Obesity and the Impact of Society on Obese Youth

Obesity and the Impact of Society on Obese Youth

The sociological and environmental analyses of obesity have left a positive mark on present-day attitudes towards obese individuals. Once regarded as immoral, unchaste, or psychologically weak, the obese individual is now largely recognized to be an inevitable product of an obesogenic or obesity-promoting environment. This thesis reviews the history of attitudes towards obesity as well as the current risk factors and disparities pertaining to childhood and adolescent obesity. Chapter 1 emphasizes the way in which the historical narrative surrounding obesity has reversed from one in which the individual is damaging to society to one in which society is damaging to the individual. Chapter 2 examines the behavioral, familial, and societal influences of the global issue of childhood and adolescent obesity. Chapter 3 discusses the racial and ethnic disparities in childhood and adolescent obesity, and presents three main solutions to this significant United States public health matter. Chapter 4 explores Chapter 1 in relation to Chapters 2 and 3, ultimately revealing the similarities and differences in ideas about obesity across varying time periods and perspectives.

Veronica Gallo

5/1/2022

Drs. Laurence Nolan & Jessica England

Psychology

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32 pages

eng

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2022_Biopsychology_Gallo - Jessica England

Wagner College, Staten Island, NY

Thesis

2022