Imagine walking through the halls at John Hersey School with a craving for a 6th period

snack. Approaching the cafeteria vending machines one can see six machines selling assorted
chips, candies, pops, and large Faygos of assorted flavors. The vending machines here at Hersey
and at many high schools in the US serve snacks low in nutrition and high in unhealthy
ingredients, increasing the obesity rate among adolescents. The rising rate of obesity in the
U.S. is extremely bad for the health of our nation; however, this problem cant be solely
blamed on vending machines. It is the governments job to inform the public about this
epidemic.
Obesity among adolescents has increased in the U.S. over the years. Being overweight
and obese can be measured using BMI or Body Mass Index. Being at or above the 85th
percentile is considered overweight and being at or above the 95th percentile is considered obese
(AOA Fact Sheet 1). Studies show that 30.3% of children (ages 6-11) are considered
overweight and 15.3 percent are obese, moreover, for adolescents (ages 12-19), 30.4 percent are
overweight and 15.5 percent are obese (AOA Fact Sheet 1). This is a significant increase in
these rates among adolescents and children. These daunting statistics reveal that roughly 50% of
the youth in the US are at an unhealthy weight. A survey taken by the CDC (Center for
Disease Control) showed that among pre-school age children 2-5 years of age, obesity
increased from 5 to 10.4% between 1976-1980 and 2007-2008 and from 6.5 to 19.6% among
6-11 year olds. In Addition, among adolescents aged 12-19, obesity increased from 5 to
18.1% during the same period (Childhood Overweight and Obesity no. pag.).
This rate has quadrupled over the past 25 years, which means that we can expect an even
larger amount of the young to be either obese or overweight in the future which will become a
very large problem.

Obesity is, without a doubt, a growing issue in our nation today. Being overweight
during childhood and particularly adolescence is related to increased morbidity and mortality in
later life. Prevalence of overweight is reported to be significantly higher in children and
adolescents with moderate to severe asthma compared to a peer group (AOA Fact Sheet 2). In
other words those who are overweight or obese have a much higher chance of developing some
type of asthma, which can be a potentially fatal condition. Type 2 diabetes in children and
adolescents has increased dramatically in a short period. The parallel increase of obesity in
children and adolescents is reported to be the most significant factor for the rise in diabetes
(AOA Fact Sheet 2). Previously mostly adults would get type 2 diabetes, but now we see a
large amount of todays youngsters getting this disease. Type 2 diabetes is caused by an
unhealthy weight and this is why many children and adolescents get it. So if more children are
becoming obese then Type 2 diabetes rates will go up. Evidence also shows that obesity can
lead to sleep apnea. Sleep apnea, the absence of breathing during sleep, occurs in about 7 % of
children with obesity (AOA Fact Sheet 3). In addition, deficits in logical thinking are
common in children with obesity and sleep apnea (AOA Fact Sheet 3). So if more people
become obese it can be expected that sleep apnea cases will increase. Ultimately the absence
of breathing during sleep can result in death, and low logical thinking among youth can have
unhealthy results. All of these illnesses are attributed to obesity, which is a daunting problem in
the US.
Many people blame the unhealthy choices in vending machines for childhood obesity, but
vending machines are only a part of the problem, other factors include how one was raised and
the choices they were taught to make, and the unhealthy food that is readily available to the
public. Schools have turned to vending machines to raise money. Executive director John

Bushney states, Many of our principals have been dissatisfied with the old ways of raising extra
money for the schools-like selling gift wrap or chocolates (Kaufman, n.pag.). Also under a
contract with coke each elementary school gets $3,000 a year, each middle school gets $15,000
and the high schools receive $25,000 (Kaufman, n.pag.). Vending machines are a source of
money in many schools so schools who find themselves in financial troubles will probably
turn to vending machines. The more vending machines a school installs with unhealthy
choices will increase the probability that children will choose unhealthy snacks. Items
found in vending machines contain excessive calories, and an inadequate amount of nutrients
which is why they are a part of the problem. In Chuck Runyons (CEO of Minnesota-based
Anytime Fitness) view, The primary reason we have so many overweight kids is because they
have poor role models: overweight adults (Evans, n.pag.). Children often copy the habits of
their parental role models, so when the parents are obese they are just teaching their children
how to be obese. This is a factor contributing to obesity because many adults are overweight and
are teaching the next generation unhealthy food habits. John Holguin himself writes, Every
day, nearly one-third of U.S. children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food, which likely packs on about six
extra pounds per child per year and increases the risk of obesity (Holguin, n. pag.). The
overwhelming amount of fast food in todays world is much more than it was in the past, and
because this food is cheap and readily available, many people consume unhealthy amounts of it.
Fast food is probably the biggest contributor to the obesity in America because of how unhealthy
it is and how available it is. Overall, obesity can be attributed to many factors other than vending
machines such as parental role models and unhealthy fast foods.
The governments role is to inform the public on solutions that will decrease the number
of overweight citizens. The government should inform the people on how to make healthy

decisions in life, this will at least give people the tools they need to make the choices they see
best fit. The nationalization of a curriculum teaching children how to make healthy life decisions
would help tremendously. Lisa Mosing agrees when she writes, It would be smarter for us to
use classroom time to teach kids about health and nutrition (1). This is true because if children
are educated about smarter choices, they will make smarter choices regarding health. There is
curriculum that already exists by the USDAs Eat Smart, Play Hard program, and with a little
money and encouragement by the government more of these programs could be created.
Policymakers should encourage modifications in daily behavior such as increased physical
activity (Mosing, 1). Attacking unhealthy food that makes up the American diet misses the point,
and fails to address another important part of weight management-increasing overall physical
activity (Mosing, 1). Eliminating unhealthy foods is only half of what is needed for successful
weight loss; one must also have good physical activity. If the government were to implement
more physical activity plans into schools, children would likely be thinner and less overweight.
Lisa Mosing states, If the legislature truly wishes to take meaningful steps to reduce childhood
obesity, it should support programs that give communities, parents, teachers and children the
tools they need to make positive changes in their daily habits (Mosing, 1). This is especially
true because if the government were to educate the public on how to change their lives the
people will have the option to be healthier. Giving the people the tools to do what is needed to
reduce obesity is the best policy the government can make.
The government needs to make policies to inform the public on the advancing rate of
obesity, why obesity detrimental to ones health, factors that are increasing obesity such as
vending machines and cafeteria food in schools, and how to combat the obesity epidemic. So
now when one walks to the vending machines at Hersey he/she will be able to make a wise

decision regarding a snack, such as a low fat yogurt or ripe fruit. All around the world people
are looking at America as the obese country; the American citizens need to change this image
because being the fat country isnt healthy at all.