Credible Communicator

Temple Professor Gary Foster is the President of the Obesity Society. He is committed to the research, advocacy and education of obesity. Due to his extensive passion and committment to the cause of obesity, he is a credible communicator because he encompasses expertise and trustworthiness. He advocates the importance of educating people about obesity and believes it to be the "most pressing public health problem of our time, and the Obesity Society is ideally poised to make a difference in understanding, preventing and treating obesity and advocating for those who suffer from it" (http://temple-news.com/2008/02/11/medical-prof-president-of-obesity-society/).

Subliminal Message

Subliminal messages are probably the least effective messages in terms of being able to change behavior. Usually subliminal messages are used to exascerbate the problem of obesity rather than diminish it. We see various ads everyday that promote eating; usually something that isn't healthy for us. For example, McDonalds will post a commercial that will show you a juicy hamburger, and like the PowerPoint stated, this subliminal message works when you are hungry. So when this commercial appears and the individual is hungry, they are most likely to stop at the fast food restaurant.

Reptition/Intensity and Classical Conditioning

Repetition: Here is a link to an ad which pairs Shrek characters as a way to motivate young children to get out and play rather than stay inside and remain inactive. As we have learned, the more frequently we see an ad pairing a product with something positive the stronger the pairing is. Since this is a commerical it would be played several times during the day, and the more the viewer sees the positive message, the more opt they are to follow the behavior.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-zEDbl04NY


Intensity: The following video displays intensity because it is more perceptually intense which heightens the strength of the message.

Classical Conditioning Messages

1. Get fit today and be able to take an active role in your children's life!

2. Choosing to lead a healthy lifestyle is not only beneficial for your overall wellbeing, but will also grab attention from that special someone!

Resources

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/index.html - The site is designed to help people understand obesity as a serious health issue.

http://www.obesity.org/ - The Obesity Society promotes research, education and advocacy to better understand, prevent and treat obesity

http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/dieting/obesity.html - Articles that provide information and tips to help people dealing with being overweight

Technological Fix

A technological fix is defined as a technology that can fix a problem or at least the major negative effects of that problem. In the case of obesity, gastric bypass surgery is a good example of a technological fix. Since social engineering can only help the problem to an extent, gastric bypass is a procedure that allows an obese person to regain their life, and their health back. This involved opening up the stomach and literally making the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the intestines. This is used as a way to help an individual lose weight. Since the stomach is smaller, the person will feel fuller sooner which allows the person to intake fewer calories and ultimately lose weight. Although this is a viable option for people with a BMI of 40 or higher, it does come with a decent amount of risks. 3 out of 200 people die from this weight loss procedure, but if the surgery is a success the positive aspects certainly outweigh the negative ones. Other methods include surgical procedures include liposuction. Although this procedure won't necessarily fix the problem it's sometimes a way for people to lose weight in a fast and efficient way. Gastric bypass surgery has the ability to change the overall lifestyle of an obese person rather than just act as a quick fix. Other fix's include diet pills. I don't necessarily believe these work, but an enormous industry has emerged as a result of the obesity epidemic. Everyone is looking for the next way to lose weight quickly, and diet pills are up in that category. Years ago there used to be a product in diet pills called ephedra which helped increase weight loss, but withint the last few years it was outlawed due to health complications. Ultimately, however, people must learn to take responsibility for themselves and parents must actively involve their children in healthy lifestyles that they can emulate for when they become adults. Technological fix's can be great, but people need to motivate themselves to want to be healthy. Pressure from the government also needs to happen in order to demand healthier lifestyles and they must implement laws that limit the exploitation of consumers from businesses and advertisers. By working together and confronting the situation head on, America has a shot at reversing the way we live.

Social Engineering

Social engineering is defined as the ability to change a person's beliefs and behaviors related to a problem. Some social engineering approaches have been to educate people about eating healthier and having a more active lifestyle. One example to educate people was the move Supersize Me. This movie documented a man who ate McDonald's fast food for all of his meals for a month. This man who began as a healthy individual, slowly found himself gaining weight at a rapid pace. This also ultimately began to deteriorate his health throughout the process. This is a dramatic way of showing society the effects of excessive and unhealthy eating. Through such documentary's such as this one new laws were introduced which required fast food restaurants to include nutritional facts (if you could consider it that) on the food products themselves. This allows the individuals to make smarter choices when eating out. Although the government can not win all of the battles they are working on and pursuing various issues such as: implementing school nutrition standards, taxing unhealthy foods, physical education requirements in public schools, funding for walking and biking trails, and mandated coverage on weight loss treatments and health plans. Other avenues have included limiting vending machines, increasing nutritional education, and outreach to parents. The government is also working towards requiring equal television air time for commercials that support healthy living. Some other social engineering techniques included the 1994 FDA requirement for nutritional facts which can help consumers make smart choices. As a way to address the obesity problem, in 2006 the FDA has now required the trans fat content to be listed on the food product as well. (This information was taken from: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/24/2601 )

Technology & Obesity

Technology has affected the obesity problem but in a very indirect way. I think much of the technological advances have had a negative impact on the overall social problem of obesity. Video games, for example, have changed the social dynamic for children and young adults. Older generations used to enjoy playing outside with the neighborhood kids which oftentimes involved some type of physical activity such as softball, football, biking, etc. Video games, and computer use especially, have led to less physical activity. Where people once used to go outside now spend hours on the internet in front of a computer. Other technology which has contributed to the obesity problem is television. All these things have the ability to lead to eating more frequently and lager amounts. As many studies have shown, watching television or doing some other types of similar activities while eating tends to make the individual eat more. This is due to the individuals tendency to not really focus on how much they are consuming since their mind is distracted from other things. Overall technology seems to limit an individuals motivation to make smarter choices and partake in physical activity.

History

When thinking about obesity, it's easy to associate this issue as a current epidemic, but upon some research I found that this social problem has a distinct presence in earlier times. According to "The History of Obesity" on Ezine@rticles.com, obesity dates back to the Ancient Egyptians. The Ancient Egyptians considered obesity as a disease as seen drawn of the walls of various illnesses. Along with this, the Venus figurines, which were drawings of a female obese torso, were suspected to be used for rituals. China has also been aware of the dangers of obesity and have worked towards prevention as the key to overcoming the problem. The Aztecs, on the other hand, believed obesity was the workings of the supernatural and seen as an affliction from God. Prior to the 1900's, obesity was seen as a status symbol of wealth and prosperity. After the 1900's, however, this view changed dramatically. This outlook changed due to a variety of things including the production of more revealing clothing, the increase of obese individuals as well as the development of a chart which established your ideal weight according to your height. Along with this, doctors began to discover the negative effects that obesity had on the body including cardiovascular disease. According to organizedwisdom.com, some factors of the increase in obesity is the evolution of transportation, the amount of prcoessed foods available and the patenting of trans fats.

Today there is an estimated 1 billion obese individuals. Matthew Edmund's article, "A Very Brief History of Obesity" lists the key factors as to how this has happened. Here are the highlights:

1. 1780's - The production of the steam engine enabled foods to be transported, produced and distributed more easily.

2. 1820's - This marked the creation of railroads and steamships which increased the ability for increases in production and transporting goods cheaply.

3. 1860's - New ways of growing and preserving food were developed as well as the decrease in sleep from 8.5 hours to 7 hours a night due to industrialization and people begin working around the clock.

4. 1903 - As stated earlier this was the patent of trans fats which enabled the longevity of various products.

5. 1890's on - The car dominates the transportation domain which changes the overall dynamic of transportation from horses to automobiles.

6. 1890's on - Supermarkets emerge which allows for the increase in processed foods.

7. 1950's on - The development of the interstate highway system.

8. 1950's on - The television becomes prominent so instead of playing outside in the cold, many people resorted to watching television in the comfort of their home.

9. 1960's - Marked the growth of farming subsidies which made payments to farmers to produce specific crops particularly corn and cotton. "Corn, now 46% of government agricultural subsidies, is converted into dextrose, which revolutionizes supermarket foods and the fast food industry." This leads to an increase in food production and fuels the obesity epidemic.

10. 1970's - Rise of the computer which often involes sitting and looking at a screen.

As stated by Matthew Edmund, there is no one reason for the rise of obesity but many of these factors have contributed to the overall downfall of our health. Many people who used to walk to work now drive, people that bought their food locally now buy from supermarkets where the food is filled with salt, sugar and is usually processed, kids who once played outside are now being transported by cars and play video games for hours. It's not a surprise that obesity is the result of eating too much and not exercising enough, yet many people fall prey to the consequences. The unfortunate truth is that in order to diminish the effects of obesity, there requires a dramatic change in how we live. But at the same token, how are we able to work backwards, when technology has allowed us so many conveniences and changes that we have no control over. We don't have control of how our food is processed unless we own our own farm. We don't have control over the fact that our work is 15 miles away and it would be illogical to walk that distance. The really hit this epidemic head on it would take a throrough educational program as well as changes in how foods are processed.