The Health Issues That Occur in Our Society

By Alyssa Mendez

              Many issues occur everyday in our society. The main issue that happens to be popular is health. Not a lot of people have a  proper way of taking care of themselves. As years passed by, the percentage for health issues has been increasing.It causes difficulties for a person when they actually have a situation with health and not having the medication or right help to cure these problems. Health issues happens often everyday and many people happen to avoid it constantly because they don't want to believe that it's serious or they don't want to be embarassed. Focusing on what's not important in your life. In order to do certain things, the body has to be in great shape so you can handle the task. Here are the main issues that occur in today's society.

           In the year 2005, over 35,000 people were diagnosed with HIV infection. HIVcan be caused by having unprotected sex and being around a person with open sores or wounds. When diagnosing a patient that has HIV, it prevents doctors from curing the patient because they do not want to be affected by this infection. Also, the main focused about HIV in a person is the type of medication they will need to take for the rest of their life. Some people can take a medication and live a long, healthy life. On the other hand, it takes months or years to figure a cure for a certain patient because some medications does not work as good as others. If the HIV increases the spread, their is a possibility of death can occur to the person.
           
         Asthma has a estimation of 7.8% in the U.S. population. Causing people to sleep well and have heavy breathing. In order to purchase medications, you would need health insurance, which some people do not have. It is hard to obtain a medication that is expensive. Some Asthma can become chronic. Chronic Asthma can sometimes be cured by steroids. With the steroids, they are consequences you will have to face such as breathing, appetite, personality and weight. That's when obesity comes into the picture because it switches up your body type.

          Obesity is one of the biggest issue in America. What causes obesity is the food that people choose to eat, which is not healthy. The lack of patience when they are being rushed and have to eat a quick meal. That is why people have lunch and dinner at a fast food restaurant. Fast food restaurant are fast to cook and have reasonanble prices, when some people happen to be on a budget. Having to buy healthy food is at a high expense for some people who can't afford it. Not having the right help for the body, they choose to eat the wrong meal. Which can cause a person to have a hard time breathing and walking.

           Many people are not taking their health serious, which makes the situation becomes worst. Not taking care of your health can cause damage or death, which will be difficult to handle certain things in life. I suggest that people should get a checked up constantly because anything can happen. If feeling something strange or painful, it's best to go see a doctor as soon as possible before anything become to spread inside the body system. Getting the proper care and help would not increase that much of a problem to your health.

            

Food, Technology, and Other "Necessities"

Christopher DiNicola
Food, Technology, and Other "Necessities"

As our phones get smaller, TV’s get slimmer, and pockets shrink quickly our waists have grown tremendously.  Philadelphia has struggled greatly with a reputation of obesity and has been given the factual title of fourth fattest city in the America, though at a time it was first.  So who or what is to blame for the increasing obesity rates?  Is it the food we eat, the technology we have become a part of, or the wants in our lives that we deem as necessity?

When taking a literal look at obesity, the food we eat is the only thing to blame!  Put aside the medical illnesses and what else is there to point your finger at?  Whether you have taken a nutrition course before or not you know that changing your diet is the key to changing your figure.  The decision for many consumers is in the sizes of their wallets on what foods they will choose to eat which in turn determines the size of their belt.  While wealthy leaders in the food industry such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Checkers feed their pockets and convey misleading advertisements, middle class consumers look their way for the cheapest way to stay in shape.  On the other side of the spectrum, food industry giants such as Acme, Shop Rite, and Super Fresh offer consumers a wider range of healthier food choices and discounts at the larger cost of leisure.

Are food and medical illnesses the most accountable culprits of America’s growing obesity problem?  If you are reading this article today then you most likely remember a time in your adolescence when you knocked or called for a friend instead of texted, owned a slingshot you could control in your hand and not through a phone, and asked people for information instead of using Google.  The internet boom took place in the mid 90’s and noticeably took over information sharing within 10 years.  In the mid 90’s the average rate of obesity in America was between 10%-14% and 10 years later doubled to 20%-24%.  In contrast the average weight of a 24” TV has gone from 62lbs in the early 90’s to as low as 13lbs today! We have watched technology grow in power and speed and shrink in size for over 20 years but watched our weight do the opposite.

So, what else can we blame?  The question would be better answered if we looked at who and not what.  The food we eat may depend on the wages we earn but for all classes of society, aside from those in poverty, there are price competitive healthier choices such as Acme.  While on one side it is safe to say that technology plays a big role in obesity it is also safe to say that advances in technology have enhanced just about everything in life, especially productivity and health.  If the main culprits of obesity have just as many positives as negatives and if not more then I ask:  Who is to blame?

Hospitals: Are They Carrying Out Their Duty Properly?

Submitted By: Khrystal Rodriguez

Do you trust hospitals or the doctors you see? People put their trust in doctors and their associates why? because they can easily diagnose or cure you of whatever ailment is plaguing you. Hospitals are supposed to be an environment of healing, security, and most of all hope to the patients and their loved ones. However, have you ever wondered if these doctors, hospitals, nurses, etc. are giving their best to the cause. Have you ever pondered are they working in my best interest? What if they are just trying to make their quotas? What if your case is not as important as someone else? What if the color of your skin determines if your worthy of their attention? Just what if they are so busy impartial care will have to do?

Race in Medical Care: Skin Color Matters with Patient Care

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=3401076&page=1#.TuZhYLIk67s
 

Medicare may penalize hospitals that readmit too many patients

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/medicare-may-penalize-hospitals-that-readmit-too-many-patients/2011/10/18/gIQAAMTopO_story.html

Illegal Immigrant in Life Support Battle

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/illegal-immigrant-life-support-battle-14620153

As I was researching topics to discuss for this blog I stumbled upon the article "Medicare May Penalize Hospitals That Re-admit Too Many Patients" and it was interesting to find out that medicare wants to charge hospitals for the returning trips of medicare patients. The reason which they stated "A 2009 study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that one in five Medicare patients discharged from the hospital had to be readmitted within 30 days; 34 percent were back within 90 days". Just like me hospitals and health policy experts want to know why so many patients are coming back? In the article they discussed a few different reasons such as the fact that patients are let out before they fully recover. In addition, the discharge process which they saw as a critical failure. A man by the name Brian Jack called it a "Perfect Storm" of errors. The article sheds light to the fact that many patients leave the hospital without a complete understanding of their condition, how to manage it, and the proper medications needed. Another man named Jesse Pines calls it "Poor coordination of care and poor transitions in a fragmented system". Lastly, they discussed a discharge summary and  how it can be difficult to read and understand. Furthermore, they said putting a discharge summary together is not always a doctor’s highest priority. The task often falls to nurses or medical residents who rarely have the time to make sure the patients understand the plan for follow-up care. I find that ridiculous. I understand that something simple as a discharge summary may not seem as important, however, its pretty obvious now that the lack of its proper development is a factor for the return of the patients. In my opinion if your a doctor its your duty to hold everything pertaining to a patients case a high priority and yes even a discharge summary. What does that say about the doctors who's hands we trust our life with?

I continued to search more and I found this article called "Race In Medical Care: Skin Color Matters With Patient Care". In this article and the title is pretty self explanatory discusses racial basis in medical care. They included a study which basically showed that most of the doctors were more likely to prescribe a potentially life-saving, clot-busting treatment for the white patients than for the African-American patient. Although the study was done through computer generated images they included that this study isn't the first to find that whites get better medical care than blacks. After the diagnosis they were given something called an implicit association test, which reveals a person's unconscious views of blacks and whites. So basically they said "the stronger a doctor's hidden anti-black feelings, the less likely he or she would be to give the black patient the clot-busting agent". Something interesting they included at the end was that there were black doctors who also showed bias against black patients, though less than white doctors. Some people say that racism is non-existent in this country, however, this article clearly shows its not. Its amazing that on the basis of a skin color a doctor will not give his all to that patient. That is very appalling and these are the people that we trust what a shame.

The last thing I saw was the video and basically it didn't take long for the hospital to gradually reduce its care for the coma patient mentioned and he was an illegal immigrant who basically lived here his whole life. Seeing the video made me wonder how long do doctors actually wait until they begin to reduce their attentive care. 

To conclude, these articles showed different types of negligence on the part of physicians, hospitals, nurse etc. I would want to know that if i'm severely ill those who I call my doctors are giving their best to make me better again. I am pretty sure not all hospitals and those who practice medicine act, behave, and think this way. For me this little research was very interesting and the saying "you learn something new every day" was very real.   

Can I Have the #2? And Can You Super Size It???

      Submitted by Jamiylah Miller 

      Last Friday my mother was taken to the hospital. She was complaining about having blurred vision and mild headaches. After entering the hospital, her blood was drawn to check her blood glucose level. For the average person the numerical level should be between 70 and 120mg/dL. My mom’s glucose level was over 180mg/dL. That is severely dangerous because my mom has Type 2 Diabetes. She has been diabetic for almost thirty years and this is the first time, since she has been diagnosed, that she has been hospitalized for an unstable glucose level. Diabetes is a major health risk in the African American community. It is normally caused by obesity, unhealthy dieting and heredity.

      Diabetes is developed when insulin is not produced and regulated in the body. Specifically in type 2 diabetes it is when the blood glucose level is too high and the body cannot produce enough insulin to counteract the imbalance. According to the National Diabetes Education Program “a person is at a higher risk if they are of an ethnic group such as African Americans, are obese, and/or have a family history of the condition.” Like most African Americans, my mom could check off all three as being categories that best describe her. I think that out of three of three risks that obesity is the closest linking risk to African Americans. A major part of the community and culture is food and among the foods consumed most are deep fried, from fast food restaurants, or are artificially flavored. In class, there was a movie clip about how inequality affects health. The clip touch bases on how foods that are artificially flavored, processed and just simply unhealthy such as fast foods are targeted towards the poor because it is normally cheap and convenient. Poverty and diabetes are relative because they are both at a high in the African American community. Since fast food is easily accessible and cheap it is consumed the most causing obesity which leads to diabetes.

      Furthermore, the African-Americans community has a higher rate of chronic diseases, mortality, and overall poorer health outcomes including obesity and diabetes. I believe that too many African Americans are not making the connection between the need of maintaining a healthy diet and diseases such as diabetes as a result of both culture and lack of resources. One way to begin to curb the occurrence of such a disease in the African American community is to increase access to healthier options and educate individuals about maintaining their health.

You Say Fat Like It's a Bad Thing!

Written by Q.Haynes

Everywhere we look, we are bombarded with print and television ads about diets, supplements, and gym clubs encouraging us to lose weight and get rid of body fat. In addition to that, there is this notion that slender people are healthier than fat people. However, articles on weight and health like that of Paul Campos's article Weighting Game refutes that that idea.

In our society, there is this idea that being fat is unhealthy and that we must control our weight. The media portrays losing weight as the means to ultimate health rather than proper eating and exercise. Paul Campos mentions in his article that "while a sedentary lifestyle or a lousy diet...can contribute to weight lose--do pose health risk, there's virtually no evidence that being fat, in of itself, is at all bad for you". He also states that, "there is considerable evidence that even substantially 'obese' people are not less healthy because they're fat".

Most still believe that diseases or medical conditions are sometimes attributed to being overweight. That is not the case. Campos discusses in his article a survey that took place based on the morality rate of groups of people. The results showed that "overweight" people "have equal to lower morality rates than groups supposedly 'ideal-weight' individuals". With that being said, many people of a larger size do in fact live healthy lifestyles. They eat nutritional foods and exercise. Yet, you'll find a thin person who eats whatever their heart desires and is inactive. There are "overweight" people that are healthier than thin people. Sedentary lifestyles and poor eating habits equate to bad health, not the actual size of a person.

Unfortunately we live in a society where fat is not accepted. Such discrimination results in people feeling pressured to be thin. Campos explains that the harm that is occurring amongst Americans in reference to weight  brought on by the eagerness of wanting to lose it, which can actually have negative consequences. Campos says that, "weight loss of this magnitude and even as little as ten pounds leads to an increase risk of premature death". People also suffer from self-hatred because of their size and turn to terrible eating habits that can result in eating disorders. When it comes to the body, the focus should not be on fat or skinny but overall health.

To read the full article click here

Here is a video of Fatima Parker who is size acceptance activist speaking about size acceptance and having good health.

The double standard that society plays in the health of society.

   Society is constantly having a double standard on the way that they want the rest of society to view health. There is always a ads telling society to workout and eat healthier but sadly soon after they show us something new on the dollar menu from McDonald's. While I was sitting down watching tv I took a poll on how many commercials came on better health and those for fast food. During the afternoon entering evening I only saw two commercials and they were the same one for an ab machine, but from that same period of time I found that there were over 15 different commercials all repeating the same thought of eating a delicious burger from several different fast food places all explaining how much cheaper it is to buy something from them than anywhere else.
        
   Speaking as someone who used to be extremely overweight and in great shape at one time in my life. I know how it is. During at the time when I was overweight I was always telling myself that by eating out it would be a lot cheaper. Honestly it was, I could make ten dollars last an entire days worth of food. But when I was working out and eating in the house and healthy I was spending the most amount of money. Ten dollars was more like the price of one meal or even a percentage of how much I paid a month to go workout. Society always portrays this healthy life but don't understand that people in society can not afford to live that type of life. The sad thing is that eating out is honestly more affordable for people in society now days. In the first ad I have four different items from several different places, and the other show a microwave dinner healthy choice which is healthier than everything in the first ad. But that one healthy choice is more expensive than anyone item from the fast food ad. This just shows us as a society that although society in general rather us eat and live healthier, it is almost impossible with this depression that we are going through with money.
 
     In conclusion I have found that society has a double standard on the health of Americans in society. Eating healthy is harder than people think it really is. Even in commercial or ads you always see fast food more than a  you would for healthy food or even working out. Even speaking as a former person who lived both lives I understand how society shows this double standard. They rather us become healthy and workout instead of eating out and being lazy but don't understand that with the money problems that we are having with society that it is a impossible to live that healthy life.


 By: Dowwitt Denson  

An Apple a Day...

submitted by: Maria Figueras

Do you remember the old adage that an apple a day keeps the doctor away? It has been common knowledge for ages now that healthy eating promotes healthy living. And for a while the apple a day was an obtainable and reasonable thing for most American families. However, in recent times we have seen a growing number of Americans who have little to no access to healthcare. It seems that the apple has been moved up to the highest branches of a tree where only those with sufficient means can reach it.

In 2010, 50 million Americans did not have access to health insurance while another staggering 25 million were being under-insured. Young adults and low-income families made up a vast majority of this number. Bad economic times have increased the number of those who live in poverty. With the average cost of health insurance per family rising up to $13,000 a year, it makes it nearly impossible for many families who are already struggling to meet these payments. Employers who used to offer good healthcare packages have either cut benefits completely, or their premiums have become too expensive for their employees to afford. As it is, currently 1 in 4 working young adults do not have medical insurance.

Minorities are being affected most by the rising costs of healthcare. As of 2010, 20.7% of African-Americans do not have health insurance. With the leading causes of health-related deaths among blacks being heart disease, cancer, and stroke, this leaves a large number of people at a higher risk. Hispanics have an even higher rate of uninsured patients at 32%. Heart disease and cancer are also leading causes of death in the Latino population. Without check-ups, preventable diseases go unknown until it is too late. And even with a payable doctor's fee, prescription drug prices are are 35-55% higher in the United States than in any other country!

So what are we doing about? Healthcare has become a hot topic in politics recently. It was one of the main focuses of the Obama campaign. It won't be until 2014 that Obama's Affordable Care Act that many more people will be able to have affordable healthcare coverage. While Obama has certainly put in the effort to reform healthcare, and there have been some signs of improvement, it will take a lot of work to pull the United States up from having one of the world's worst health care systems.

Humanity Overpowers HIV/AIDS

Submitted By: Jennifer Tran

In the United States, HIV/AIDS awareness has helped educate individuals about the cause and effects of the HIV/AIDS. It also helped individuals that have been infected to be able to feel comfortable in their skin and not feel ashamed of their status. On December 1 of each year, World AIDS Day is internationally held for people to show their support for people living with HIV and to remember those who have died. In America's society, and many other countries' societies alike, it is deemed shameful to have contracted the virus through sexual activity. But the stories told about how individuals contracted the virus is much deeper than just sexual activity, but the secrecy and shame that goes hand-in-hand with the virus leads many others to contract it as well. It is until we can end the silence on the HIV/AIDs that we can rid shame of it, and bring awareness to the issue.

It is unfortunate for many individuals that contract the virus but it should not be a burden for them to be able to survive with it and live their lives normally every day as each human being deserves to. It is given to human beings to live and live well, despite of their long or short comings. HIV/AIDS should not prevent a person to be able to live their lives in a healthy and joyful way, but it should emphasize on the importance of protection when it comes to sexual activity.

Whether you're HIV positive or negative, you can prevent others from contracting the virus or preventing yourself from contracting it. There are many methods and options for the practice of safe sex, and it should be taken into account, if one wishes to engage in sexual activity. HIV positive individuals should not have to live their lives in secrecy and shame because of the prejudice. We should embrace all human life at the mere fact that life is an extraordinary experience and everyone who is a survivor and is living should be accounted for to deserve to experience it.


A movement that is occurring through a film called "The Lazarus Effect" features many actresses and musicians advocate the awareness of HIVs, is promoting the small cost of .40c for 2 pills that helps HIV positive individuals survive in Africa. This video promotes how inexpensive it can be to provide people living in Africa with HIV, who have no option, 2 pills a day to help them survive. It is alarming that many people die from this virus every day because it is left untreated, but the pills are very inexpensive and can provide this life-restoring change for people to be able to live.

In conclusion, any individuals from many different societies and countries are infected with the virus but what we can do as a community. To embrace humanity and promote awareness to the virus, so that others may learn, understand, and take the options they need to take to be able to live their lives in peace, joy, and laughter.

Breaking the "Fat Stigma" in America

By: Amy Hutton

          There are two ways people choose to view health. One being the weight centered approach – which is defined as, the idea being that we can judge ones health based upon weight and that health problems can be solved with weight loss.  The other is the health-centered approach – this is where health becomes separate from weight. Which means weight is not a diagnosis.  Our society has become obsessed with weight, whether it be weight loss, weight gain or weight maintenance. It appears that a persons overall health has fallen wayside during this obsession. The way people view fat and its correlation to poor health has been completely exaggerated. There are living, breathing, healthy fat people, and in the same respect, unhealthy thin people. This alone proves that weight does not equal health. Health is defined by Wikipedia as the general condition of a persons mind, body and spirit also, to be free from illness, injury and pain. So why do we as a society correlate ones weight to ones overall health?

         

          Society is quick to write off a person of size’s health problems. As an example, a woman of size can appear to her doctor with complaints of knee joint pain and the doctor writes her off with a prescription for weight loss. When a thin woman appears to the same doctor with the same complaint, is the doctor going to write her a script for weight loss? Chances are, no. She will most likely get thoroughly examined, be given a medication prescription and possibly have x-rays done. Overweight and thin people get all the same diseases’, being thin is not a cure nor should it be a preventative. The most common health indicators are blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. All of these can be improved simply by lifestyle changes and that does not mean weight loss.

          Women, more so than men, are taught at a very young age to hate their bodies. Studies show girls as young as 8 years old dieting. They are taught to restrict their calorie intake or keep a food journal because they are not “good enough” or they are not “normal.” Whose standards are we basing this “normal” concept from? Is it your standards, mine, teachers, doctors, parents, health insurance companies? Shouldn’t it be your own personal standards? As stated before, dieting often includes a food journal, restricting calories and having food restrictions, ruining your relationship with food and discrediting your own body. This is an eating disorder. Society pushes down our throats that we need to conform to a certain size in order to be healthy, happy and beautiful. There are people who think of food negatively and view their own bodies in disgust; I don’t know about you, but that does not sound healthy to me. Humans are diverse in nature, there are different colors, shapes, heights, hair colors, nose sizes that are all considered normal. Why then do we scream ‘abnormal’ or ‘unhealthy’ if one does not conform to a narrow height-weight ratio?

Who is Healthier???

(surprisingly the female to the right)

          In our society, everyone is judged by their outward appearance. Opinions and judgments are made simply by viewing a person’s height, weight, size, shape, clothing, haircut, etc. A common misconception is that you can tell how healthy a person is by the way they look on the outside. This may be the furthest thing from truth. There is a fat stigma in our society, labeling them to be bad. As surprising as it may be, there are some fat people among us who are healthier than you. There are three definite things that you can not tell about a fat person simply by viewing them; How much and what they eat, how many times a week they exercise, and how healthy they are. The only thing you can tell about a fat person is that they are fat. 

          The obsession with weight in our society has become out of control. Focusing on someone’s health has been misconstrued and turned into controlling someone’s weight. People have been brainwashed to believe that weight and health are the same thing, when in fact, they are not. Thin and fat people alike have the same ailments in life and weight loss is not the cure. Our children are being taught to hate their bodies because they do not look like everyone else. Society writes off anyone who does not conform to what they were taught ‘healthy’ is. None of these things sound good for a person’s mind, body or spirit. It sounds as though society needs a health checkup and a reevaluation of what healthy really is.

          

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

By: Avery Tanksley

     I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired. Normally when this phrase is recited it is with mental application in mind but in this instance I want to use it in the physical aspect. As a native North Philadelphia I have seen a lot of changes in the landscape of my neighborhood from abandoned houses to abandoned factories. Things which hurt me the most are the health the majority of my neighbors are in and the outlet of food sources available to us to eat from. As I grow older and older I see more fast food restaurants, corner stores, liquor stores, gas station convenience store, and mega bargain stores (ex. Wal-Mart) popping up everywhere. I remember a time when I use to help my great grandmother, Lucy Inez Murray, wash off the collard greens and break off the ends of string beans that she bought at the local produce market to prepare for the nightly dinner. Those days are long gone or I can say rapidly fading away like a Dirk Nowitzski jump shot.

            Don’t get me wrong I know days are different where now time is money but if we don’t take the time to also feed ourselves properly we won’t have time to spend the money we work so hard to make. I don’t have an easy answer to solve this issue but I do know of one major contributing factor that has exacerbated issue, single parent homes. It’s hard when mothers, fathers too, have to come home to a “second shift” when they are already dog tired from working the job of which they are paid actual money. The children get caught in the middle because all we know is “I’m hungry, so let’s eat.” We don’t know how to cook, where the food comes from, or even sometimes why there is no food. So in turn what happens is the parent may grab something on the way in for the house to eat or just order out to save even more time.

            With broken homes not disappearing no time soon I think a more feasible solution would be for local legislation to step in and put rules around the free enterprise practice for food businesses. I think that franchises are abusing the system by putting up businesses (like the ones I listed earlier) wherever the law will let them regardless of who the victim will be. More often victim is usually poor. If unhealthy food wasn’t so readily available we would have no other choice but to find other means to feed ourselves which more than likely will be the old fashioned ways of home cooking. At every BSO (Broad Street Orange Line) train stop from Spring Garden to Olney there is a fast food spot smack in your face as you come up the steps to the surface level. With its bright lights, cheap prices, and sweet smells it is hard to resist for the poor communities to resist the temptation.   

            As I said earlier, I know it isn’t easy but is it possible to change the diets in our areas with some effort. Become aware of the problem and stop ignoring it. Hold people in public office accountable for letting these thing occur. Most importantly for ourselves we need to get from in front our electronic devices and begin to exercise again.

Obesity who's a fault ?

Submiited by Steven L. Pate

       A couple of week ago I had a check. My doctor told me I was obese for my height I'm about 5'8 and weigh 225lbs. After veiwing the clips in class today I never considered the impact society had on what we eat but after being informed I'm more aware now. Eating is a part of survival but damn we have to be careful of what we eat because it can kill us slowly high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers. I live in what would be considered as the ghetto, and the stores in that area sell grease special and sugar bonuses cheesesteaks, fried chicken wing, ice cream and candy bars. Shoot I just made a meal out of that last night at work. Being in colllege and have a fulltime night jobs has done wonders to my diet. Not to far from where I live ther is a Whole Foods but that place is expensive hell. I can't afford to but food from there one time I brought a meal to prepare for myself and it cost me almost $40 shit I can go to the neighborhood store like Save A Lot and buy food for three day but it not as healthy. Big government creates these problems but I'm responsible for what comes out of my wallet and into my mouth.Maybe I need to start fasting a couple times a week to give my digestive system a break from the destruction I'm initiativing eating these unhealthy food or junk is a better term and get closer to God "Lol. I could start excercising more making a conscience decision to drink more water,eat fruits,do cereal for breakfast. Big government is aboyt money and always will be. I'm resposible for my health like the saying goes garbage in garbage out, I need and will make better food choices to enhance the quality of my life and hopefully other individuals can and collectively we can change the obesity graphs and in we spend our money on healthier food we can be healthier as a people physically,emotionally and intellectually. We as can effect change when we make changes within ourselves no one is putting a gun to our head making us be consumers of this crap. Ultimately the choice is ours. It's our fault if we are not aware. Ignorance is bliss. After being informed you can't go back to acting like you don't know. We should request government to encourage healthy food choices through grants and tax breaks, I beleive this could make a difference and lower health care cost.