The ever incrementing rate of obesity in the nations all around the world is starting to become a serious problem and it seems that the adolescents in our society are becoming more overweight. Obesity itself may just be regarded as only a minor imperfection of one’s appearance. However, obesity isn’t just a cosmetic matter. It increases your risk of diseases and health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Furthermore, when you are obese, your overall quality of life may be diminished. You may not be able to enjoy things that you used to do, because of your obese body caused by obesity. All of this will relate to depression and low self-esteem. Despite this what is the reason behind the abundance of the overweight among the youth?

▲ Incrementing Rate of Obesity

The diet of adolescents had gone through massive alteration. A few decades ago, most of the people usually ate rice and side dishes, however, these days the younger generation craves for faster and tastier treats. To satisfy this need, fast food consumption and production skyrocketed throughout the last few years. Fast food can usually be served in less than five minutes and the technology related to faster serving has become highly developed and ubiquitous in most fast food stores.

▲ Fast Food Stores are Everywhere

Obesity has no sign of warning. Obesity itself does not usually instruct ourselves that how much our body devastated and also there are vague regulations or legislation to prevent obese children. Indeed, national intervention can be justified to take out the increasing rate of adolescents obesity? Is this the right decision which violates personal right just to diminish future adult disease patients? Actually, all over the world, a lot of countries are promoting a law called ‘Fat Tax’. The fat tax is an impost for particular food causing obesity such as carbonated drink and high-calorie and processed food. At Denmark, it was first adopted in 2011. In the case of Berkeley, USA, after adopting the fat tax, the consumption of carbonated drink was decreased over 30 percents. However, it always became controversy all the time. The main problems were above the question of which I mentioned, and there are people who evade this system properly. People in the country which implements fat tax usually go near countries to buy non-fat tax products.

▲ Nations impose the ˝Fat tax˝

As more and more times go by, the seriousness of obesity becomes more and more significant. In Korea, the percentage of male adolescents obesity reached 26 percents in contrast to the OECD average 25.6 percents. In some way or other, we should overcome this situation for the happiness and stability of the whole nations.

March 31st, 2019

by Kim Dae-Hwan