does with the food they eat. However, genes don’t drive through a fast food

restaurant and eat fried, salty food; a person does. An individual decides whether they are going

to make the conscience choice and effort to eat healthy or live a lifestyle that counter acts the

genetic code influencing weight gain. Obesity and being overweight is a byproduct of the strong

environmental influences factors; proximity, parenting, food marketing, biological makeup of

food. These present influences in society that shapes people to practice poor eating and

unhealthy lifestyle habits from a young age on.

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Unhealthy tendencies and poor eating habits start at a young age and are stemmed to a

person’s parental upbringing. When you are born, the path to who you will become begins to be

paved. Gradually as you an individual grows, your their parents raise them you while their your

environment shapes their your character simultaneously. People don’t just happen to become

obese and overweight when they are adults but instead it is a long process that happens over time

that tends to start early on in their childhood. People learn poor eating habits when they are

young and retain these mannerisms throughout their adult hood. This behavior is shown by, “kids

who drink sugary sodas and eat high-calorie, processed foods develop a taste for these products

and continue eating them as adults” (Harvard). Children are raised off of sugary and salty foods

that induce weight gain and is why, “over 23 million children and teenagers are either obese or

overweight” (Best 6). Children don’t know any better and are just reciprocating what their

parents are teaching them. Children are taught and learn how to behave according to how their

parents raise them. With this being said, a child cannot overcome their weight problem if they

are not even conceived by their parents that they are overweight and need help. According to a

study lead by Éadaoin M. Butler, children who are obese typically are not given any weight

reduction help from their parents. After the study of 3,245 obese children was concluded, the

evidence showed that only “1 in 4 Chinese children were perceived as overweight by their

parents and received treatment for their weight problem” (Butler 459). So because of the

environment a child is raised in, a parent may not help a child with their weight problems. While

a person’s environment plays is a huge role in influencing who they will become, how an

individual is raised is a segment of environmental conditioning. Children and adults typically are

obese and inhibit unhealthy lifestyle choices because of their parental upbringing and the present

environment in their early stages of life. People are the way they are for different reasons
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however on a majority of cases, individuals obesity is linked back to their childhood. earned

tendencing while obese because of evidence linked back to their early stages in life. Some

parents don’t recognize that their child is obese and in turn makes them oblivious the fact that

they aren’t healthy. A parent’s failure to advocate for their own child’s health causes then their

own child to not advocate for their health and wellbeing. The child will grow and develop to

continue to practice poor lifestyle choices while not understanding that they are doing so. A

parent isn’t solely responsible to their child’s obesity as some things are out of their control

however, a parent failing to even perceive their own child as being unhealthy is a consistent

theme that is linked to a person’s obesity later in life. Parents who monitor their child’s eating

habits or restrict a child’s eating both have the same result according to H. Dele Davis. Both of

these parenting styles are linked to eating disorders and obesity later in life. Regardless of either,

both practices, “disrupt a child’s ability to respond to internal cues of hunger and satiety….

increasing the risk of a dysfunctional eating pattern” (Davis 14). Even when a parent might

intervene and attempt to help their child’s weight problem, it can actually retroactively hurt their

child. A parent might attempt to control what their child eats and reward eating a healthy meal

with a sugary reward. This actually is rewarding a child with what a parent is attempting to throw

out of their child’s diet. Clearly how a parent chooses to raise their child essentially plays a

pivotal role in their lifestyle. Regardless if a parent decides to help or if a parent does attempts

attempt to healp help their child, either way could ultimately hurt the child in the long run.

Restricting a child’s diet imposing eating habits that are linked to obesity later on in that child’s

life in some cases. How a parent raises a child is a strong if not one of the most important

environmental influences that is linked to a person’s health/ obesity later in life.

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From a young age, Children do not have the intellect to look past commercials and

propaganda on TV. The food industry understands this and spends “15 billion dollars in 2014

marketing all food and beverage restaurant marketing in 2014” (LoDolce) while “$1.8 billion in

2009 on marketing aimed specifically at children” (LoDolce). Children are extremely susceptible

to marketing tactics since they don’t know any better to look past the rhetoric however regardless

of someone’s age everyone is a victim. Children’s brains aren’t developed enough to see that the

advertisement is extremely untruthful but instead are put in a trance because of the bright colors

and cartoons. A child’s environment conditions them to want unhealthy foods. Regardless of

what is on the nutrition label, it could matter less to a child. They only want the sugary taste and

whichever box looks most appealing to them. Children are obviously easily lured in to wanting

unhealthy foods easier than adults are, but as shown by the statistic, marketing tactics target just

as much adults as they do children. Clearly food companies understand all of this and invest so

much into targeting children though marketing tactics. Everyone is a victim of food propaganda

because of the environment we live in today. Companies have the resources and access to

mainstream advertisement which masses view daily. The modern-day environment has

streamline junk food advertisement that uses a variety of persuasive tactics to influence viewers

to eat unhealthy and cause obesity.

The majority of food present in our society is fast, unhealthy food. Food that is curated

quickly to generate as much as a profit as possible by making it as cheaply as possible. These

products are genetically engineered to, “hook us and impair our taste buds in the process”

(Fuhrman 1). Because of the food present in our environment, we have become conditioned to

crave sugar and salt and thus want unhealthy foods. The repercussions are clearly physically

shown in people’s poor and unnaturally fat physique. Since people are hooked on these foods,
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they aren’t comprehending that fast food is basically everything food is not supposed to be. “Fast

food is literally fast food” (Fuhrman 10) which is not at all how food is supposed to be prepared

or served. Fast food is all about convenience hence why it is called “fast food”. While it allows

people to easily fit in meals into their busy schedule, they are jeopardizing their help for their

convenience. Food isn’t something that is engineered and injected with ingredients but instead is

something that is raised and takes time to prepare. Fast food is typically salty, fried and injected

with things are body can’t break down; additives and preservatives. Dr. Joe Fuhrman argues that

we are not only witnessing, but a part of a modern-day genocide. The foods we are consuming

are slowly killing us. Our bodies are continually taking punches and blows with each bite. The

preservatives and additives in foods today cannot be broken down by our bodies and thus we are

suffering because of it. The fuel people put in their body determines their output. Our bodies are

extremely adaptable, and this is represented by the ability for bodies to function with the poor

eating habits of an obese individual. Obese and people who are noticeable overweight are

physical examples of what fast food does to the human body. These individuals are grossly

unhealthy and overweight to the point where it is extremely impacting their day to day life. The

resources in an environment determine the organisms in an environment. The nourishment and

resources in human’s environment lack nutrition and hook people to become addicted to eating

unhealthy. Therefore, this is why such a large percentage of the world is considered obese. There

is an abundance of fast food in people’s environment which is linked to the high obesity rates in

the world today.

Sociocultural influences are a huge factor in an individual’s environmental conditioning

which is linked to a person’s obesity. These influences are a combination of both cultural and

societal influences that are present in a person’s life. In relation to obesity, Ben Agger writes in
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Body Problems: Running and Living Long in a Fast Food Society that body problems such as

body dysmorphia and extreme weight gain are the byproducts of, “outcomes of the major shifts

and trends in social structure” (Agger 6). Ben Agger is a Professor of Sociology and Humanities

at the University of Texas and received his education degree from the University of Toronto and

York University. Currently, Professor Agger studies the sociocultural effects on our society

today. He describes to his audience the implications of the cultural changes and social influences

that have inherently affected the body problems that are taking place now. Amy Best looks at the

social influences and pressures of eating in the school cafeterias . Both Amy Best and Agger

examine sociocultural influencers that are linked to obesity. Best argues examines that eating is

more of a cultural ritual than it is a necessity to keep our bodies functioning. Eating has become

something that is a social experience as children go through the lunch line and decide what to eat

dependent on what is on the menu. Children are aware that the food is unhealthy since, “school

food (is) [is] usually described as nasty” (Best 61). However, children eat it anyways not because

they need to eat to function but because it is a social outing with people. School has conditioned

children to think eating is not about obtaining nutrition vital to your body but instead of it as a

social time. Culture has also influenced our society as a whole to think of food as such. Any

social holiday or gathering has a large portion of the time and energy revolving around the food

being served. Thanksgiving is all about the people eating food and the turkey being cooked.

Culture has influenced people to consider eating as something that is done to connect with others

socially as opposed to a necessity and it is showing in the rate of obesity present today. Eating is

now currently considering an activity done for pleasure and social connection as opposed to

fueling people’s body. Todays, Today’s “environment encourages us to eat more and exercise
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less” (Harvard) through culture and social norms. People consider eating as a hobby and for fun

which is why people eat the way they do and live the unhealthy lifestyles they have.

One of the biggest factors in determining someone’s environment is the location. The

location of a person and their surroundings is huge in shaping of that particular individual in all

senses not just from a health and wellness standpoint. Lauren Fiechtner and her staff underwent a

study to determine if living closer to supermarkets and further from faster food restaurants had

any relation to an individual’s BMI. She took data from roughly 50,000 pediatric patients and

found what food establishments were in their proximity to their residence. Lauren Fiechter

concluded after surveying many different patients and attempting to remove as much bias as

possible that, “living closer to supermarkets and farther from fast food and full-service

restaurants was associated with lower BMI score” (Fiechter). Obviously, what is in proximity to

someone’s residence influences their diet enormously as backed by the study. An individual’s

diet stems from the foods that are around them. So, the body mass index was lower, and people

were essentially healthier from a weight perspective when their environment had a supermarket

and less fast food options. When there were more fast food options in the area, individuals had a

higher BMI. This is clearly because fast food is being eaten more when it is in closer proximity

to an individual. This study backs up the claim that a factor to deciding what to eat is based on

convenience. Whether or not something is close in proximity plays a huge role in determining

what foods will be ate eaten. Not just eating, but since what is put into someone’s body plays

such a huge role in their overall health and wellness but health is also a matter of convenience.

The environment someone is predisposed to shows that someone who has a high BMI lives in an

environment where it is more convenient to be unhealthy nconvenient to be healthy. This is

attributed to the fact that there are most likely many fast food options in proximity and thus
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makes eating a quick drive through meal more of a feasible alternative to driving further to go to

the grocery store to create a healthier meal. Joel Fuhraman discusses how he believes that even

though we aren’t experiencing famine and people are not malnourished because of a lack of

food, it is quite the opposite. Joel professes that today we are living in a fast food malnutrition

which creates, “chronic inflammation and causes weight gain, but subtle micronutrient

deficiencies disproportionately target the brain” (Fuhrman 3). So, the physical location of where

someone is in relation to food clearly has a strong impact on what they eat but more importantly

their overall health. A person’s weight is a clear indication of the physical environment they are

predisposed to and the proximity of food venues around them.

Genetics is argued in some cases to be the main contributor to an individual’s obesity. Dr.

Jeffery Sicat is a clinical professor for Obesity Medical Association. He and the others who are a

part of this organization describe obesity as a genetic problem as opposed to an environmental

issue. Sicat claims that recent studies have found that, “the presence of absence of genetic factors

protect us from or predispose us to obesity” (Sicat). While some genes might induce obesity or

simply make others immune based on their genetic code The genes do not control what you put

into your body or how you choose to take care of yourself. Genes may make it easier for some to

lose weight than and harder for others, but obesity is caused by the lifestyle choices someone

makes which are influenced by their environment. Obviously, people have genetics to either be

mesomorphic, endomorphic or ectomorphic however, they decide if they want to be obese or not

based on the lifestyle choices they make though the environmental conditioning they are

predisposed to. Internal cues such as biochemical or genetic makeup can make it predisposed to

food addictions however regardless of what is going on internally with someone, they decide

how to address their chemical imbalance or genetic inefficacy. Genes linked to obesity don’t
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decide how parents choose to raise their child and how the child responds to their upbringing in

the current moment but more importantly later in life. Genetics determine what a person’s body

does to the food they consume. Obesity may come easier to others because of genetics however,

it is ultimately derived from lifestyle choices an individual decides to make.

Today’s day and age are more than ever influenced by innovations in technology and are

jeopardizing personal health for innovation. People spend a majority of their time looking at

screens and interacting with some sort of modern-day technology. Whether it be their cell phone,

laptop or tv they are interacting with technology to some extent. Keiko Wada underwent a study

to determine if there was a positive linkage between technology use and obesity. The conclusion

of the study was that television and cell phone use is, “a risk factor related to being overweight”

(Wada). While people are participating in watching TV, they are not doing anything but sitting

and viewing. There is no simulation, instead it is behavior that is inducing weight gain. While

someone is watching TV they are typically eating some sort of food alongside with it. Eating

food and watching TV go hand in hand because when people watch TV, “people get a quick hit

of dopamine, the pleasure chemical” (Lawernce). The longer someone watches T.V. the longer

they spend mindlessly intaking calories and not exerting any exercise. While the combination

might release chemicals that might make someone feel good, their body physically will start to

break down. Technology literally influences people to become obese. While watching T.V.,

people grab their favorite snack and turn on a mindless flick, and dopamine is released. This is

an addictive behavior and becomes a lifestyle which influences, obesity extensively. People who

are obese practice a sedentary lifestyle and have a high caloric intake. Innovation in technology

has served to limit people in the amount of energy they have to exert for easier convenience to

where they are traveling. Instead of walking to places, cars exist and all other sorts of travel
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services to limit the amount of energy exerted from the human. Looking in a health and wellness

perspective, technology today exists to make people exert less physically. This is a huge

influencer in our presented environment today. Today’s world is full of technology in every

context in order to make humans work less. This in turn makes our lives easier but makes it

harder on our bodies. Watching TV is a mindless behavior that takes people away from their

problems while they devour unnoticed calories. Transportation has been innovated so that

humans almost have to exert almost no energy going from place to place. Our environment is

shaping to make humans become extremely sedentary. Technology makes people move less like,

“kids who watch television and play video games may be programming themselves for a

sedentary future” (Harvard). Technology is a direct influence to excess weight gain and obesity.

This is all present in our environment today. Through the need for innovation, technology has

made it possible for humans to burn nothing while consuming anything and everything.

Obesity is a complicated issue that is derived from environmental conditioning from

numerous different reasons and sources. Starting at birth, a child’s upbringing can both lead to

obesity regardless if they decided to help or not. Parents need to be extremely cautious and

deliberate in how they raise their child because excessive weight gain can be attributed to many

different parenting styles. Today’s children are fatter than ever and are more indulged in

technology more than ever. Companies pay large amounts of money to invest in food

advertisement direct towards children. Living an unhealthily lifestyle and making poor eating

choices can be attributed to the sociocultural influences presented in the world today. Eating is a

social ritual and people often don’t realize what they’re putting in their bodies. Proximity

determines what is accessible and ultimately what food is eaten because of convenience. Where

individuals live influences what type of food they eat but more importantly if they are living an
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obese free lifestyle. Technology affects the obesity rates in the world in a variety of different

ways. The innovations in TV have made it social norm to eat and watch TV because dopamine is

released when doing so; people become addicted to the combination of eating while watching

TV. While advances in transportation have made it faster to go places, people don’t have to exert

any energy. All of these factors are all part of the environmental conditioning linked to obesity

that people undergo throughout the span of their life. Obesity might come easier to some than

others due to genetics, but people are influenced by their very own unique environment in

today’s world to live an obese lifestyle or not. Obesity is attributed to unhealthy habits and

sedentary lifestyle’s however people are influenced by the environment in which they live in.

Strong environmental influences condition people to practice poor lifestyle habits linked to

obesity starting from the time they are brought into this world and then on throughout the rest of

their life.
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Works Cited

Agger, Ben. Body Problems: Running and Living Long in a Fast-Food Society. Routledge, 2011.Best,

Amy L. Fast-Food Kids: French Fries, Lunch Lines and Social Ties. New York University Press,

2017.

Butler, É. M., Suhag, A., Hong, Y., Liang, L., Gong, C., Xiong, F., … Derraik, J. G. (2019). Parental

Perceptions of Obesity in School Children and Subsequent Action. Childhood Obesity, 15(7),

459–467. doi: 10.1089/chi.2018.0338

Davies, H. Dele, et al. Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence. Praeger, an Imprint of ABC-CLIO,

LLC, 2019.

Fiechtner, Lauren, et al. “Food Environments and Childhood Weight Status: Effects of Neighborhood

Median Income.” Childhood Obesity, vol. 11, no. 3, 2015, pp. 260–268. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc

Publishers, doi:10.1089/chi.2014.0139.

Fuhrman, Joel, and Robert B. Phillips. Fast Food Genocide: How Processed Food Is Killing Us and

What We Can Do about It. HarperOne, 2018.

Harvard Health Publishing. “Why People Become Overweight.” Harvard Health, 24 June 2019,

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/why-people-become-overweight.

Laurence, Emily. “Why Snacking in Front of the TV Just Feels so Good, According to Experts.” Well

Good, 24 Oct. 2019, https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/eating-watching-tv/.

LoDolce, Megan. “Food Marketing to Children: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?” Obesity Action Coalition,

2015, https://www.obesityaction.org/community/article-library/food-marketing-to-children-a-

wolf-in-sheeps-clothing

Sicat, Jeffery. “Obesity and Genetics.” Obesity Medicine Association, Obesity Medicine Association, 12

July 2019, https://obesitymedicine.org/obesity-and-genetics/.

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Sifferlin, Alexandra. “Obesity: 30% of People In the World Are Obese or Overweight.” Time, Time, 12

June 2017, https://time.com/4813075/obesity-overweight-weight-loss/.

Valois, Darcie D., et al. “Extracurricular Activity Involvement and Body Image in Youth with Obesity:

The Mediating Role of Social Life.” Childhood Obesity, vol. 15, no. 7, Jan. 2019, pp. 426–

433. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc Publishers, doi:10.1089/chi.2019.0050.

Wada, Keiko, et al. “Associations of Cell Phone Use and Screen Viewing with Overweight in

Children.” Childhood Obesity, vol. 15, no. 7, Jan. 2019, pp. 417–425. Mary Anne Liebert, Inc

Publishers, doi:10.1089/chi.2018.0312.