Obesity in the Gulf States Essay

Total Length: 880 words ( 3 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 3

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The obesity rates for the different Gulf Coast states are as follows:

Note that the lowest rates are in the states that have large populations living away from the Gulf Coast; data is not presented to reflect the obesity rates for Florida and Texas only including people on this coast. This source didn't provide a ranking, but Louisiana was only behind Puerto Rico, Arkansas, Kentucky and West Virginia, so the results are quite poor.

Obesity isn't a disease – it's math. Weight gain is the result of taking in more calories than one burns. Some studies have argued that certain types of calories – carbohydrates in particular – are worse than others for spurring on weight gain (Crichton & Tefft, 2014). However, this merely lets people off the hook for eating too much and exercising too little. One need not spend much time in the region to realize that there are several issues at work leading to higher obesity rates. First is that nobody walks anywhere. The calories out part of the equation is always going to be minimal in an area where people do not conduct physical exercise. One of the factors in most obesity studies is work-related calorie burn, but in the absence of physical labor there are relatively few opportunities to exercise.
The weather is far too hot and sticky most of the year and the structure of the communities in this area are entirely dedicated to the church of the automobile – you just can't walk anywhere because everything is too spread out.

There is also the matter of food. We studied the nature of the path to market for food , such as depicted in The Omnivore's Dilemma, and there is an emphasis on delivering large amounts of calories at low prices. Combine this with food deserts throughout the region and it can be actually difficult to eat well in this area. Further, abysmal economic management of the region has meant that there are higher rates of poverty than in other parts of the country. Indeed, many of the wealthiest areas of the US also have the lowest rates of obesity.

Recommended Strategies

Education is the starting point for strategies, in part because it is relatively easy to implement. This includes both in schools and in media campaigns that target people at higher risk for obesity. There are significant health risks associated with obesity, and in these states it is worth tying those risks not only to physical ailment….....

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"Obesity In The Gulf States", 14 October 2017, Accessed.5 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/obesity-gulf-states-2166201