Obesity is a significant health threat experienced globally due to practicing unhealthy lifestyles and eating habits. In my view, obesity is more of a personal problem than a social challenge. People often make independent choices about the foodstuffs they consume, their daily engagements, and weight management (Burke & Heiland, 2018). Although junk food is readily available in the market, a person can make the right dietary decision and has the power to control what he or she eats. Consequently, obesity emanates mainly from the irrational decision-making process regarding the consumption habit. The primary individual factors that lead to overeating include limited self-control, peer pressure, and automatic functioning. Cohen (2013) argues that eating is an involuntary process, which does not necessitate human awareness or attention. Individuals respond differently to opportunities, and thus, survival instinct may drive them to eat irresponsibly. Additionally, stressful situation compels a person to overeat because negative emotions, such as anger, restrict human self-control. Lastly, people eat irresponsibly due to peer pressure as they try to impress their friends or based on the availability of processed food.
However, it would be irrational to disregard social contributions to the increased obesity rate. For instance, the increased global population has demanded alternative farming methods, which rely on technological innovations and chemicals. Although a person may make a rational dietary choice, it may sometimes be challenging to avoid such food products. As a result, obesity is rising globally, thus posing a health threat to the population because it causes other diseases such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart diseases. The greatest effect of obesity on society is the increased medication costs. According to Cohen (2013), the illnesses associated with obesity require the American healthcare system to use approximately $147 billion annually. The figure becomes enormous with the consideration of its impacts globally. The government can use this revenue to deliver other services to the population. Therefore, people have to embrace healthy eating habits and other alternative techniques of controlling stressful situations instead of overeating.
References
Burke, M. A., & Heiland, F. W. (2018). Evolving societal norms of obesity. JAMA, 319(3), 221-222. Web.
Cohen, D. (2013). A big fat crisis: The hidden forces behind the obesity epidemic-and how we can end it. Hachette UK.