Market greed and failure to blame for obesity epidemic

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8612138668326220332#editor/target=post;postID=3875115550759471048

Market failures are to blame for the growing obesity epidemic, according to a study. According to the article, consumers, mainly children, are uninformed when it comes to the long-term consequences of eating unhealthy and being obese. Weight gain even has negative consequences, even if it doesn't necessarily lead to obesity. The problem, according to the article, is that too many people are buying the unhealthy food products as a result of them mostly being cheaper than food with better nutrition. This is a problem because it leads to higher health care costs and insurance costs as well.

Aneel Karnani, a professor of strategy at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, said "market failures are commonly addressed by corporate social responsibility, industry self-regulation, social activism and government intervention" (Malicdem, 2015). The study showed that government intervention was actually the only factor that helped fight against the spread of obesity. Incorrect beliefs were also to blame for the growing epidemic, as many people simply believe that a lack of physical activity is the main cause of weight again. This is untrue because even if you do some form of physical activity multiple times per week, it doesn't matter unless you are providing your body with healthy fuel that can be used efficiently and effectively. They conclude by saying they hope the people are able to "learn about taking steps that work" (Malicdem, 2015).