Recently, the rising number of obese people has become an increasingly pressing issue. Some people believe that the government should be responsible in the skyrocketing population of overweight people, while others attribute it to being the duty of individuals. This essay aims to discuss both sides of the argument and to draw out an conclusion.
On one hand, governments can control the booming number of obese people, it is because governments set up regulations of unhealthy nutrients such as fats and sugars in foods and they also create laws to prohibit food manufacturers from using certain additives due to their detrimental effects on health. Moreover, governments also help in illuminating the harm of having an unhealthy diet to the general public via education programmes and talks, which can have a powerful effect on the general population’s perception on diet. For example, a majority of people don’t smoke due to them learning about the dangers of smoking from government supported education programmes and the governments setting up laws in many areas to prevent smoking. Thus, governments can play a hand in regulating the number of obese people.
On the other hand, individuals are also responsible in regulating the skyrocketing number of overweight people. It is because people ultimately control their dietary choices and the amount of excersize they partake in. Thus, while some people will alter their lifestyle and diet to be more healthy after being educated, others will still refuse to do an adequate amount of excersize and maintain an healthy diet despite knowing the consequences. For example, many people still smoke even though they knew about the detrimental effects of smoking from education programmes. Therefore, individuals are also responsible in controlling the increase of obese people by their own choices,
In a nutshell, governments can regulate the amount of obese people via education and regulation of products while individuals can control the population of overweight people via their own lifestyle choices. Ultimately, I think that the individual has more power in regulating the population of obese people than the government, as they are able to make their own dietary and lifestyle choices.