Globalization of Obesity

Globalizationall nations and peoples are interconnected in today's world due to massive flow of goods and services, importation of labor, immigration, technology, finance capital, outsourcing of businesses, and infectious diseases; globalization promotes rapid culture change and adaptations, which blur the lines of cultural components More of Obesitya medical condition in which accumulated excess body fat may have a negative effect on health;   obesity is often defined by a person's BMI (body mass index); BMI over 25, and 20 pounds overweight, serious obesity is 100 pounds overweight More explores how all the Global VillagesOn this site, Global Villages are representatives of the eleven dominant culture regions, as designated by cultural geography maps More are interconnected with foodany nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or that plants absorb, in order to maintain life and growth and food practices.  This lesson is designed to take approximately one week, which is enough time to grasp the learning objectives with adequate attention and study.

If only optimum healthoptimum health involves strength, flexibility, durability and balance - a conduit for the flow of vital energy, which includes freedom from mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual bonds; in other words a quality of life which allows for clear thinking, good memory, analyses and creativity; all of these are inter-related and integrated in a state of optimum health  (self-optima.com) might be as globalized as obesity, which is the opposite.  To say obesity is an escalating epidemicThe rapid spread of an infectious disease, to a large number of people, in a given population, within a short period of time. worldwide, but especially in Mexico and the United States of America is an understatement!  The United Nations has reported that Mexico is now ahead of the United States with 32.8% obese; America 31.8% obese, and Europe has four obese countries following close behind.

On the other side of the fence there is food insecuritythe state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable nutritious food, which many populations experience for a variety of reasons.  Food insecurity, mostly seen as a predicament of poverty and undernourishment, can also be a cause for obesity.  Many times food insecurity has a psychological or economical side, which can lead to becoming overweight.  This phenomena willa document stating how a person wants real and personal property divided after death More be addressed as well.

https://itsallaboutculture.com/category/culture-and-food/

Obesity is especially worrisome among children; and among minority populations.  We live in a global world where, historically, sugar, salt, and fat were items of scarcity on our menus.  In the current fast-food era, almost everything we consume is loaded with all three of these previously scarce commodities.  Sciencesystematic study of structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation, experiments, and testing of theories against evidence obtained More studies are documenting daily how detrimental to health our patterns of food consumption are becoming. The purpose of this course is to pinpoint options and opportunities to establish healthier patterns of eating that  lead away from obesity.

As we examine the issues of global obesity, we quickly realize it is not only a medical problem, but a huge environmental and economical problem as well.  What are the health risks and consequences of large waistlines? – not just individually – but for humanity as a whole – and for the planet we call home?

Learning Objectives

After completing Globalization of Obesity – Lesson 1,  you should be able to:

1) Define obesity body-mass-index (BMI)a calculation used to estimate a person's body fat percentage based on their height and weight More

2) Define globalization 

3) Understand the difference between central-obesity and “normal” obesity.

4) Recognize root causes of obesity, and identify major risks of obesity.

5) Understand globalization’s processes of Food Production and Consumption

You will gain nutritional and health knowledge to use in everyday life.

There are reading assignments, short videos, Power Point presentations, and/or lectures to read.

The study scope  includes links to current scholarly articles relating to the subject. A post in the Comments section below is welcomed, but optional.

The knowledge obtained from the Cultureculture is not genetically inherited, it is shared, learned, and dynamic- never static and Food courses may be used as a stepping stone to other courses offered such as NutritionIn its broadest term, nutrition encompasses the entire process by which living organisms (humans in our context) acquire and utilize food to support life, growth, and overall health. More and Culture, and Car-centered Diets on this website.

Study Plan: Culture and Food – Globalization of Obesity – Lesson 3

Step 1.

Watch the following videos: “Obesity Going Global” and “Obesity in America,” in order to get an idea of how obesity has become a world wide problem.

Step 2.

Make a list of five things, from the videos, that you were not aware of, concerning obesity. You will use this list in another Step, which follows.

Step 3.

Fruits and Vegetables – Include more in your eating regiment (not a dietthe kinds of food a person, animal, or community habitually eats; a regiment of eating may be designed for special medical or health benefits and may be called a "diet").

https://itsallaboutculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Berries-PPt-Presentation.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/k_NcuIsxzzI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcT-5MQmpuw

Step 4.

Gain an understanding of how food production and cultural patterns of food acquisition are connected and both contribute to unsustainable food practices.  Watch this documentary about the dark side of the food industry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myv7yydtCKc

Step 5.

View Globalization of Obesity, Power Point Presentation for review of the main concerns for this topic.

Step 6.

Write one or two paragraphs on how obesity relates to Food, Globalization, and Sustainabilitythe basic definition of sustainability is maintaining ecological balance; but for our purposes in studying human culture, we add two more dimensions of sustainability: social and economical, so sustainability is about maintaining social, economic, and ecological balance (as much as possible).  Post at the Comment section below.  You should complete the writing assignment before you take the quiz.

Step 7.

Review the Learning Objectives.  Make sure you understand the terms and concepts before continuing to Step 8.

Step 8.

Take Globalization of Obesity QUIZ

Please complete the Quiz before continuing to the next lesson.