What would you do to rid the US of obesity?

Question

Any ideas? I'm doing a presentation for nutrition class on possible solutions or preventions to lower the obesity rate in our country. Here's what I thought of so far:

Require schools to have nutrition education in order to graduate (childhood obesity is a huge issue right now)

Ban junk food from schools (such as pizza, hamburgers, taco bell, etc) and have more salad bars with a variety of food to teach children how to make healthy choices.

Have more restaurants who offer smaller portion sizes (like TGI Friday's "right portion, right price")

Have more restaurants consult a Dietitian to help create a menu with healthy options.

Only 5% of Medical schools require their students to take a nutrition class and even then, its usually just a basic class. This is a problem because most people consult their doctors for nutrition advice when they aren't very qualified. I think all medical schools should require nutrition classes.

I need more ideas please. Thanks!

Answer 1

Connect obesity to health insurance premiums. People respond fairly well to ways that they can decrease their high insurance premiums. An example was when I was able to answer the question, "Do you smoke tobacco?" or something similar to that. It made me feel like it would help my premiums be lower. If there were a similar question, though scales should be present for this one, to ask about one's weight/height ratio, I think it would cause people to watch their weight more. And we should have it checked each year or half year, along with maybe some other tests to see if we've been smoking, drinking too much, doing drugs, and what else they could come up with to lower premiums and make those who don't take care of themselves bear the burden more equally.

And that is being personally responsible, and not leaving it to others to solve our problems.

I know this wasn't a health insurance question, but I couldn't help it since I did at least start off in the right direction. lol.

Answer 2

Let's face it-the general public hates change. They are stubborn and stuck in their ways. I'm not saying we can't change the obesity factor now, but are biggest chance for success is with children. Child obesity, yes, is huge rigt not. No pun intended. But we must start w/ children.

Junk food-yes, elminate from school. Start programs across the country about nutrition and tasty, healthy food. So many kids see healthy food as disgusting. They need to know that nutritional food can taste good.

EXERCISE--put in a stable, atheltic system in our schools. Make sports MANDATORY. and for the althetic inept-gym. They have to understand that activity is a lifestyle that must be maintained and is necessary for a healthy, long lifespan.

these are just some random thought, but they seem pretty logical to me. Start with the children, because like they always say, children are our future.

Also, parents teach their children habits. Its hard to teach a kid habits at 8 years old when their parents contradict that idea. We need to inform parents that for the better health of their children, they must teach GOOD habits. Community Centers, School...they could all hold seminars and such about the health of good eating/activity habits in our children.

Answer 3

Abolish places like McDonald's and such, portion control in eating establishments, reduce the times company's can push its junk food on the TV. Nutrition classes tied in with health and sex ed in the schools, force insurance company's to pay for things like gym memberships and diet plans instead of things like surgery, take a preventative approach, make healthier foods easier to access in grocery's with reduced prices. Some foods like pizza aren't really bad for you, it is the amount of cheese and meats piled on top that are the killers! So a bit more understanding through education of what is really bad for you and what can be modified to be a healthier alternative...and a lot of exercise that doesn't seem like exercise!

Answer 4

its a lot more expensive for people to eat healthy then not. The problem with that is fast food companies make way too much money to just abolish them. The more food they can give you for your dollar the more people will buy, so its a problem that americans are going to just have to overcome I think.

I think parents need to just step up and take care of their children. So many parents are the ones who go and buy their children this junk. They allow them to just sit on the computer all day, play video games, watch tv, movies, etc. I think the parents need to get motivated and involved.

I know at my old schools they did take out a lot of the junk food. So they are slowly trying to help. Its just going to take a lot more then just removing it for it to stop.

Answer 5

I think there should be excercise classes at all schools for those students who are overweight. This should be monitered by a monthly weigh-in at all schools and then submited to a government monitered database which would order those students to do the excercise classes which would have regulations that are set by each state. The standards for each state would have to go to the United States Congress and have them pass it so that each state has a proper regulation. These are just suggestions and you probably know more about this than me. But whatever.

Answer 6

1. Adjust the farm subsidy system to make healthier foods cheaper. Currently farm subsidies favour growers of corn and soy in areas important the electoral process. Corn is used to produces corn syrup a high calorie sweetener used as a cheaper alternative to sugar and it is used as a cheap feed for cattle which they were not meant to eat it makes them fatter quicker so it is more profitable and tasty but also makes them unhealthy (like what happens to us if we get overweight).

2. Nutrition education not funded or influenced by food companies.

3. More fun exercise in schools to produce good habits

Answer 7

Americans are not overweight because they are lazy overeaters.
They are overweight mainly because modern American restaurant food, fastfood, which people eat, is poorly engineered.
We need to reengineer our food. It is not right that a chicken sandwich at Burger King, which you would think is a relatively healthy choice, has more cals. than a Whopper. The fish sandwich at BK also packs more cals. than a whopper.
Americans eat out a lot...the fastfood has to be redesigned so it is not so high in cals.
A bean burrito at Taco Bell appears to be a relatively healtful vegetable meal. But it is way higher in cals. than a McD hamburger!

Answer 8

Mandate the removal of soda and snack machines from the schools, replacing them with healthier food products. Have the schools lengthen gym and make physical fitness a required grade that is based on the improvement of a student from year start to year end. Glad to be of assistance.

Answer 9

Well the price of food,eating healthy is more expensive !!
There so many people that cant afford healthy food .
I think having heathier lunches at school and cooking with
less grease at resturants would help to.

Answer 10

how about putting recess back into the schools. PE every day. Exercise. Get off of the computer. Turn off the television. Team sports. Social activities.