Childhood Obesity in the United States

What is the biggest threat as of today in the United States? Some may say war, terrorists or drugs. However, obesity is the most dangerous threat for United States citizens. I will be summarizing an academic study for my journalism class this week. Therefore, I have decided to focus on a passion of mine – the childhood obesity epidemic in America.

The authors chose to use several methods to inform the audience of the obesity crisis. Data obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey exposed that approximately 17 percent of American children (ages 6 to 11) were considered obese. Furthermore, since 1979, childhood obesity rates have increased by approximately 300 percent. With childhood obesity comes a number of medical conditions including stroke, arthritis, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Next, the authors reviewed major newspaper articles (i.e., The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Chicago Tribune, The Houston Chronicle, The New York Times, and The San Francisco Chronicle) for the number of stories over the years pertaining to childhood obesity. In 1996, a total of eight stories were published regarding childhood obesity. However, 10 years later, a total of 149 stories were published throughout the major newspapers.

There are a handful of reasons for the obesity epidemic throughout the United States. Often, poverty is a main cause of childhood obesity. Children with working parents also suffer from obesity. However, newspapers often disregard this valuable information regarding childhood obesity. Only 60 percent of the stories not obtaining childhood obesity preventatives suggested the epidemic is associated with poverty and parents working outside of the home. Often, news producers remain silent on how to address the possible risk factors. By ignoring crucial information, it is impossible to believe the obesity rate among United States youth will decrease.

Childhood obesity must continue to be addressed by powerful and influential media sources. Providing families with crucial knowledge about what causes obesity in children will prove beneficial. Social and economic factors involving childhood obesity continue to be ignored. We must lift the veil and address the real reasons for obesity in the United States. Remaining ignorant about the causes of this epidemic will further harm our youth.

The results from this study should be treated with caution because other time periods apart from 1996 and 2006 were not reviewed. Furthermore, the research did not explore or utilized the information in the reviewed news stories. Additional research should be done to make research more reliable and credible.

Communicating With a Diverse Audience – African-Americans

In the United States, three-fourths of African-American women are overweight or obese. There are many medical issues associated with obesity, including cardio-vascular disease, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stroke, dyslipidemia, osteoarthritis, and various cancers. The life expectancy of an overweight individual is significantly lower than someone at a healthy weight. In 2000, 2.4 million United States citizens died from obesity. This staggering number is unacceptable, and immediate action must occur. In 2005, 77.3 percent of African-American women were considered either overweight or obese. But why are the obesity rates in African-American communities higher than the national average?

Mainstream Magazines and African-American Women
Due to the obesity epidemic, media and magazines are attempting to help fight this health crisis. Mainstream magazines typically were twice as likely to suggest monitoring fast food or junk food intake, eat more protein based foods, and eat smaller food portions. On the other hand, African-American magazines frequently covered fad diets. Furthermore, magazines often suggested that the readers rely of faith and God while attempting to lose weight and fight obesity. Whether you try a specific type of diet, or rely on faith for weight loss, simply becoming informed of the obesity epidemic in the United States is crucial.

Communicating with African-American Women Through Media
Using magazines to engage with African-American women has proven highly successful. Over the years, media have proven the ability to influence and impact behavioral change. By linking individuals to social networks, media have a persuasive hold over the public. Through the use of social media, individuals may become informed of weight loss support groups or nearby walking trails. Placing health and nutrition information in mainstream magazines is an effective way to communicate with African-American women.