An increasing number of countries have higher obesity rates. The main problems of this are socio-economic factors and ultra-processed foods; however, the key solutions are early intervention and high taxes on unhealthy products.
One major problem is socio-economic conditions. This completely changed the food chain systems in the society, and people started eating more sugar items, high salt foods, and excessive caloric intakes. As a result, this quickly increases their Body Mass Index ratio over a period of time and gains over weight on the body. Another significant issue is ready-made processed foods. Packed foods contain a higher amount of fats and less nutrients compared to home-made meals. This delays individuals digestive process and creates more health-related issues. For example, the World Health Organization reported that people who were eating excessive fast food, such as chips, packed meals, and soda, have a higher risk of diabetes and heart attacks.
One effective solution is early preventive intervention. This is because this creates awareness in the children’s early education alongside parents and families, which provides a better understanding and risk management of obesity rates. Another strategy is a high taxation on unhealthy items. People avoid spending money on these products, which encourages them to take whole-grain foods, fruits, and vegetables. Consequently, this will improve their health, weight, and stress level on the body. Recently, the Indian Government has increased the price of soda items and fried foods, and, as a result, within a year, 5% of the obesity rates decreased. In conclusion, financial circumstances and a high amount of processed foods are the main causes; however, these can be addressed through early awareness raising and excessive price taxes on unhealthy foods.