Obesity is a public health problem that requires immediate intervention. One third of Americans are obese, clearly marking obesity as an epidemic (CDC, 2014). Obesity is not just an aesthetic problem. Being fat alone is not the issue; it is what obesity does to the body that matters. Serious and often deadly diseases like diabetes, coronary heart disease, many types of cancer, and stroke are directly caused by obesity. These are all preventable problems caused by lifestyle habits. Most obesity is due to the most simple factors possible: diet and exercise. Yet little is actually being done to control obesity. As a result, health care costs are rising. The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008, and "the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight," (CDC, 2014). Obesity places a heavy burden on society, reducing overall quality of life. Therefore, interventions must include mandates in the private and public sectors that lead to long-term changes in normative culture and lifestyle. Americans cherish their perceived freedoms, but even Americans understand the need for public health interventions from a utilitarian perspective. Vaccinations are one example of how Americans are willing to collectively improve the public health of the nation. Likewise, the smoking epidemic has been quelled due to direct intervention from the perspective of public health, legality and ethics. The next step is to apply the same methods to food manufacturers, businesses, urban planning, and institutions like schools. "Leaving it to individuals to slim down through dieting and exercise without any such help…consistently fails," ("Heavy Weapons," 2014). Therefore, it is no longer appropriate or ethically sound to expect individual Americans to start feeding their children real food, feeding themselves real food, or walking to work. Americans have failed at self-regulation and cannot be...
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