Hook: Jedi was fond of McDonalds’ fast food, as a kid. This was a behavior he practiced for five years every day after school. He became obese as a result, and this was a difficult period in his life. Jedi was bullied by other children due to his physical appearance. They would call him fat boy, chunky, panda among other names. This made his childhood miserable and lonely since he had to avoid his mates.

Background info: Obesity is an epidemic that has actualized an increasing trend in the recent years. The main reason for it prevalence is the nature of lifestyles that people are adopting every day. The average calorie intake has increased by 10% per individual compared to how it was in the 1970s and 1980s (Pan et al. 83). Children suffering from obesity usually have a tough childhood. They are usually ridiculed and mocked by their friends from time to time. This can aggravate suicidal thoughts or lead to decreased self-esteem, which will act as a hindrance for establishing a successful life. As obese children grow old, they develop various health complications. It becomes tough and painful for their family and friends since there is no much that can be done. The medical costs are also high and are likely to leave these families in huge debts (Riley et al. 218). It would be wise to prevent obesity prospects than ignore and endure the negative consequences that it brings.

Thesis: The obesity problem can be blamed on the government, families and schools due to various roles that they play.

Claim 1: The government is supporting fast food companies when they should be regulating them so as to ensure that they work within the confines of ethical standards.

Evidence: Some government officials have special interests in the fast food industry.  They own shares in companies involved with the industry hence look forward to earn some dividends with the profits being made. It becomes difficult for them to restrict the activities of these companies (Riley et al. 211). They accord them more freedom of operation since they stand to benefit at the end of the day. Other government officials that come up with solutions that could be used to help reduce the obesity epidemic by way of controlling the fast industry are usually castigated.

Government’s policies on fast food companies are also relaxed. The profits made by these companies help them contribute sizable amounts to political campaigns. They are usually paid in kind; in that, most of the policies being established favor them in various ways. This is why policies that advocate for the eradication of food deserts have not been embraced in an optimal manner.

The government has also not taken the responsibility of educating food stamps beneficiaries on the importance of eating healthy foods. Most of them spend their food stamps on junk foods. An initiative to educate them would be very helpful.

Claim 2: Families are not doing their best to educate their children on issues pertaining to fast food.

Evidence: Many families find cooking to be a time-consuming activity. This makes them opt for fast food while having lunch or dinner. Yes, cooking might be time consuming, but imagine the benefits that it would bring. Eating freshly prepared home food cannot be compared to take-outs that many people have become fond off. Cooking food at home helps in choosing the ingredients that are desirable for everyone’s health (Kopelman 15). More so, children will also carry on with this habit even when they grow up. This is because they think this is the appropriate way of eating since they have learned it from their parents.

Parents are also guilty of not engaging their children in various sporting and exercise activities. Physical activities are good for the body since they increase the metabolism. This helps in burning of fat and calories hence reducing the chances of gaining excessive weight. Most parents are even locking their children in the name of being responsible parents. Being dormant only works towards becoming obese.

It is clear that parents themselves are not aware of the difference between unhealthy and healthy eating. Sometimes they have good intentions of ensuring that their families are eating healthy, but they are doing it all wrong. Parents should seek the relevant information on healthy eating from nutritionists, reliable blogs and magazines among others sources (Riley et al. 220).

Claim 3: Schools have not fully embraced the idea of ensuring that students are experiencing a healthy lifestyle.

Evidence: Some schools have developed deep ties with various fast food companies. This means that most of the food being served to students comes from these companies. It is a serious issue since students take almost half of their meals at school. Thank you to the National Healthy Schools Program for the reforms they are introducing to make sure that students are being served with healthy meals.

Schools also fail to employ health and diet advisors so that they can help create awareness. Employment of chefs does not guarantee they will cook food with the desired health benefits. They are more focused on making “nice” food for the liking of the students as opposed to healthy food (Kopelman 17). Nutritionists would play a vital role in ensuring that everything being consumed has various health benefits.

Some schools also have the tendency of limiting the physical education curriculum. This comes when budgetary allocation is being made. The curriculum is not deemed as being very important, hence suffers various cuts. This makes it difficult for students to have adequate resources for their sporting and other physical activities. For some, the school is the only place that gives them the opportunity to indulge in such activities. They become dormant as a result, and this increases their chances of being obese.

Restating thesis statement: The government, families and schools are responsible for the prevalence of obesity. Children should not be blamed for the epidemic.

Restating the main claims:

Instead of the government regulating the fast food companies, they are supporting them in order to benefit from the profits obtained.

Families are not being good role models for children when it comes to eating healthy.

Schools are more concerned with the costs being incurred, rather than ensuring that healthy lifestyles have been embraced.

Concluding Statement: People should take the obesity problem seriously since it is a global epidemic. The percentage of people with obesity is increasing with time. Obesity is likely to result in various health complications like hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke and other diseases. Treating these diseases is very costly given that there are other expenses that need to be taken care of. Everybody should join in the fight against obesity so that lives can be saved. It is good to keep an eye on friends and relatives and inform them when they are practicing unhealthy eating traits.

Works Cited

Kopelman, P. “Health Risks Associated with Overweight and Obesity.” Obesity Reviews 8.1 (2007): 13-17. Web. 19 Feb 2016.

Pan, L., L. M. Grummer-Strawn, L. C. Mcguire, S. Park, and H. M. Blanck. “Trends in State/territorial Obesity Prevalence by Race/ethnicity among U.S. Low-income, Preschool-aged Children.” Pediatric Obesity (2015): 73-89. Web. 19 Feb 2016.

Riley, Lee W., Eva Raphael, and Eduardo Faerstein. “Obesity in the United States – Dysbiosis from Exposure to Low-Dose Antibiotics?” Frontiers in Public Health Front. Public Health 1 (2013). 207-221 Web. 19 Feb 2016.

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