Research Paper on Obesity as a Current Health Issue

Introduction

The current health issue analyzed in this report is on obesity. The article published by Duke University on June 26, 2019, "What made humans 'the fat primate'? states that the changes in DNA packaging prevented the ability of the body to turn the bad fats into goods ones. According to the article, scientists are not fazed by the fact that chimpanzees have fewer fats compared to humans. Towards understanding how humans developed into large primates, scientist analyzed samples from monkey species. Not every fat is equally created since other stores more calories, which underlines the differences in the waistlines. Additionally, the article states that human beings are so fat due to the regions of the genome, which help in turning white fat into brown are locked up in human beings. Human, just like the chimpanzees, requires fat for cushioning the critical organs, preventing us from the cold and starvation. Given the calorie-burning abilities of the brown fats, many scientists are trying to understand if boosting the strength of the body to convert white fat would help in slimming down. Swain-Lenz states that these differences in primates could be used in helping obese patients (Duke University, 2019). The social learning theory explains obesity as a socially and constructed perspective through the examples of women seeking to have slim and beautiful bodies.

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Analysis from the Social Learning Theory Lens

The social learning theory tries to explain socialization and the effect it has on the development of the self. There are different theories which explain why people socialize, and the social learning theory looks into the learning process of an individual, formation of the self, and the influence of the community in the socialization of individuals. The social learning theory is crucial towards explaining the information provided on obesity by Duke University. According to the social learning theory, an individual's identity is a learned response to social stimuli. One's identity is not the product of consciousness, rather the outcome of modeling oneself when responding to other peoples' expectations. Attitudes and behaviors are formulated as a response to encouragement and reinforcement from people around us. While theorists agree that experiences during childhood are essential, they also contend that the identity which individual gain is formed more through the attitudes and behaviors of others (Deaton, 2015). Physical attractiveness is connected to different positive outcomes, including employment benefits such as wages, promotion, and hiring. Physical attractiveness is also related to personal and social rewards, including satisfaction in work, higher self-esteem, and the positive perceptions of other people. For women and some men, feeling that they are not attractive poses a huge problem, which is connected to ideas of beauty. There is a culture which states how women should look. Studies have demonstrated that wages and promotions are partly based on how an individual looks, which is inclusive of their weight (Lenz et al., 2019).

Women are very much focused on weight loss while conforming to the societal standards could result in better health. The obesity epidemic is overtly overstated, and there is a need for understanding the ways the fat body and obesity epidemic is socially constructed. People interpret the behaviors of others, and these interpretations determine the type of social bond. We often socially create the meanings of gender to assist us in deciding who to interact with, how to do the interactions, and to determine the implications of the actions or words of an individual. There are competing cultural interpretations of body fat. Fat does not in itself means that one is unhealthy or unattractive (Miller, & Morris, 2016). There are only cultural constructions. As a society, we form meanings of what it means for one to be fat, and presently, cultural discourses claim that it is unhealthy and ugly to be overweight. There is also an assumption that the body reflects the psyche, including the moral fiber of an individual. The self-esteem of women is more closely connected to weight than that of men. Women have more preferences over their appearance and weight. There are many factors which result in the rise of, such as the lack of affordable ways of exercising and the existence of fast, inexpensive foods. The mainstream media has provided a lot of contradicting information on nutrition, and consumers get conflicting messages on activity and diet. For example, there is proof of a food industry using the same methods as the tobacco industry in misleading consumers. These are examples of contested cultural meanings on health, weight, and food (Miller, & Morris, 2016).

Articles Supporting the Theoretical Perspective

Paradis also confirms the conscious of the social learning theory in her essay on "Obesity as Process: The Medicalization of Fatness by Canadian Researchers, 1971-2010." In her article, Paradis states that in modern society, obesity is seen as a public health crisis, with the current generation of children projected not to outlive their parents' generation. An important fact introduced in this article is that obesity is seen as a moral panic, where the marginalized group or behavior is seen as a threat to the values, interests, or morals of the society. Just like the social learning theory, Paradis agrees that sociologists see health and illness as something which is socially and actively constructed. A disease does not officially exist until the cultural authority of medicine establishes it as an actual disease. The process of medicalization, which is the expansion of medical power, practices, and jurisdictions to new realms, underlines what it means to understand the social construction of diseases. Paradis' article introduces the history of medicalization of fat, and how medicine and medical approaches were crucial to the history of dieting. Therefore, Paradis clearly shows how social norms can dictate issues of obesity (Paradis, 2016).

Roost also supports information about the stigmatization of obesity. In the article, "Losing It: The Construction and Stigmatization of Obesity on Reality Television in the U.S." Roost shows how the U.S. has focused on obesity. Roost agrees that there is more value attached to the consciousness of healthy choices. A new perspective introduced in this article is that the obese are frequent victims of micro-aggressions. With the United States struggling with consumption, access to resources, and corporization issues, reality shows are showing the damage caused by focusing on food and weight loss. The emphasis is on using exercise as the means of weight loss and transforming appearances as the unavoidable result of the changes. These changes are what is explained in the social learning theory as dictated by society. With these changes, an individual can have many personal and social benefits. Valuable insight in this article is that while lifestyle, exercise, and diet are the cornerstones of the modern approaches in treating obesity, they are inefficient in ending the current obesity epidemic (Roost, 2016).

Conclusion

Conclusively, this article provides a case for consideration with the epidemic of obesity, posing serious health challenges to the USA and other countries globally. The supporting articles posted by Roost and Paradis help to confirm the idea that obesity is developing into a serious health concern. Clearly, the social learning theory explains obesity as a socially and constructed perspective through the examples of women seeking to have slim and beautiful bodies.

References

Deaton, S. (2015). Social Learning Theory in the Age of Social Media: Implications for Educational Practitioners. Journal of Educational Technology, 12(1), 1-6. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1098574.pdf

Duke University. (2019, June 26). What made humans 'the fat primate'? Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190626160337.htm

Lenz, D. S. S., Berrio, A., Saffi, A., Crawford, G. E., & Wray, G. (2019). Comparative analyses of chromatin landscape in white adipose tissue suggest humans may have less beigeing potential than other primates. bioRxiv, 524868. Retrieved from https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2019/01/18/524868.full.pdf

Miller, B., & Morris, R. G. (2016). Virtual peer effects in social learning theory. Crime & Delinquency, 62(12), 1543-1569. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.851.4709&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Paradis, E. (2016). Obesity" as process: The medicalization of fatness by Canadian researchers, 1971-2010. Obesity in Canada: Critical Perspectives, 56. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Elise_Paradis/publication/299461267_Obesity_as_Process_The_Medicalization_of_Fatness_by_Canadian_Researchers_1971-2010/links/56f9915f08ae81582bf43be8/Obesity-as-Process-The-Medicalization-of-Fatness-by-Canadian-Researchers-1971-2010.pdf

Roost, A. C. (2016). Losing it: the construction and stigmatization of obesity on Reality television in the United States. Journal of Popular Culture (Boston), 49(1), 174-195. Retrieved from https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=ho_pubs