Pattern of Development: Compare and Contrast Sick

Pattern of Development: COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Sick Society

Is it even a mystery how we have become the fattest country in the world (Sturm 2007)? Why do we have such poor choices for food? Enter Derrick. Derrick is a 15-year-old male from Jackson, Mississippi who has been clinically diagnosed as being "Class II Obese" or "Morbidly Obese" with a BMI of 37. His poor food choices at any given time during the day, along with his extremely low-level of activity, can be easily sighted as the determining factors regarding his alarming condition (Whitlock et al. 2009). Why does he make such unhealthy choices? Enter Dino. Dino is also a 15-year-old male, but he is from Zurich, Switzerland. Dino has a BMI of only 8 and is not obese, nor is he even overweight. Is this simply due to the relative abundance of healthier food choices and having a non-sedentary lifestyle, the cultural norm of his society (Molenaar et al. 2008 and Crabtree 2005)? In America, we find value in smorgasbords and all-you-can-eat meals, most of which are high-calorie and low in nutritional value (Rosenheck 2008). This is the Fast Food culture. In many parts of Europe, value is placed on quality of ingredients, method of preparation, and overall time invested in the meal (Petrini 2007). This is the Slow Food Movement.

In Denmark, a 25% "Fat Tax" has been implemented nationwide and citizens now pay more for foods deemed unhealthy by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Taxation (BMJ 2010). Sweden and Canada have considered to follow-suite (Leicester et al. 2008). Our society is sick. Many of us do not find it even in our capacity to walk or be marginally active. Living out a sedentary existence is strongly determinate on our popular culture . Here in America we have a strong need to stay on the couch or in front of a computer screen as much as possible (Bleich et al. 2008). In countries like Switzerland and The Netherlands, going out for walks or riding your bicycle is common place and based on the empirical data, these are not obese countries (Molenaar et al. 2008 and Crabtree 2005). Obesity in the United States is largely caused by unhealthy lifestyles and the ubiquitous availability and continual promotion of non-nutritious fast foods and junk foods throughout American society.