Sociology

Q1.

"Personal problems' are problems that affect the individual and, the members of the society blame the victim since they believe the problems are as a result of moral failings. On the other hand, social problems are problems that affect many individuals and the affected blame the system since it is the role of society to minimize problems by creating positive social structures (Barkan, 2013). Thus, it is important to say that personal problems are influenced by society problems because when people live in a disadvantaged society, they lack employment, education and quality health.  These conditions bring devastating effects that affect their lives. There is a correlation between the two concepts in that personal problems affects the quality of human life and it becomes a social problem in that as individuals in the society are affected by the individual problem, the effects are not only in individual lives but also in the entire society (Barkan, 2013.  Thus, it is important to use the social problem approach in trying to analyze all the personal problems affecting individuals.  For example, personal problems such as unemployment, relationship issues, loss of income, medical conditions and more should not only be viewed as personal problems but should be viewed as problems which are rooted from the social structures (Barkan, 2013).  In other words, people should avoid using the blaming-the-victim approach and apply the blame-the-system approach and by so doing, people will focus on social conditions and address the social problems.

 

 It is also important to apply the social problems framework in trying to understand the obesity epidemic. Normally, the society members believe that people suffer from the eating disorder due to lack of control or in other words they view the problem of the eating disorder as a personal problem (Barkan, 2013).  It is true that the eating disorder is a personal problem but it is important to understand the root cause of these personal problems or rather the causes of the eating disorder.   Obesity is not only a health issue but it is also a social problem. It is a social problem because it does not only affect the individual but its health consequences affect the society.  Even though obesity occurs due to poor food choices and lack of physical activity,  the society plays a significant role in increasing  obesity since people can access energy-dense foods at a low price, technological innovation has influenced the sedentary behavior and reduced physical activities and schools no longer offer physical education programs (Barkan, 2013). Society is highly encouraging the caloric consumption and sedentary behaviors and for this reason, it will be difficult for individuals to control their weight unless the systems approach is advocated.

 Amarasinghe & D’Souza (2012) assert that social problems have brought the obesity epidemic in that today, people have changed the household lifestyle and they prefer consuming fast foods and alcoholic beverages.  The convenience of fast food is influenced by the proliferation of full-service restaurants that are offering leisure for households.  Other cause of the social problem that has caused the obesity epidemic is education inequalities and income inequality. Uneducated and low-income consumers are unable to purchase healthy food and they only access to lower-quality diets. Also, they do not see the need for physical activity since they lack education and good environment settings (Amarasinghe & D'Souza, 2012). The technological changes have also brought rapid consumption and greater convenience where restaurants can use less time to prepare and preserve food for consumers. The market has failed to control obesity since failure to impose ‘junk food' tax is influencing the higher consumption. Thus, it is important to analyze the social and environmental factors that cause obesity problem in order to prevent obesity and promote health.

Q2.

 Today, people have modernized their lifestyles and as a result, they have become overweight and obese which have resulted in health problems.  Rather than consuming nutrient-rich food, people prefer consuming fattening fats foods and this means that people are eating more calories and burning less. In order to control the eating and overeating which lead to overnight and obesity, individuals should take an integrated approach. These include;

Eating mindfully- to control overeating, people should become conscious and mindful or build an awareness of the actual experience to facilitate diet compliance. People should become habitually mindful and the mindfulness will assist in paying attention to the internal and external factors that trigger the eating habit. Mindful eating will also help pinpoint the external cues or the motivating force such as stress (Somov, 2008).  Rather than eating to fulfill the external cues, one will address the issues and engage in activities such as walking to avoid craving. While eating, it is important to concentrate on the present moment, understand the present thoughts and emotions.

Physical activity-people should burn calories by spending 30-45 minutes doing physical exercise such as walking, jogging, lifting weights, going to the gym, and more.  Physical exercise will help burn calories, boost the metabolic rate, improve circulation, reduce stress and depression and prevent illness like diabetes (Somov, 2008).

 Training-people can also engage in appetite awareness training as an internal approach. The training will help people identify the food triggers, identify cravings and learn how to ride them out. The training will also help manage the overeating situations such as moods and gain a sense of control (Somov, 2008).

Control appetite-people should control overeating by eating less and understand trigger control and craving control, people should learn to avoid triggers and manage the inevitable cravings.

Eat a healthy diet- people should reduce overeating by consuming food such as whole grain and other rich in vitamins and minerals. The unhealthy diet is associated with overeating since fast foods are sweet and people consume more. Thus, it important to consume healthy foods and unsweetened beverages to control overeating (Somov, 2008).

 

Q3.

             Overweight and obesity are a threat to the American people. There are many factors that cause the rise in obesity and one of the factors is the food production system that energy-dense foods in today's world.  The foods environment is responsible for the obesity epidemic since they are providing highly processed foods.  Many people blame the food industry since it spends billions of dollars on advertising and marketing unhealthy foods (Verduin, Agarwal & Waltman, 2005). Today, the advertisement for healthy diets such as fruits and vegetables are less and it becomes hard to control the obesity as people eat what is available for them. The food industry has a role to play in controlling the obesity epidemic. First, the food industry should form a relationship with public health in setting objectives and goals.  For example, the food industry and the medical community should discuss the issue of obesity and focus on producing low-fat foods (Verduin, Agarwal & Waltman, 2005).   In addition to producing low-fat foods, the food industry should assist the consumers in making healthy food choices.  They should focus on meeting the consumers' nutritional needed, produce healthier products and collaborate with the community and the government in promoting nutrition education and nutrition awareness.  As the food industry produce new healthy products and brings them to the market, they should recommend the new products and provide the consumers with a credible advice to help them try the new things and make healthy behavior change (Verduin, Agarwal & Waltman, 2005). The food industry should also control the obesity epidemic by making positive changes in labeling, packaging and more to help consumers have different options, change their taste preference and make healthy choices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Amarasinghe, A., & D'Souza, G. (2012). Individual, social, economic, and environmental model: A

paradigm shift for obesity prevention. ISRN Public Health, 2012.

 

Barkan, S. E. (2013). Social problems: Continuity and change. Washington, D.C. : Flat World Knowledge, Inc.,

 

Somov, P. G. (2008). Eating the moment: 141 mindful practices to overcome overeating one meal at a

time. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

 

Verduin, P., Agarwal, S., & Waltman, S. (2005). Solutions to obesity: perspectives from the food industry–

. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 82(1), 259S-261S.