THE ADULT OBESITY EPIDEMIC IN THE UNITED STATES: A Comprehensive Approach Including the Financial Costs, the Societal Costs, the Solutions, and the Future of Food and Weight Gain

Book excerpt: This is both a descriptive and a prescriptive approach to the adult obesity epidemic in the United States. First, the book shows the origins of obesity and how it blew out of proportion to become a crisis in an era of advanced medicine. The books precisely describes the factors of obesity, which are multipronged: the food producers, government, the food marketing experts, the food distributors and the restaurants, and even the victims themselves: the obese. An analysis of the costs and implications of obesity supports and corroborates the author’s views by showing obesity’s financial, societal, and psychological costs. On the other hand, the prescriptive side, the author makes the case for reversing the situation through strong and potentially efficient recommendations – non-systematic and systematic – by suggesting that both the public and policymakers focus not only on why people overeat, but also modify the environment and behaviors, redefine personal responsibility, and encourage corporate social responsibility. Finally, the author explores the outlook for eating habits and obesity in the United States by the years 2030, 2050, 2100 and beyond. This is a book intended for not just people impacted by obesity, but also for health professionals and policymakers.