Obesity and Technology Essay

Obesity is a widely spread disease in America that plagues small children, teenagers and adults. Obesity is a serious matter and could cause fatal harm if it isn’t taken seriously. Obesity can affect the mind, body and spirit of a person and if you have low self-esteem it could potentially make the situation worse. Silverstone and Teatum (2011) noted the following: According to the Mayo Clinic staff (n.d), â€Å"Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height. Childhood obesity is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start kids on the path to health problems mat were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. Childhood obesity can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression. (Technology: The Problem Or the Solution To Childhood Obesity, para. 14) Many people can argue that there are many other factors that can lead to this such as inheritance, thyroid problems, eating disorders, mental illnesses and many others. Studies show that while this information is correct that there are still ways to overcome something like this. Silverstone and Teatum (2011) briefly touched upon this saying: According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) (obesity research.), â€Å"Obesity has risen to epidemic levels in the U.S. It causes devastating and costly health problems, reduces life expectancy, and is associated with stigma and discrimination. A multitude of factors contribute to obesity, from inherent biological traits that differ between individuals relevant to body weight; to environmental and socioeconomic factors; to behavioral factors that may have both molecular and environmental influences. (Technology: The Problem Or the Solution To Childhood Obesity, para.10) Although some people believe that obesity is one of those diseases that are very tough to cure, there is still a potential long term solution to rectify this situation. We can start by focusing on a generation known as generation Z includes children born between the years of 1990-2004. This generation of children is very important because they were born during a time where technology was hitting its peak. They are very technologically centered and most of them focus their daily routines around technology. Silverstone and Teatum (2011) go on to explain the different qualities this generation exhibits for example: *All their communication takes place on the internet. * They show very little verbal communication skills. * Most of ttieir formative years are being spent on die World Wide Web. * They are used to instant action and satisfaction due to internet technology. * This generation has embraced technology and is also highly dependent on it. * They are more inclined to the virtual world and are less likely to take to extreme measures. (Technology: The Problem Or the Solution To Childhood Obesity, para.10) This is all important because we can use the fact that they are technically inclined to get them to exercise and have fun at the same time. A few gaming companies have developed some systems and technologies to harness this idea. For example Nintendo Wii has a console known as the Wii Fit which is geared towards general fitness. It includes things like jogging where you can jog on a path with a buddy, obstacle courses where you have to run and jump over items and it’s good for your heart rate and even biking which is pretty simple but still gets you going. Nintendo also offers yoga, rumba, and all the latest workout crazes to promote good health. I believe that this can be a start of something good for society. People of all ages can participate in these games and feel comfortable doing something they love with something that’s good for them. Some people prefer to use a different gaming console and that is perfectly fine because Playstation and Xbox also offer a variety of interactive games. One that has recently become popular is the Xbox Kinect which also allows you to use interactive games minus all the extra controllers. The Kinect is geared towards a younger audience but later on down the line people of all ages will be using this just like with any other system. A few years back, society was able to blame technology and video games for obesity rates being high because it contributed to their lack of physical activity. Now not so much because of all these new advances in technology and new innovations in the gaming world. We should take control of what once was a negative situation and turn it into a positive. Meaning we should take advantage of the fact that these generations thrive off of technology and use it as a well to help them out. Even though it probably wouldn’t be a dramatic decrease in obesity, it can be a start to something great. This is only the beginning to what we can do with technology. Obesity is something that needs a combination of things to help the rate decline such as eating healthy along with the proper exercise. Eating healthy is not as easy as it sounds for some people but if you add playing rumba for Wii or just dance for Xbox some people may take a liking to it. Later on down the line I believe that game developers will start focusing more and more on physical interactive video games and this can spark an increase in healthy lifestyle promotions. One day society will realize that technology and living healthy can go hand in hand with the right products and a little extra push. References Silverstone, S., & Teatum, J. (2011). Technology: The Problem Or The Solution To Childhood Obesity. American Journal of Business Education, 4(1), 37. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from the ProQuest database.