Greg Crister - Issue of Obesity and How It Became a Major Concern

In a very interesting paper, Greg Crister discussed the issue of obesity and how it became a major concern. Crister mentioned that the UN was mainly concerned with starvation and malnutrition. However the recent data suggested that obesity is the new unmet health issue that should be tackled as it became one of the most popular epidemics in westernized countries. Childhood obesity was the major concern in Crister's paper; he stated a shocking statistical figure that suggests that at least twenty five percent of all Americans under the age of nineteen are overweight or obese. This figure proposed obesity as an epidemic, and an issue that should be managed. Crister addresses the issue of childhood obesity and how it could be prevented.

Crister's paper was very interesting and it discussed the problem of childhood obesity and how it should be prevented. He also gave statistical and research based information to support his ideas. The paper had many strong points that tackle the issue of obesity; however, there are some points that need to be clarified or rather express his personal opinion than state facts about the origin of obesity and how it is considered a psychological disorder that needs to be treated. Crister discusses that one nutritional wisdom. He suggests that one of the most important ways to prevent obesity is by educating parents about nutrition and healthy diets. He believes that "dietary restraint" is the answer to obesity stating that it is something that our ancestors knew simply by avoiding gluttony. However, one should doubt this particular idea as obesity is recognized by the science of psychology as a serious disorder that needs to be treated. Relating the amounts of food that obese people eat with gluttony is a bit harsh. Some obese people can't control the quantity they consume or they eat as a substitute for some other distress. That is why it is unsympathetic to compare their behavior or eating habits to gluttony which is one of the seven deadly sins in the Christian religion. Obese people do not need to feel more stress or for someone to blame them and make them believe they are committing one of the deadly sins, because most likely their eating habits are hard to control.

However, Crister is not exactly trying to condemn obese people with gluttony. He mentioned a research carried out by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, in which they explained that parents should not make their children feel tense about food. The researchers explain that if parents made their children feel tense or restrain their diets, the children will probably react and rebel by over eating in secret or when they are away from the parents leading to the same result. Crister also mentioned a very important aspect of obesity which is the loss of self-esteem. Loss of self esteem can affect people in an immense way, and will result in the worst eating habits. Crister argues that a stigmatization obese person is of course not acceptable, but the stigmatization of unhealthy behaviors in general can give a clear and effective message. He compares obesity with smoking and unsafe sex, and how the stigma against them was very effective in delivering an effective message that helped in reducing the risk and harm. He explained that smokers and homosexuals may have experienced anxiety on the short run, but gained protection and avoided harm on the long run. This comparison added great value to Crister's argument; however, he should have added more information and tackled more the issue of how obesity affects the person's self esteem. The self esteem of obese children will not only be affected by the restraint of food, it can also be affected by the fact that they are over weight. Children and teenagers need to conform to their friends, they don’t need to stand out or look different. The fact that they are over weight might affect their social life and their peer acceptance, which can have a great psychological effect. The children would feel rejected, harassed, and subjected to be made fun of, or even being bullied. However, Crister is only concerned with the physiological effect or complications that obesity can have on children. For example, heart diseases, diabetes, and crippling bone conditions. The physiological effect that obesity can have should of course be one of our major concerns; however, giving little attention to the psychological effect will not help. Ignoring such an important aspect can result in more psychological damage and even worse eating behaviors.

Another vital argument that Crister stated is the idea