Reflective Essay on HBO Documentary

Reflective Essay on HBO Documentary about Obesity
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Reflective Essay on HBO Documentary about Obesity
Introduction
The HBO Documentary film on “The Weight of the Nation” features the obesity epidemic and the health consequences that emanate from being overweight or obese. The obesity epidemic emerged around 30 years ago, and since then it has been a menace to over half of the Americans being affected. Now, are the claims made by HBO factual and valid or it is just an exaggeration? Even though many people may not agree with HBO’s claims, I agree on some issues discussed in this film.
The obesity problem in the US is heightening every day, and if it is not managed as soon as possible, it will become a national disaster. In the part of the HBO documentary, we learn that over 18% Americans are obese. In their article on “The Obesity Epidemic in the US (353),” which they wrote in 2004, Morrill and Chin claimed that the percentage of obese people, which then was 30% according to them, would rise to around 40% by 2008. According to the HBO documentary, 68.8% (quoted from the CDC) currently are obese. I believe that this is true because the problem seems to exacerbate every day due to the people’s lifestyles.
Shortly, obesity will be the number one reason for transplants in the future. Indeed as highlighted from the documentary, obesity is the pacesetter for several diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, cancer, blindness, amputations, diabetes, arthritis, brain damage, and gallbladder disease to name a few.

In their study, Segal and Martin from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Segal and Martin 24) discovered that obesity was a predecessor of those mentioned above and several other diseases affecting key organs of the body. These researchers surveyed the state of obesity across all the US states between 2005 and 2013 and compared their results with other documentaries from various health organizations before they came up with their conclusion. If such vital organs are being diseased, what will happen other than doing the transplant?
It is true that the eating habits are the leading cause of obesity. As per the film, it is true that the consumption of sugary and fatty foods is the primary cause of obesity. Indeed, these foods are readily available, and they seem to be liked by people across all age groups. Their sweetness and availability make it hard to avoid. The rate at which people are consuming these so-called fast foods is alarming, and with time this will have undesired impacts such as obesity if these habits are not regulated.
Conclusion
Obesity is a national problem that needs to be dealt with before it can cause a huge burden on the national economy and healthcare system besides causing misery on humans. Apovian (178) says that it is hard to manage obesity and thus provides prevention as the best solution. I feel that there is a need for collaboration between the government and the food industry to ensure that there is the production of healthy foods. Proper physical activities and healthy habits should also be put in place at home and in learning institutions to ensure that people stay healthy and thus away from the obesity pandemic. If these practices are put in place, it will be easy to curb this rising menace of obesity in our nation.

Bibliography
Apovian, Caroline M. “The obesity epidemic—Understanding the disease and the treatment.” The New England Journal of Medicine, 374.2 (2016): 177-179.
HBO Docs. “ The Weight of the Nation: Part 1 –Consequences (HBO Docs).” YouTube, YouTube, 14 May 2012, wwwyoutube.com/watch?v=-pEkCbqN4uo.
Laura Segal, J. R., and Alejandra Martin. “The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America 2016.” Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2016): 2-46.
Morrill, Allison C., and Christopher D. Chinn. “The obesity epidemic in the United States.” Journal of Public Health Policy, 25.3-4 (2004): 353-366.