Woods 1

Annotated Bibliography

Who is to blame for the obesity in America, the people or the restaurant industry?

Michael Woods Professor Malcolm Campbell English 1103 10/15/12

Woods 2

Annotated Bibliography Al Jazeera "Who Is to Blame for the US Obesity Epidemic?" - Inside Story Americas Web. 16 Oct. 2012. This source begins to explore some of the statistic rates of obesity in America. "In the next 18 years the number of obese people in the US is expected to rise to 42 per cent of the adult population." This is will be the highest it has ever been in the history of the United States. "By focusing on obesity we're blaming fat people for a food environment that is not their fault, it is the fault of corporate control of the food supply, of government policies we really need to stop this blaming and shaming and making fat people up as the victims...." (Michele Simon) This source begins to explain that with all advertisement pressures that are around, it is almost impossible to avoid indulging in fast food sometime in the week. Most of the blame is placed on the food industry for not only the quality of the food, but also because of how the large fast food restaurants market their products. The thing I like most about this article is that it has a place where people can post comments and give their opinions which allows for me to explore more research that has been on the topic. I plan on using this source to, like my other sources, to gather different statistics, and to pose the other side of the argument that the obesity in America is because of the fast food industry. Robert W Jeffery, PhD and Simone A. French, PhD "Epidemic Obesity in the United States: Are Fast Foods and Television Viewing" American Journal of Public Health February 1998, Vol. 88, No. 2 "Two recent trends in the American lifestyle suggest themselves as possible contributors to recent trends in obesity: fast food consumption and passive entertainment through

Woods 3

television. Between 1980 and 1990, the proportion of food dollars spent away from home showed a sharp upward trend, from 26% to 37%." This research done is the correlation between the amount of TV that a person watches, and the fast food they consume that contributes to obesity. It holds many statistics showing that there is more of a positive correlation with men that watch TV for "x" number of hours and consumes fast food. It also points out that in today's society since we are always on the go, the only way to obtain the food that we need, is to run my a McDonald's and pick it up. This states that fast food is almost a necessity if a family is wanting to get a meal before a child's soccer practice or play recital. Also, this website touches on personal choice. We face choices everyday, where we want to eat, and what we choose to do in our free time. So ultimately it is up to an individuals' decision making that effects whether or not that person is obese. I like this website because of all of the research that I can pick and choose from that will be most effective for my inquiry question. This scholarly source is not exactly what my topic proposal is about, but it provides great data that I can utilize to show the different types of American lifestyle and how it connects to obesity. It is also a non-biased source that poses a hypothesis, and records the data it collects; giving possible explanation to either negative or positive correlations. Isabel Remedios. N.p., n.d. Fast Food: Is It Really the Cause of Obesity? Web. 16 Oct. 2012 This source covers a very large topic area, providing in-depth information involving obesity and who is to blame for the epidemic. Remedios explores all different obesity causes such as personal choice, agricultural changes, fast food quality, and economical outcomes. "Many people believe the answer lies in one source: fast food chains. These days, it seems as though there is a McDonalds or Burger King wherever one goes in the

Woods 4

United States, or for that matter anywhere in the world. Although these massive conglomerates do not exactly endorse a good diet, making fast food chains a scapegoat is oversimplifying the answer." Remedios realizes that blaming the fast food quality of food is really easy because most times we like to take all of the blame off of ourselves. She understands that some of this is our own fault, but along with personal decision, there are also many factors that can play into the obesity in America. I really like this source because not only is it reliable, but it poses a third perspective on the issue that allows me to gain more insight on the subject of obesity in America. Remedios doesn't definitely take a certain side, but is attempting to inform the reader that there are more explanations than that of fast food restaurants and personal choice. This research is really helpful because it has a organized cluster of information about obesity as a whole, then digs deeper into the smaller topics that no one likes to talk about; like income can effect an individuals' obesity. The source is from a non biased perspective, and I plan to utilize it to unveil the answer behind who really is to blame for obesity? Phillips, Stone. Interview with In this interview, Stone Phillips is asking questions to many different researchers and doctors that can contribute their ideas to the overall story about who is to blame for the obesity in America. Upon the question of who's fault it was for the obesity of America, law professor John Banzhaf said "Fault is a hard word. But a large part of it is the restaurant industry and the fast food industry." Through the interview, scholars are weighing in on how oppressive the fast food industry is and how easy it is to indulge in fast food. They explain that almost around every corner is a fast food restaurant where you can buy food almost 24/7. More Americans work out of the house and longer hours,

Woods 5

so weve become more dependent on meals we dont cook ourselves. And in the past two decades, fast food companies have ramped up production and marketing to compete for our dining dollars: expanding outlets, hours, and portions. Fast food is now everywhere. All the time, cheap. Banzhaf believes that it is the industries responsibility to inform the public on what they are putting into their products. It is almost the same premise as placing "smoking may cause lunch cancer" on cigarette packages. This interview from dateline is reliable and is informing the public of not falling into the trap of the fast food industry. It reveals the perspective that the fast food industry is to blame for the obesity in America and the people are the victims of this crime. I will use this source to battle on the side of the fast food industry is to be blamed, and the people are not completely at fault. This way my inquiry project will not be a "one sided story".