Healthy Agenda 2014 Essay

All Americans share in the heritage of liberty and independence purchased throughout the history of our great nation by resolve and sacrifice. We also share a strong sense of community; we care about one another and will band together in our efforts to provide support to those in need of our assistance and support in instances where they are needed most. Our country has faced a number of challenges which have been addressed with gritty determination, banding together to get the job done and supporting one another in our efforts to uphold our democratic values, and to ensure that we all live vital and healthy lives. Yet, even in our darkest hours, when our country stood in perilous times we recognized the threats and understood the dangers. Sometimes, such instances are less obvious especially when considering the bounty that is one of the great hallmarks of living in a fertile nation. We become complacent because, in a manner, have created for ourselves a false sense of security, regardless of the notion that our way of living just may be one of the greatest threats posed to each and every one of us. The facts are clear, and there can be no denying that our country faces a health crisis of alarming proportions due to an increasingly unhealthy diet combined with a lack of physical activity. It is well passed the time for all of us to act for the sake of our country today, as well as for those generations to come. Healthy Agenda 2014 Essay

There are many individuals in our country who are inclined to debase scientific research, as well as the important facts which are discovered that may very well save us from harm and improve our chances of living long and healthy lives. Many such people argue that nutrition and exercise is the sole responsibility of individuals and efforts through government programs and community interventions is a threat to democratic values, or a move towards socialism (Balko). These people would also have us accept the notion that obesity is not a public health issue and that efforts to stem the tide of obesity in this country are nothing more than entitlement programs that give to those who are irresponsible and cannot account for their own behavior (Balko). Such arguments are central to providing unbridled rein for free markets, where the concern for increasing profits appears to take precedence, even over the health and wellbeing of our children. In response it is necessary to turn to science and medicine because there is no disputing the fact that even our youngest are targets for an unbridled consumer ideology that has placed them on a trajectory of life-long health issues, or is responsible for increasingly shortened life-spans. We know that as far back as the early 1990s only five percent of all cases of children suffering from Type 2 diabetes were caused by obesity. Since then, increasing access to fast food, and instances where such foods have become commonplace in the lives of children and their families, has resulted in an explosion of cases where 30 percent of all children with Type 2 diabetes are obese (Zinczenko). Healthy Agenda 2014 Essay

Advocates who support free markets while favoring personal responsibility seem always to overlook children in debates that center on health. Their ire is focused upon the behaviors of adults whom they charge are responsible and that insurance companies should charge an excise for illnesses caused through obesity or by being overweight (Balko). Such arguments resonate with a certain portion of the American public due to the increase in health insurance premiums, which these advocates argue are responsible for paying the bill for the choice of living unhealthy lifestyles. There is some credence to what they are saying, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that diabetes alone accounts for $100 billion in health care costs annually (Zinczenko). Yet, the price tag alone does not account for the human lives that are at risk, a good deal of them being children and adolescents. Advocates who favor free market approaches seem to conveniently leave out young people as if they do not exist; or that children and adolescents have no stake in a debate that has to do with their health and wellbeing. Left to its own devices the free market seems almost to be a predator having little to no regard for the well-being of young people. The fast food industry alone spends well in excess of $1 billion annually in advertisements, much of it targeting our children and youth (Zinczenko). Evidenced by such expenditures they certainly must exist, and yet advocates who favor a free market that is not tethered to government regulation or not subject to community standards seem always to conveniently lose sight of the fact that young people actually do exist and are entitled to protections afforded by their parents and caregivers, the community and the nation as a whole. How could this be otherwise?Healthy Agenda 2014 Essay

What is the result of acquiescing to those who advocate in favor of a free market and personal responsibility? The answer is something far less than ideal. Free market advocates preface the issue of obesity as if those who suffer from its devastating consequences do not make the effort to assume responsibility. But allowing corporations free reign on issues related to nutrition is, in a fashion, similar to rolling the dice, most times resulting in ‘snake eyes.’ The New York Times reported that when visiting a website owned by a fast food company in order to learn about nutritional facts concerning its food items the paper found that a chicken salad served at its local outlets had 150 calories. However, other ingredients served with the salad, such as almonds, noodles and dressing, were not listed with the salad and the consumer was forced to look elsewhere on the website for related calorie information (Zinczenko). If the American public is to take responsibility for nutrition and health then why is it that the corporate world makes it that much more difficult to do so? In the same example, the company provides a packet of salad dressing reported as enough to serve upwards to two and one-half portions of salad. If the consumer uses the entire packet their caloric intake would have taken up over half of what is currently recognized as being the daily calorie intake (Zinczenko). The point being, if American citizens, including young people, are to assume responsibility for their nutrition then why is it so difficult for companies to assist them in such goals? Did it not occur to such a fast food enterprise that by reducing the amount of salad dressing in a packet to an appropriate serving would actually reduce costs as they reap the benefit of public relations associated with being a responsible community member?Healthy Agenda 2014 Essay

Small towns across the country are besieged by economic hardship and inexpensive fast food outlets. Less than a hundred miles southeast of Lexington, Kentucky is the Appalachian community of Manchester, which has a total population of 2,100 (Haygood). Its residents have been hard hit by the economic downturn and a reduction in coal production caused by an upsurge in alternative energy sources. This has also resulted in a closure of local businesses but has not prevented a good number of well-known fast food restaurants from opening close to the interstate that passes by Manchester. As a result, there are no other options for residents other than fast food which is directly attributable to an obesity rate in the small town of an estimated 52 percent, almost twice that of the national average of 24 percent (Haywood). As a poor community there are no resources available to help Manchester residents with their nutritional needs. There are also no places for adults and young people to go in which to partake in organized activities that provide physical exercise or educational opportunities related to nutrition and health (Haywood). There are far too many towns such as Manchester in need of guidance in order to overcome obstacles towards healthy lives.Healthy Agenda 2014 Essay