A Happy Little Boy

            The static visual rhetoric is an image of a happy obese child with unhealthy foods all around him. The genre of this image is a sketch. It is a colorful image with all the food in the usual colors that it would actually be. The purpose of this image is to warn that the unhealthy foods shown in the sketch will make a person gain weight. Although the little boy in the image is very happy, he is also overweight and his tight-fitting clothes emphasizes this, as his stomach is emerging out from under his clothes.

            Children are most likely the target of the message of this image because the person in the image is a child. Also, children are known to be more inclined to like and eat foods similar to those in the image than people in the other age groups. The fact that the young boy is happy surrounded by all the unhealthy food but also overweight, is a symbol of how the temporary satisfaction of sweet and fat foods could result in the unintended problem of obesity. Thus, warning against the indulgence of appetizing unhealthy food such as ice cream, candy, and cake.

Scholarly Source On the Topic of Childhood Obesity

Writing a research paper requires the reference of credible sources to be used within the paper in order to add credibility to the paper. Locating scholarly sources can be difficult at times. However, using a school library’s database can assist you in finding them. Using my schools database, I located an article by Lytle on childhood obesity, which is what the research paper I am writing is about. I determined that this document was a scholarly article because of the place where I found it and because throughout the context of this paper, the author made references to original research that had been made on the topic.

Dealing with the childhood obesity epidemic: a public health approach is an article describing childhood obesity and what strategies are presently being used to try to slow the progression of the disease. It explains in detail the primary prevention efforts of this disease. It also raises some questions on the future of childhood obesity and how it will change in the next few years. It presents questions on what problems clinicians and health professionals may face in the future. Overall, this article achieves to present a good rhetorical message about childhood obesity. 

The Problem of Obesity

Obesity has become one of the major nutrition problems in our present society. This is probably due to the many changes that have occurred within the American culture. Most of our food is now very highly processed and contains a large amount of saturated fats, sugar, and sodium. Additionally, people spend much less time in the kitchen preparing their meals and much more time at unhealthy fast foods restaurants. Physical activity has also declined with more people relying on cars for transportation and technology to complete simple tasks that were once done by hand.
            The reversal of these conditions will not be effortless. The public will need to be inclined to make changes towards a healthier lifestyle, nutrition professionals will need to find ways to persuade the public and politicians to reach certain nutritional goals, and politicians will need to permit the adoption and implementation of nutrition policies that will be in favor of the public’s well being. With everyone having the same mindset, it will allow for much advancement related to nutrition.

However, this is very unrealistic and dreamlike. There will never be a point in which these three groups of people are all thinking alike. However, gradual changes are possible, starting with the population who presently has the desire to change. If you think you are one of these people, even if you are not obese or even overweight, start making some moves to become a better you, health wise. 

Literacy Issues Related to Nutrition

            On the topic of literacy, there are hundreds of thousands of people who immigrate to the United States and do not know how to put together a single sentence in the English language. Although nutrition is probably one of the last things on their minds, there exists an additional hurdle that they have to overcome in order to make wise decisions while they are shopping for their food. For instance, they are not able to read nutrition facts and other labels on packaged foods. This makes them unconscious of what kinds of ingredients are in foods and of what they are putting in their bodies.

            This group of people is at a major disadvantage when it comes to the act of eating nutritiously, and an initiative should be taken by the government to facilitate their opportunities in making healthy choices. This will not only promote equality but also help in the advancements of nutrition within the United States.
            Some ways in which the government could facilitate a healthy grocery shopping experience for immigrant’s are by providing nutritional facts and other food labels in several languages, by having a computer system that is able to scan any food product in the grocery store and give the nutritional facts in other languages besides English, or by providing more nutrition education classes to these underprivileged groups of people.

Can you think of other ways in which the government could help these groups of people make healthier choices in grocery stores?