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Fattening of America (eBook)

How The Economy Makes Us Fat, If It Matters, and What To Do About It
eBook Download: EPUB
2010 | 1. Auflage
288 Seiten
Wiley (Verlag)
978-1-118-04503-9 (ISBN)

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Fattening of America -  Eric A. Finkelstein,  Laurie Zuckerman
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A guide to how America became the fattest nation, and how the food industry and the government keep it that way. In The Fattening of America, renowned health economist Eric Finkelstein, along with business writer Laurie Zuckerman, reveal how the US economy has become the driving force behind our expanding waistlines. Blending theory, research, and engaging personal anecdotes, the authors discuss how declining food costs—especially for high-calorie, low-nutrient foods—and an increasing usage of technology, which make Americans more sedentary, has essentially led us to eat more calories than we burn off. Praise for The Fattening of America“[Finkelstein and Zuckerman] show that our entire society profits from making people fat and then either keeping them fat or making them thin again. When you understand how these powerful forces work, you can do a better job of resisting them—and staying healthy.” —Jack Challem, bestselling author of The Food-Mood Solution and Stop Prediabetes Now“Everyone who eats food in America must read this book. It is a comprehensive guide to how we’ve become the fattest nation on the planet and how the food industry, in cahoots with the government, makes us one of the least healthy nations.” —Fred Pescatore, MD, MPH, CCN, author of The Hamptons Diet“The authors have done an excellent job talking to mainstream America about obesity. It brings together all of the latest research and packages it in a way that is engaging for the average person. I very much enjoyed the book and would recommend it for anyone interested in obesity. Well done.” —James O. Hill, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and author of The Step Diet: Count Steps, Not Calories to Lose Weight and Keep It Off Forever“An important book for everyone interested in gaining a better understanding of the underlying causes behind the obesity epidemic and options for addressing it.” —Barry Popkin, Carla Smith Chamblee Distinguished Professor of Global Nutrition at the University of North Carolina

ERIC A. FINKELSTEIN, PHD, MHA, is a nationally acclaimed expert on the subject of economics and obesity. He is a health economist with the research organization RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and teaches health economics at Duke University. His work focuses on the economic causes and consequences of health-related behaviors, with a primary emphasis on obesity. Finkelstein has published over thirty peer-reviewed articles on the economics of obesity and related behaviors. His research has been featured on the front page of USA Today and has been covered in the Economist, the New York Times, Forbes, the Washington Post, and many other newspaper, radio, and television outlets. LAURIE ZUCKERMAN left her corporate PR job in 1999 to make writing her full-time career. She contributes columns and feature articles to a number of business journals and lifestyle magazines, and writes for businesses ranging from Fortune 500s to startups, with a focus on health care, high tech, and business.

Introduction: Answering the Age-Old Question: Why is Uncle Al So Fat? ix

Chapter 1 Craze or Crisis? 1

So Why Now? 2

My Soccer Team Eats Oranges 3

So How about Adults? Are We Gaining, Too? 7

A Growing Waistline Can Be Bad for Your Health 10

But Are We the Only Ones Gaining Weight? 13

The Longer You Stay, the Bigger You Get 16

Chapter 2 I'll Take a Deep-Fried Coca-Cola 17

First Things First 18

Cheap Food Gets Cheaper 19

The Rise of French-Fried Potatoes 22

Please Pass the High-Fructose Corn Syrup 24

A Full Pound of Sausage, Bacon, and Ham: Have a Meaty Morning 28

Too Much of a Good Thing 31

Kids Are Also Drinking the Kool-Aid 33

When is Enough Enough? 34

Chapter 3 Why We're Moving Less (Hint: It's Not Just the La-Z-Boy) 37

But I Don't Have Time! 38

Not Quite the Jetsons, But . . . 40

Just Be a Marathon Runner 44

We're Not Farmers Anymore 45

Sprawling Out 47

Our Kids Are Also Slowing Down 48

Wrapping It Up 49

Chapter 4 So Where Else Can We Lay the Blame? 51

Blame Mom and Dad 52

Then Just Blame Mom (You Know You Will Anyway) 55

Blame the Meds 56

Blame the Cigs (One More Theory Goes Up in Smoke) 59

Blame the All-Nighter 61

Blame the Air Conditioner (Not Cool) 62

Blame Pollution (It's a Dirty Business) 63

Blame That Nasty "Fat Bug" 64

It's the Economy, Stupid 67

Chapter 5 Beware: Moral Hazard 69

Just Bill My Health Insurance 71

Is Obesity as Bad as It Used to Be? 74

Just Take a Pill or Get a Procedure 76

Chapter 6 So We're Fat--Who Cares? 81

Is Uncle Al Overweight? 82

C'mon Now, We're Only Utility Maximizing 85

Now, Let's Tear This Argument Apart (and Put It Back Together) 88

So Should Dad (and the Government) Care that Uncle Al is Obese? 91

Just Follow the Money 93

Chapter 7 The Role of Government 101

Market Failures 103

Externalities 105

Market Power 107

Public Goods 108

Obesity and National Defense 109

Imperfect (Asymmetric) Information 111

Is There a Role for Government? 115

Chapter 8 Weighing the Public Policy Issues (for Adults) 117

Equity 118

Irrationality 122

Compelling Public Need 123

Revisiting Past Policy 125

The Road Ahead 138

Summing Up 151

Chapter 9 Weighing the Public Policy Issues (for Kids) 153

First, a Step Back 155

Child Abuse? 160

School-Based Regulations 161

Your Mouth Will Really Groove 175

In Closing 179

Chapter 10 The Employer's Dilemma 181

Why Don't Businesses Invest More in the Health of Their Workforce? 182

The Dirty Secret about Employee Wellness Programs 189

So What's an Employer to Do? 192

Could These Programs Get Me in Legal Hot Water? 201

Chapter 11 The ObesEconomy 203

Just How Big is the Weight-Loss Industry? 204

Just Take a Pill 209

Bigger and Better 214

Invest in New Technology 219

In the Name of Progress 221

Chapter 12 How to Lose Weight Like an Economist 223

Economic Weight-Loss Techniques 226

A Few More Secrets to Success 231

Conclusion 234

Notes 239

About the Authors 267

Index 269

"Fatty, fat, fat, fat," chants Bart Simpson. He has apoint. Americans are getting fatter. But health economistFinkelstein (public health economics program, Research TriangleInst.; coauthor, with Phaedra S. Corso and Ted R. Miller, TheIncidence and Economic Burden of Injuries in the United States)and business writer Zuckerman (coauthor with Mary Cantando, NineLives: Stories of Women Business Owners Landing on Their Feet)analyze the finances behind the fat. They trace some of thefamiliar causes of the bulging American waistline that Greg Critzeridentified in Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest Peoplein the World. They weigh in on the economics of obesity, whichthey trace back to predictable sources such as school lunch rooms,fast food, television, commuting, and working moms. Then theytarget some surprising causes, including health insurance. On theflip side, they detail the economic consequences of obesity. Forinstance, obese employees take more sick days than do normal-weightemployees-and their paychecks are slimmer. The authors highlightfascinating new scientific research into the causes of obesity andoffer tips on lightening your load over the long haul. This bookserves up a healthy selection for public and academic librarybusiness collections.--Carol J. Elsen, Univ. of Wisconsin,Whitewater (Library Journal, January 2008)

Everyone knows Americans are growing fatter, but healtheconomist Finkelstein crunches the economic figures behind thenation's obesity epidemic and the results aren't pretty. Along withhealth-care writer Zuckerman, researcher Finkelstein delves intohow modern technology reduces the cost of producing higher-calorieprocessed goods, decreases our activity level and puts our healthin danger. Finkelstein debunks myths about the long-range cost offood production and consumption and scrutinizes the impact ofgenetics and U.S. fiscal policy on the nation's waistline,frequently using economics metrics in his analysis. Generous withsummaries of major points, Finkelstein simplifies current stats toexplain how the country's thunderous weight gain is strainingMedicare and Medicaid and hurting our military readiness. The onlypositive effect he sees from the obesity epidemic is the creationof the "ObesEconomy"--a market sustained by gyms,diet drugs and other products and services designed to curb weightgain. Horrified by studies that reveal that obese children have aquality of life similar to children with cancer, the investigatoryeconomist even throws in some health tips on dropping pounds.Despite a frequent reliance on economic tools and indicators, thiscombination study/motivational guide makes for a pleasanteducational read, comparable to a vegetable puree snuck into adessert. (Jan.) (Publishers Weekly, December 3,2007)

"Finkelstein's tone is chatty andaccessible...obesity is ultimately bad economics."(Financial Times, Saturday 16th February 2008)

"The authors show there is a casual relationship betweenthe growth of the waistline and the changing shape of theeconomy." (Securities & Investment Review,March 2008)

Erscheint lt. Verlag 4.1.2011
Sprache englisch
Themenwelt Medizin / Pharmazie Gesundheitsfachberufe Diätassistenz / Ernährungsberatung
Wirtschaft Betriebswirtschaft / Management
Wirtschaft Volkswirtschaftslehre
Schlagworte Finance & Investments • Finanz- u. Anlagewesen • Investments & Securities • Kapitalanlage • Kapitalanlagen u. Wertpapiere
ISBN-10 1-118-04503-3 / 1118045033
ISBN-13 978-1-118-04503-9 / 9781118045039
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