Posted by
Nathan Krekula on Friday, October 03, 2008 10:00:00 AM
Medical services expenditures in the U.S. continue to increase, deeply cutting into the GDP more and more each year. The majority of these expenditures are due to diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases and conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and asthma (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). The problem with these expenditures is that these disorders are preventable by a change in lifestyle. An overwhelming flow of resources are used in treatment of easily preventable disorders, so why is there not a push for preventative measures. One could conclude that there is a break in the communication chain. Alternatively, is there a direct link to key economical factors that inhibit healthier lifestyles?
Perhaps inadvertently the economic structure has cohesively linked itself to a lifestyle of Big Mac’s and supper size fries. Morgan Spurlock, in a witty and satirical documentary, says that this nation is well into a “fast food epidemic” (Utichi, 2004). The film goes on to build a theory that the nation is in a crisis brought on by a fast food era. Conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease can be linked to a fast food lifestyle. Furthermore, the fast-paced American culture encourages fast food consumption over more healthier and nutritious food choices.
The four food groups have been a staple in nutrition education for years. The underlining problem is that while children are receiving this well-meant education, they are at the same time inundated with commercial after commercial on the pleasures of fast food. With more single parent families and two household income families, time is hard to come by. These and many other factors play a role in the fast food craze culture of the United States. Why, then, does the government knowingly expend so much resource on treating fast food junkie fallout?
The fact is, it is often harder to change a lifestyle than to find cheaper ways to treat conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and asthma (Longest, 2002). Moreover, there are large amounts of revenue generated from both the medical treatment and the fast food industry. Forcing adults to change their lifestyles would be like, as the cliché’ goes, “biting the hand that feeds you.” Educating children on how to live a fit and active life with proper exercise and a well-balanced diet will break this cycle of dependence. Research has always shown that it is cheaper and more effective to motivate people when they are young and before bad habits form rather than to try to change them when they are older and set in their ways.
References
Longest, B. B. (2002). Health policymaking in the United States, 3rd ed. Chicago: Health
Administration Press.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2003). Prevention makes common “cents”.
Retrieved June 15, 2005 from http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/prevention/
Utichi, J. (2004). Review - Super size me. Retrieved June 15, 2005 from
http://www.filmfocus.co.uk/review.asp?ReviewID=114