Obesity in the United States has become a serious national problem: if in 2001, 12 percent of children and adolescents had a body weight that is regarded obese, in 2011, that number rose to 17 percent (Ogden et al. 2014). Further, research indicates that obesity has impacted people across all genders, ethnicities, age groups, education and socio-economic levels (Cohen 2008; Mokdad et al. 1999; Williams 2011). According to Ebbling et al. (2002), obesity can harm children in many ways: it can affect hormonal system, heart and lungs, muscles and bones, kidneys and digestive tract, further leading to socio-emotional problems, such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Obese children also are 70 to 80 percent more likely to become obese adults; …show more content…
Two theories were considered to address the issue: rational choice theory and socioecological theory. Rational choice theory posits a cost-benefit analysis, that given available information, people will make rational choices regarding their health. This theory, however, appears to be inapplicable in the current globalized environment: throughout the day, people are constantly exposed to hundreds of advertisements and consumption choices, with each one relaying its benefits over the others; additionally, an evolutionary explanation is possible in describing the human desire for instant gratification, when in scarce food environments, people tended to conserve energy for future survival action (Maziak and Ward 2009). Studies have shown that people will opt for immediate versus deferred gratification, because they believe that they can make the healthy choice any time in the near future; however, when the near future becomes present, the same form of thinking persists, and thus, people defer choices providing for future rewards instead choosing immediate ones (e.g., eating fruits versus hamburger, or exercising versus watching television while consuming high-calorie snacks) (Maziak and Ward 2009; Kooreman and Prast 2010). Socioecological theory, or model, introduced by Urie Bronfenbrenner in 1975, and subsequently revised in 1981, allows for a deeper understanding of human behavior through the inter-relationships between people and their environments. While it is conceivable that genetics may play a role in obesity, according to Williams (2011), “the gene pool has not changed substantially over the last 35,000 years” (p. 88); the environment, however, over the past several decades underwent dramatic changes, which in turn affected societal norms and culture. For example, changes in food production and processing allowed for reduced prices and wider assortment of available foods, frequency of eating