Thursday, 17 October 2013

Essay Draft 2

Globalization has increased cross-border interaction and integrated various aspects of human activity. “McDonaldization” (Keel, 2010, para. 1) is a good example of globalization. It is a process of growing fast food restaurants such as McDonald's, Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut all over the world. McDonald's, with 32,000 outlets in 117 countries, is the biggest fast food chain in the world (Salisbury, 2011).
  Nowadays, worldwide trends in fast food result in massive dietary changes in Singapore. Many people, especially children, put oily and salty food as their first choice because they think those food are much tastier than homecooked food. However, long term consumption of oily food among children contributes to obesity. According to Gan (2013, as cited in Lee, 2013), Singapore’s childhood obesity rate has inched upwards over the past decade. In 2011, about 11 percent of school going children are overweight, based on the Body Mass Index (BMI)-for-age norms introduced in 2010. From 2000 to 2009, the prevalence rate hovered around 9.7 percent, based on weight-for-height norms (para. 10). To ameliorate this problem, Singapore government can restrict the fast food advertisements and implement school based intervention.
  In Singapore, many shopping malls are filled with fast food restaurants that sell the same predictable products such as burgers, French fries and soft drinks. They are extremely unhealthy with high content of cholesterol, sugar, salt and even chemical additives. For instance, each fast food meal is packed with more calories than children needs in a day. Therefore, children’s bodies store the extra calories in fat cells to use for energy later. However, if this pattern continues over time, their bodies do not need this stored energy, more fat cells are developed and it may cause obesity (Kaneshiro & Zieve, 2012). This directly increases the risk of suffering from chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart diseases (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Indisputably, more weight-related health problems may be experienced by obese children if they do not have well control of their dietary habits.
  Furthermore, childhood obesity can affect mental health and emotional development of children. Obese children are more likely to have poor body image, as well as low confidence and self-esteem. For example, they may be mocked and discriminated by their friends. Studies have shown that adolescents and young adults with obesity in the West are less likely to achieve higher education and better pay, and less likely to be married (Gan, 2013, as cited in Lee, 2013, para. 9). This is a bad phenomenon as it will affect future human capital in Singapore.
  To solve these problems, policy approaches can be used to raise awareness of children especially those they are obese. Singapore government can restrict the fast food advertisements especially those are targeted on children as they are more susceptible to commercial persuasion. Research found that children, especially the younger ones, do not comprehend the persuasive intent of advertising. They generally lack the capability to effectively evaluate commercial claims and appeals, and therefore tend to accept the information conveyed in advertising as truthful, accurate and unbiased (Health Promotion Board, n.d., para. 4). Children cannot be blamed if they love Happy Meals at McDonald’s after they see fast food advertisements. Therefore, restriction of those advertisements can effectively minimize children’s exposure to fast food and reduce obesity rate among them.
  Moreover, school based intervention can be implemented by Singapore government. According to Hartman (2012), Singapore has the intriguingly named Model Tuck-Shop Program. Schools are provided with a set of healthier food service guidelines to aim to limit students’ exposure to unhealthy food typically consumed in the tuck shops. It is a great solution as it reduces childhood obesity. To improve on this existing solution, Singapore government can strictly limit the types of food that can be sold in school. For example, junk food should be banned from selling. Schools which fail to comply with the limitation will be penalized.
  In conclusion, massive dietary changes affect children’s choice of food. Fast food, as example, is always their first choice compare to other healthy meals. Undeniably, it causes obesity among children and affects their physical and mental health. Singapore government should recognize the seriousness of childhood obesity and try to mitigate it through policy approaches.
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Healthy weight – it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle!. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from
Gan, E., & Lee, Y.S. (2013, March 27). The weighty issue of obesity in children. National University Hospital. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://www.nuh.com.sg/wbn/slot/u3007/Patients%20and%20Visitors/Newsroom/Media%20Articles/2013/MAR/The%20weighty%20issue%20of%20obesity%20in%20children_TDY_27Mar13.pdf
Hartman, P. (2012, May 2). Singapore revisited. Childhood Obesity News. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from
Health Promotion Board. (n.d.). Public consultation on the Proposed Strengthening of Food Advertising Guidelines for Children. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from
Kaneshiro, N.K., & Zieve, D. (2012, January 8). Causes and risks for obesity-children. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved October 17, 2013, from
Keel, R. (2010, July 7). The McDonaldization of society. Retrieved October 17, 2013, from http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/010/mcdonsoc.html

Salisbury, P. (2011, Jun 16). The Globalization of “Fast Food”. Behind the Brand: McDonald’s. Global Research. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-globalization-of-fast-food-behind-the-brand-mcdonald-s/25309

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