Malnutrition Obesity and Improving Outcomes Assignment

Malnutrition/obesity and improving outcomes
Student:
Professor:
Course title:
Date:
Introduction
Obesity continues to be a leading cause of death among people of different ages throughout the world. Recent researches having revealed even more alarming statistics which indicate that a majority of the people affected are the youth who begin the consumption of junk food at an early age after which they become addicts of these kinds of foods. The end result is that as they grow into adulthood, they are not able to control their eating habits and find themselves addicted or hooked into junk food.
Barriers to a healthy nutritional status
One of the main barriers to healthy nutrition is the affordability of unhealthy foods as compared to healthy foods. Walking to a restaurant, it is always cheaper to have a meal that constitutes junk food as compared to healthy balanced meal. This has therefore seen more people opt for the more affordable option. The consistency in consumption of what is now referred to as junk food has led to the increase in the number of people suffering from obesity.
Advertisements have also been largely blamed for the increase in the number of people who are obese. Fast foods have become a common place in major cities and towns the over world (New York Times, 2013). The advertisements that are fronted for the unhealthy foods are very attractive which serves as an encouragement to more people to consume the same. Suggestions have been made that advertisements of all fast foods should be regulated just as is the regulation of drugs such as alcohol and cigarettes. Restriction of the timing when such advertisements can be aired will ensure that there is a reduced number of audience which could help bring down the number of obese people.
Rate of obesity/malnutrition in Virginia
The rates of obesity in Virginia have been on the rise in the last couple of years. Virginia was one of the states where the rates of obesity were considerably compared to other states in yester years. This has since changed and is now consistent with the trends in the rest of the country...