The Global Fast Food Market and Its Harmful Effects on Health and Society

This article discusses the harmful effects of the global fast food market on health and society. It explores the consequences of consuming fast food, such as obesity and its complications. The article also highlights the impact on families and the need for government intervention. References are provided to support the information presented.

Running head: EFFECTS OF FAST FOOD MARKETS 1
The global fast food market and its harmful effects on health and society
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EFFECTS OF FAST FOOD MARKETS 2
The global fast food market and its harmful effects on health and society
Many at times, we find ourselves too busy and hungry in urgent situations yet we have to
eat something since food is like fuel to the body and we cannot function properly. In such cases,
our options are very minimal (Musaiger, Al-Khalifa, & Al-Mannai, 2016). The quickest and
cheap alternative is to purchase fast food in a nearby restaurant. Little do we know the
consequences of such fast food markets (Stanton, 2015). The World Health Organization and the
Centre for Disease and Control define a fast food as any quickly and packed food with high
percentage of calories that pose a great risk both on our health and the society.
In as much as the fast foods provides a sense of satisfaction, they pose a big challenge
with realizing aspirations of the common good. Fast food markets according to different studies,
result to obesity which affects the health of individuals and the society both locally in Australia
and globally (Poobalan & Aucott, 2016). Obesity, the third most leading causes of death in the
World, is defined as accumulation of cholesterol in the body to toxic or harmful levels. Obesity,
otherwise known as overweight, can be diagnosed in a laboratory through a BMI test. A BMI
above 30 kg/m2 indicates obesity. Studies note that obesity is as a result of consuming fast food.
(Frank, 2016). The study notes that in United States of America for example, a child can learn of
a fast food joint earlier than the child can learn to speak. This is the reason why the World Health
Organization has reported over 42 million cases of childhood obesity between 2013 and
2013(Bhadoria et al., 2015). It is projected that by 2030, the numbers would have increased to 56
million if at all no intervention measures are implemented (Bhadoria et al., 2015). This would
create more stress on the society. Complications of obesity include cancer, diabetes and
cardiovascular diseases. These complications are the causes of the highest mortality rates
globally and locally that eventually deprives the society of its productive generation. This has a

EFFECTS OF FAST FOOD MARKETS 3
negative impact on the economy of the affected countries. The effects of fast food are numerous
both locally and globally. There should be alternatives to lower the rate of consumption.
Locally, the fast food market has disjointed the family unit within societies. A family is
collection of people joined through genetics. A family should always stick together and live
together in harmony. Fast food market according to studies, has been on the fore front to
dismantle such units. In a study Barrera, Rothenberg, Barquera, & Cifuentes in 2016 examining
the effects of fast food on families, results show that it has weakened some family system by a
big margin (Barrera, Rothenberg, Barquera, & Cifuentes, 2016).Furthermore, the study illustrates
how children are at loggerheads with their parents who are against the idea of consuming fast
food while children on the other hand, unaware of potential consequences, feel that their parents
are not fair.
Even though fast food relieves hunger and saves time, the negative consequences outweigh such
benefits by far. Respective governments, locally and globally, should come up with strategies to
avert the consequences. This can include either banning advertisement and manufacturing of the
fast food or introducing labelling of foods as proposed in the United States of America. This is in
line with a statement by one Roberto De Vogli who said that unless governments regulate fast
food markets, they should be prepared for high prevalence of obesity and mortality both locally
and globally.

EFFECTS OF FAST FOOD MARKETS 4
References
Barrera, L. H., Rothenberg, S. J., Barquera, S., & Cifuentes, E. (2016). The Toxic Food
Environment Around Elementary Schools and Childhood Obesity in Mexican Cities.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 51(2), 264-270.
doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2016.02.021
Bhadoria, A., Sahoo, K., Sahoo, B., Choudhury, A., Sufi, N., & Kumar, R. (2015).
Childhood obesity: Causes and consequences. Journal of Family Medicine and
Primary Care, 4(2), 187. doi:10.4103/2249-4863.154628
Frank, J. (2016). Origins of the obesity pandemic can be analysed. Nature, 532(7598), 149-
149. doi:10.1038/532149a
Musaiger, A. O., Al-Khalifa, F., & Al-Mannai, M. (2016). Obesity, unhealthy dietary habits
and sedentary behaviors among university students in Sudan: growing risks for
chronic diseases in a poor country. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine,
21(4), 224-230. doi:10.1007/s12199-016-0515-5
Poobalan, A., & Aucott, L. (2016). Obesity Among Young Adults in Developing Countries:
A Systematic Overview. Current Obesity Reports, 5(1), 2-13. doi:10.1007/s13679-
016-0187-x
Stanton, R. A. (2015). Food Retailers and Obesity. Current Obesity Reports, 4(1), 54-59.
doi:10.1007/s13679-014-0137-4