beginning final projects

A glimpse into my edjamaction, here for you is the first part of the pre-paper for my literature review.


It is well documented that in the United States and other industrial nations around the globe obesity is a growing issue. Beginning around 1980, the rate of obesity rapidly accelerated from its previous small incremental growth line (Finkelstein, et al 2005). The U.S. is at the forefront of the trend with an estimated three out of ten people being obese (Caban, et al 2005). Other countries have identified similar growth rates, but none have reached the percent of heaviness found in the U.S (Millar, et al 1987). Being at the forefront of this issue should give great cause to invest in finding an answer, finding a way to turn it around.


The growing obesity issue fits perfectly into applied sociology and will be a perfect textbook example of personal trouble versus public problems in the future. Many individuals are suffering from excess weight as a personal problem. Few can see the larger societal forces that have helped push them towards being a statistic. It is far easier for individuals to look at their own lives to try and pin point the cause. Undoing that cause (if possible) though is unlikely to completely solve the problem. Jane started eating out more as her schedule became busier and started to gain weight. Jane can attempt to eat out less, however her schedule will still be hectic and she is likely to relapse. Society is invested in its population’s (and Jane’s) good health. It needs healthy people to be a healthy, growing society. Being obese increases a person’s likelihood of bad health and puts them at risk of developing several serious diseases, all of which lends itself to a shorter lifespan, higher medical costs, and lower productivity (bad for economy) (Finkelstein, et al 2005). Imagine the state of the U.S. if one third of its population were constantly in and out of the hospital with mortality rates on the rise and unstable economy.


A review of current literature is essential to identify the societal forces that helped cause the increase in obesity and any work conducted to disclose individuals’ perceptions of their weight gain. The results of any published reports of actions tried will be examined. This can be used to develop ideas, programs, and policies that can counter the obesity trend to answer the question of how to turn the tide?