In American society today, unhealthy habits are becoming more accessible to inherit than healthy ones because of the promotion of the “Fast Food Era”. Commercials are obsessed with selling their products to the vast number of consumers; however, what many people do not know is how these commercials target certain demographics of a culture. Obesity’s awareness has become more of a national epidemic for most people to start living healthier or else they would face several consequences that would eventually hurt them even more, in the long run. Food advertising’s overwhelming use of media is one of the main causes we do not fight the temptation against the unhealthy fast food, because it suggests that it is quicker to stop on-the-go and pick up a meal rather than cooking it personally. The main target of these media producers is children. Today’s society of parenting is more of a “to-go” family and some parents would rather pick up a meal rather than sitting down and cooking one. Another advertisement evil is the competitive companies that fight for more publicity, which gives the consumer a variety of options to try; therefore, continuously adding to the unhealthy eating lifestyle. They all promote something different, e.g. McDonalds’ coffee will energize you better than Dunkin’ Donuts will. Will these advertisements make you want to buy their product?
Being overweight or obese is identified by the Body Mass Index (BMI), or height and weight fat distribution of a person. A healthy person’s BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24 depending on the actual person’s distribution. If your BMI falls above that numbered range, you can put your body at high risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, heart failure/complications, infertility etc. A calorie is a unit of energy that the body is supplied. Being overweight is understood that the amounts of calories that are being put into the body are overpowering the amount of physical activity that is burning those calories: energy imbalance. Body weight can be determined not only by calorie intake, but also from metabolism rates, social behavior, environmental habits, cultural habits and even economic status.
There is no real main target for obesity; however media suggests that the younger demographic is more at risk to develop unhealthy behaviors.
