Obesity in America: A rhetorical analysis of three articles According to The Journal of Economic Perspective as well as many popular news articles -- and the Centers for Disease Control -- Americans are getting fatter. Cutler, Glaeser & Shapiro (2003) begin their analysis of the subject with the stark image of the average American man and woman: "in the early 1960s, the average American adult male weighed 168 pounds. Today, he weighs nearly 180 pounds. Over the same time period, the average female adult weight rose from 143 pounds to over 155 pounds"( Cutler, Glaeser & Shapiro 2003: 92). Medical rates of obesity have doubled. The Journal seeks to determine the real reasons for this climb, which has profound consequences for the economy as well as individuals.

Although all nations have experienced a rise in obesity, America's rise has been particularly precipitous, they note. The authors propose what could be called 'the French fry' hypothesis. Processed, prepared foods have become both more abundant and easier to prepare, and once-caloric foods that were rare and extremely time-consuming to cook can now be accessed with a click of the button on the microwave. In 1950, a woman took two hours to cook and clean up from dinner; in 1995, that time had been split in half. Making French fries is a messy, time-consuming process. "Today, the French fry is the dominant form of potato and America's favorite vegetable. This change shows up in consumption data. From 1977 to 1995, total potato consumption increased by about 30%, accounted for...

It is very easy to buy massive amounts of fries from a fast food company for pennies and for children to buy fries at school cafeterias.
The authors use economic analysis to substantiate their conclusions. First, and foremost, the obesity rate sharply spiked and is correlated with a rise in the consumption of processed foods. Secondly, Americans are consuming more meals and the increase in overall caloric intake that has not been matched by a corresponding increase in activity is largely the result of consuming more meals (snacking) and is more characteristic of reduced food preparation cost and time, versus an increase in calories per meal, which has less correlation with food cost and time. And thirdly, groups who have taken advantage of this 'trend' of increased processed food consumption such as the poor and married women have shown the sharpest increases in weight (Cutler, Glaeser & Shapiro 2003: 94). Finally, as a point of comparison "countries with a greater degree of regulation that support traditional agriculture and delivery systems have lower rates of obesity" (Cutler, Glaeser & Shapiro 2003: 94).

This has profound policy implications, given that it suggests that lower prices on food does not necessarily mean better health for all Americans -- the question is what types of food are cheaper and what types of food are more expensive. The study also found that while people are indeed somewhat…