Opportunity Costs. The economic impact of obesity in the United States

Read the following article for this assignment: Hammond, R., Levine, R. (2010) "The Economic Impact of Obesity in the United States". Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome & Obesity: Targets and Therapies. http://www(dot)ncbi(dot)nlm(dot)nih(dot)gov/pmc/articles/PMC3047996/
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If people change their behavior patterns over time or groups of people from different regions or cultures behave differently, the explanation for the variance can be tied back to opportunity costs. Every decision has a cost, which is often monetary, but can also involve time, health, legal, cultural and/or social ramifications. Opportunity costs include all of the costs involved in making a decision. When these opportunity costs change or differ, individuals’ choices will differ as well. Sometimes these behavior changes are a result of increased education about the true costs of a certain activity; at other times, behavior changes are a direct result of the actual opportunity costs changing.
Please answer the following questions in full sentence format regarding the costs tied to obesity. For the economic cost questions, the Hammond and Levine article may be useful. You may also use your own references, but please cite them.
There are several increased costs facing an obese individual. Some of these costs are explicit (direct), meaning these individuals pay more for certain goods/services than others. Other costs are implicit (indirect) and harder to measure (yet just as important if not more so). Please provide an example of three explicit (direct) and three implicit (indirect) costs tied to being obese.
There are obviously high personal costs tied to obesity, yet a large portion of the population in the US is obese. State and briefly explain at least three opportunity costs (or perceived opportunity costs) tied to losing a great deal of weight. In other words, why are so many people not losing weight? Answer with opportunity costs.
What opportunity costs have changed in the past few decades that may have contributed to the large increase in the US obesity statistics? Discuss at least two.
Although obesity has officially become an international epidemic, the US is still one of the leaders among high income nations in terms of obesity statistics. Discuss two reasons as to why this could be the case using the concept of varying opportunity costs between countries.
There are numerous opportunity costs (both direct and indirect) a society as a whole faces when they have a high level of obesity. Please discuss two of these costs.
The obesity epidemic is being addressed on many levels. Briefly discuss one specific national or regional program/proposal aimed at obesity reduction. Explain if this program is aimed at directly changing an opportunity cost or improving society’s education level of the costs tied to obesity.
rubric
Economic Explanations
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Organization, Clarity, and Conciseness
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