Obesity | itecla's web

English Language IIA

Debate 3: Obesity

Owner:

L-LIIA-G3-1

Members:

ST-LIIA-G3-1
T-LIIA-G3-2
ST-LIIA-G3-3
ST-LIIA-G3-4
ST-LIIA-G3-5

Discussion Leaders:

DL-LIIA-G3-1

DL-LIIA-G3-2

· L-LIIA-G3-1

10w

FORUM debate 3/Obesity
Group Name: From fat to fit
Group members: ST-LIIA-G3-1, ST-LIIA-G3-2, ST-LIIA-G3-3, ST-LIIA-G3-4 & ST-LIIA-G3-5
Discussion Leader: DL-LIIA-G3-1

STEP 1
Individually write and post an introductory paragraph about yourselves together with four icebreaking questions to get started. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by the other members of your Google+ community.

· DL-LIIA-G3-1

Hello everyone!

I am excited to be your discussion leader for this topic! Before starting the topic of Obesity, we all need to introduce ourselves and ‘break the ice’ with some questions.
I am from Northampton in England and I am here in Valencia for my Erasmus year to study French and Spanish. I am passionate about music (I play the trumpet, bassoon and piano) and sports (mainly badminton and volleyball, but I love all sports!). I enjoy seeing new places and experiencing different cultures, and I like to think of myself as being friendly and open-minded.

My four icebreaking questions are the following:
1. If you could have dinner with any celebrity/historical figure (dead or alive), who would it be?
2. What’s the worst present you’ve ever received?
3. Would you like to see into the future? Why/why not?
4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I look forward to hearing from you!

· ST-LIIA-G3-1

Hey there!

I am ST-LIIA-G3-1, and I’m 18. I am from Benetússer, a small town near Valencia, and I am currently in the 1st grade of my English Studies Degree at the Universitat de València. I am a big fan of movies, games and books (basically everything that has to do with not moving too much). I really like travelling, even though I haven’t had many opportunities to do so, and I love rock music. I am a bit shy, but I like to think I am a relaxed and calm person. I also make really bad jokes.

These are my four ice-breaking questions:
1. Which social media platform do you use the most? Why?
2. If you could have one super power, what would it be?
3. What’s your favorite food?
4. If you could switch minds with any person on earth, who would you choose?

· ST-LIIA-G3-1

+ DL-LIIA-G3-1
Hi DL-LIIA-G3-1, nice to meet you! I’ll try to respond to your questions.

1. I have to choose Freddie Mercury. I mean, he seemed like a really interesting, chill and down-to-earth person. He was just really cool.
2. It has to be the Ben 10 watch replica I got for Christmas 5 years ago. I just wanted some money ;_;.
3. No. I like to think life is a suprising experience, and even when it looks bad, the best is yet to come, so that would spoil all the fun!
4. That’s a tough one. I would have to choose Japan, Sweden, Norway or Denmark. Their societies are really interesting, as well as their traditions and folklore. But most of all, they’re gorgeous countries, with lots of beautiful natural landscapes.

· ST-LIIA-G3-3

Hello everyone!

This is ST-LIIA-G3-3. I’m from Valencia, Spain. I’m now studying at Universitat de València 1st year of English Studies Bachelor Degree, and I’m very excited to treat this discussion topic with all of you!

I love playing and listening to music. I also write my own songs, which is the thing I enjoy most. I like watching series and spending time with people, especially foreigns. I love getting acquainted with new people and cultures, and that is why I would like be traveling a lot in the near future.

My four ice-breaking questions are:

1. What is your favourite leasure activity? Why?
2. If you could wish whatever, what would you wish?
3. Tell your favourite junk and healthy food.
4. If you could suddenly speak a new language perfectly, what would it be?

Owing to the ice-breaking questions asked by + DL-LIIA-G3-1, here I go:

1. I don’t really know, but I would choose Darren Criss because I really love this actor/singer. His attitude is very nice and I would enjoy a conversation with him for sure.

2. My godfather once came over and gave me salt and pepper pots. He just wanted to see my face reacting to that, but after he gave me a nicer gift. Although it was a joke present, I still keep those pots to remember how fun he was.

3. Nah, I don’t think so. The fun thing about life is making the path without knowing where it will take you, isn’t it?

4. Northern Europe. I’ve been in Ireland for a little while and I loved it. I love living in coastal and fresh cities.

· DL-LIIA-G3-1

+ ST-LIIA-G3-1 Lovely to meet you – and I love your answers to my questions.
1. I grew up listening to Queen because of my parents, so I’m a big fan of Freddy Mercury as well! I think I would want to meet Robert DeNiro since I’m a massive fan of his films and I bet he’d have many stories about other film stars.
2. I understand that a Ben 10 watch replica would be quite disappointing… My worst present was last year when my grandma got me an autobiography of a woman who makes candles.
3. I completely agree. I would hate if I discovered that something really awful was going to happen and I would just spend my whole life waiting for it.
4. I have never been to those countries but I have always wanted to. Personally, I am too in love with the UK, so I would like to live in the south in somewhere like Brighton, or Edinburgh in Scotland.

As for your questions:
1. I use Instagram the most because I can clearly see what my friends have been up to without being bombarded by ads and videos like on Facebook.
2. This is such a common answer, but I’d love to be able to fly – for convenience and fun!
3. My favourite food has to be a traditional British roast dinner. When I was at home, my family would have a roast dinner every Sunday. If you don’t know what it is, it’s normally meat, vegetables, yorkshire pudding, stuffing and gravy.
4. That is tricky. I would say someone like Richard Ayoade, i.e. a comedian and a genius, because I’d love to be as quick as he is with jokes/put-downs, and have his intelligence!

· DL-LIIA-G3-1

+ ST-LIIA-G3-3 Hi ST-LIIA-G3-3, lovely to meet you. Thank you for introducing yourself and answering my questions!
1. I had to search Darren Criss but I recognise him from Glee – and I remember him being very good at singing.
2. At least your bad present was a joke… Mine was an autobiography of a woman who makes candles from my grandma last year. I pretended to be really interested of course!
3. Looks like we all agree on this question so far!
4. I’ve only been to Ireland once but I loved it. If I was to live in a coastal city in the UK it would be Brighton, because it’s a beautiful and trendy place. If not, I would live in Edinburgh in Scotland, because I just love the culture and the scenery (despite the weather!)

As for your questions:
1. My favourite leisure activity is playing my instruments. I have played in orchestras since I was 12 and I really miss the social aspect of it. I’ve met some of my closest friends through music.
2. I would wish for an end to the global water crisis and world hunger.
3. My favourite junk food is a McDonald’s BigMac… And my favourite healthy food would be grapes!
4. I would love to be fluent in Mandarin, because it is so impressive when non-natives can speak it, and it is clearly very useful to be able to speak the world’s most spoken language.

DL-LIIA-G3-1

Hi guys, I’m DL-LIIA-G3-1 from Canterbury and with DL-LIIA-G3-1, I will be helping you with this debate on obesity. Sorry for being late to the party but I will answer some questions so you get to know me better. 1. My favourite leisure activity is playing rugby and going skiing. I play for the UV 7s team and we are going to Sevilla in May! I’ve also already found a ski resort nearby called Valdelinares which I went to the other day.
2. I would wish for an end to disease, whether that be mental or physical because healthy is happy!
3. My favourite junk food is PIZZA and my favourite healthy food is definitely Mango or Raspberries, but veggies are very important too!
4. I would love to be able to speak Arabic, I think phonetically it sounds really cool but also how it is written looks awesome. Arabic countries really interest me too due to their rich and different culture.

I will shortly post an article on here about the topic subject to get you thinking and to kick this debate off!!

DL-LIIA-G3-1

theguardian.com – Global cost of obesity-related illness to hit $1.2tn a year from 2025 | Society | The Guardian

Global cost of obesity-related illness to hit $1.2tn a year from 2025 | Society | The Guardian

theguardian.com

DL-LIIA-G3-1

I have this article on the cost of obesity to the economy. Do you think that health services which tackle obesity should still be free? Do you think that obesity services in the NHS are allocated too much money? Is obesity a life choice?

let me know your opinions and let’s start discussing this topic!

· ST-LIIA-G3-1

+ DL-LIIA-G3-1

Hi DL-LIIA-G3-1, nice to meet you!

Of course obesity health services should be free. Obesity is an illness just like any other, and illnesses should be treated for no cost. Healthcare should be universal and free in every country, or at least really cheap. Maybe the problem isn’t in obesity itself, but in all of us. We eat whatever we want without wanting to face the consequences, and that’s when things like obesity or diabetes come in (in most of the cases). It’s not about how much money the government puts in, it’s about how effectively they educate people on how to eat healthy. Just try not to go bankrupt in the process. As for the last question, generally it is. Many people suffer from obesity from birth, but the rest are obese because of their choices. Obese people (and potentially obese people) should be aware of their health problems and try to find a way to solve them before it is too late.

· DL-LIIA-G3-1

+ ST-LIIA-G3-3, do you have anything to add to to ST-LIIA-G3-1’s thoughts on the article before we have to wrap these iTecla debates up?

· ST-LIIA-G3-3

+ DL-LIIA-G3-1 Of course, sorry. I’ve been really busy lately.

Regarding to the question, this is what I think:

Obesity may not be a life choice in specific cases, it is a though and complicated topic that has something to do with psychology somehow in terms of overeating and not doing exercise by means of not having a good emotional state. Nevertheless, most cases may be just because people are not willing to have a healthy lifestyle because of the lack of time in their schedule or whatever reason. That is why I think people should start to decide to have a healthy lifestyle themselves instead of complaining of the cost of the Obesity services once it’s too late.

· DL-LIIA-G3-1

Hey guys,

To sum up what has been said concerning the article, obesity can be a psychological illness that should be considered to be no different than any other illness, and therefore the health services that treat obesity should be free. The emotional state of an obese person can cause overeating and inactivity, but it can also be partly down to genetics, eating whatever we want, or not having the time or desire to exercise. Either way, this unhealthy lifestyle can have a detrimental effect on our bodies and can lead to conditions such as diabetes. ST-LIIA-G3-1 makes the point that the important thing is therefore to educate people about nutrition and the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle before it’s too late.

Please do add any additional thoughts!

· ST-LIIA-G3-3

+ DL-LIIA-G3-1 + DL-LIIA-G3-1 Hey there, how is it going? The date of the exposition is close so that ST-LIIA-G3-2, ST-LIIA-G3-1 and I have reunited in order to start looking up the information we got and making somehow the structure of the exposition.

Can you help us taking some ideas on how are we going to expose this topic guys?☺

English Language IIB

Debate 3: Obesity

Owner:

L-LIIB-G3-1

Members:

ST-LIIB-G3-1
ST-LIIB-G3-2

Discussion Leaders:

DL-LIIB-G3-1
DL-LIIB-G3-2
DL-LIIB-G3-3

DL-LIIB-G3-4

· L-LIIB-G3-1

FORUM debate 3/Obesity
Group Name: From fat to fit
Group members:
Discussion leader(s): DL-LIIB-G3-1
STEP 1
Individually write and post an introductory paragraph about yourselves together with four icebreaking questions to get started. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by the other members of your Google+ community.

· DL-LIIB-G3-1

Hello everyone!

I look forward to hearing from you!

· DL-LIIB-G3-2

Hi everyone, my name is DL-LIIB-G3-2, and along with DL-LIIB-G3-4 I’ll be one of the leaders for this discussion. I am 20 years old, from Nottingham in England, and I usually study Spanish, Italian and Portuguese at the University of Sheffield. I am currently completing a semester studying Spanish here in Valencia and I’m absolutely loving it so far. Before coming to Spain I taught English in Brazil for 5 months. In my spare time I like to play rugby league and I am a huge football fan. It would be great if everyone could introduce themselves to the group so we can get to know you a bit! Has anyone been to England? What is your favourite thing about Valencia? If anyone has any questions for us, feel free to ask!

· ST-LIIB-G3-1

Hi everyone,

My name is ST-LIIB-G3-1, and I’m from Segorbe, a town near Valencia. I am in first of English Philology at the University of Valencia.

Why is there so much obesity? How can we reduce this disease?

Obesity is a very serious disease that greatly harms health, we all like to eat chocolate, hamburgers, pizzas … it is good to eat this type of food, because our body also needs fat, but we must combine it with a balanced diet and if possible with sports.

People, who are obese, do not take care of themselves, eat everything they want and especially these types of foods that I have mentioned above. Your body begins to gain weight in an exaggerated way causing them to gain a lot of volume. Also, there are cases of obesity in which people can not even get out of bed because they can not even walk.

There is a program on TV in which it is called «My life with 300k», in which this illness is reflected. It is very sad to see how there are people who are about to die because they cannot move even to shower or go to the bathroom because of the amount of fat that their body has accumulated. That’s why in this type of programs they help you lose weight, with a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables and above all with exercise. The body needs to do sport, since it is very good for health and especially if you accompany it with a good diet. This is essential to have a healthy life.

To sum up, I would like to say that I am a person who takes great care of their diet and I especially like to play sports. That’s why, in order to stay in my line, I try to combine a balanced diet with two or three days of exercise a week. I recommend to all of you that you try to do this, since it is a way to stay healthy and also makes you feel better about yourself.

· ST-LIIB-G3-2

Hi ST-LIIB-G3-1! I’m glad you started this debate forum since it’s a very current and interesting issue. As you said, nowadays obesity is a big deal and we should take it seriously. W should bear in mind that obesity increases the possibility of suffering from many serious health conditions like a heart disease, diabetes or even cancer. I’ve heard about that TV show you mentioned in your comment. It’s incredible how simple things like getting out the bed becomes a torture for an overweight person.
I would like to point out that although we usually assume obesity is caused just by eating too much, it may actually be more complex than that. Obesity doesn’t appear overnight. It is the result of a routine of unhealthy eating habits like eating a lot of processed/fast food or drinking too much sugary drinks over the years. And of course, as you said, the lack of physical activity also makes its bit. However, it is said that some genetic traits might make you more likely to suffer from obesity or make the process of losing weight more difficult. What do you think about this? Besides, obesity usually is more to do with bad eating habits learnt during childhood. How can our family’s habits influence in our future lifestyle?

· DL-LIIB-G3-3

Thanks for the great comments. I am also interested in the aspect of aesthetics in relation to obesity. For a long time, thinness has been defined by society as the ideal body shape, but as ST-LIIB-G3-2 pointed out, different people respond differently to the same diet. Some bodies process more fat and others less, so there are people who could be considered obese but aren’t unhealthy: they just store more fat than other people, and of course their bodies are going to be shaped differently. Do you feel the so called practice of «fat-shaming» is a problem? And in relation to that, do you feel society should portray more people who are just slightly obese and aren’t unhealthy in a positive way?

English Language IV

Debate 3: Obesity

Owner:

L-LIV-G3-1
L-LIV-G3-2

Members:

ST-LIV-G3-1
ST-LIV-G3-2
ST-LIV-G3-3
ST-LIV-G3-4
ST-LIV-G3-5
ST-LIV-G3-6

Discussion Leader:

DL-LIV-G3-1

· DL-LIV-G3-1

Hello everyone!

I look forward to hearing from you!

· L-LIV-G3-1

Forum debate 3/ Obesity

Discussion Leader(s): DL-LIV-G3-1

Group members:
ST-LIV-G3-1
ST-LIV-G3-2
ST-LIV-G3-3
ST-LIV-G3-4
ST-LIV-G3-5
ST-LIV-G3-6

STEP 1: Breaking the Ice:
– Write and post an introductory paragraph together with four ice-breaking questions. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by your group mates and the discussion leader(s).

STEP 2: Initiating the Discussion:
– With the guidance of the discussion leader(s) assigned to your group, write 4 or 5 posts of about 200 words each during this month (try to write at least one post a week).

· ST-LIV-G3-1

Hello everyone!

My name is ST-LIV-G3-1 and I’m a Translation student from Valencia, I study English with German as a minor and I’m 21 years old. As for your questions, DL-LIV-G3-1, I believe I would like to see into the future, that way I would be able to know where things are going and plan my life accordingly. If I could live anywhere in the world, I would probably live in a northern country, such as Finland or Norway.

As for the topic of obesity, I found this data from the World Health Organization, that says that among children, obesity has increased from 32 million cases in 1990 to 41 million in 2016. And this is only taking into account the children. The WHO also found out that obesity has tripled since 1975, and that by 2016, 39% of all adults all over the world were overweight, with 13% actually qualifying as being obese. This obviously has an impact on the general health of many people.

What do you think are the causes of this? Is it as alarming as the media makes it out to be? What do you think are the best solutions?

I look forward to seeing your answers!

· ST-LIV-G3-3

+ ST-LIV-G3-1 Hello everyone,

I’m ST-LIV-G3-3 and I’m learning German apart from English, but the Shakespeare’s mother tongue is my speciality at the degree. My passion for both literature and language is strong and It has become into a desire of travelling around the world to get to know different cultures and their languages. I hope your experience in Spain to be good, DL-LIV-G3-1

Regarding to the topic Obesity, I find this data alarming, of course, since obesity is not only a problem concerning children’s health, but a growing worldwide trend, according to a report by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).

»Healthy» overweight people, fofisanos in Spanish, are thought to be healthy but slightly overweight. Nevertheless, a recent investigation has demonstrated obese people (whatever be the degree of this obesity) is 26% more likely to suffer from cardiac disease, which means that even if you don’t have any problem at the beginning, you’re going to have some in the end, for sure.

That’s why I believe this is as serious as mass media assure. Moreover, I think we ought to ask our politicians to take charge of this issue by adopting a law which makes compulsory a subject about nutrition, for instance. I think this trend it’s due to the habits we acquired at childhood. Don’t you think so, girls?

References:
New Scientist: Obesity epidemic becomes worldwide phenomenon
New Scientist: Even ‘healthy’ overweight people have a higher cardiac risk

· ST-LIV-G3-2

Hello! My name is ST-LIV-G3-2 and I’m learning English as a main foreign language as a translator, but I’m also learning Italian. I study at the University of Valencia and I’m currently 20 years old. As for the questions you asked, I would not probably enjoy seeing into the future, as it may give me the solutions to my problems in a way that anyone could consider greatly anticipated, and that could bias my perception of reality as well as it could make me an addict to the experience of seeing every instance of my future decisions. I want everything to be a surprise — what would life be about if that weren’t the case? Just as the worst present thing I’ve ever gotten: the most horrifying bracelet you can imagine. It was really big and heavy, and it was packed with too many lucky charms that were, also, really poorly fabricated. I don’t know what happened to it, but I sure hope it got lost… As I said, if I had been able to see into the future, I could have probably avoided that situation, but the combination of good things and bad things is what makes us happy in the end.

In regards of the topic of Obesity, I strongly agree with both of you — obesity challenges our current lifestyles and threatens our health by just existing. But let’s not forget something really important, something Nicholas M. Morton (University of Edinburgh) pointed out: fat is an essential part of our body, even if an excess could cause cardiovascular problems and illnesses such as diabetes. It protects our organs and gives us an extra energy supply (that we don’t burn properly as our lifestyle has changed from hunter-recollector to members of a well-prepared society with tons of stocked food to take profit of). elpais.com – Stressed-Out Fat: The Force Driving the Obesity Epidemic?

So, as to if we need to take control measures for that people that are not ill but still fat nowadays, I like to think about it this way: if analysis don’t show anything risky (because if there was a possible illness those analysis would show the progression of the dangerous elements rising in the bloodstream), then there’s nothing to worry about, and forcing someone to get thinner because of a ghost illness that could come could be labeled as fatphobia, a subtle (or not that subtle) hate for people who are fat, inspired by our impossible beauty standards. What do you girls think about this? I’m thrilled to receive and read your responses!
Stressed-Out Fat: The Force Driving the Obesity Epidemic?

elpais.com

· L-LIV-G3-2

+ L-LIV-G3-1

Discussion leader: DL-LIV-G3-1

Group members:
ST-LIV-G3-1
ST-LIV-G3-2
ST-LIV-G3-3
ST-LIV-G3-4
ST-LIV-G3-6

· ST-LIV-G3-4

Hello! My name is ST-LIV-G3-4 and I am from Besançon in France. I am doing my Erasmus year here, in Valencia to study translation (Spanish and English). To answer your last question DL-LIV-G3-1, I would say that I would love living in Canada. This looks like such a beautiful country with an amazing culture that I would really like to discover.

Regarding to the topic, I think that this situation is pretty alarming. In your post ST-LIV-G3-1, you asked us why has obesity increased over time. I agree with ST-LIV-G3-3 by saying that it is due to bad habits we acquired during childhood. I found an article on The Guardian saying that the main causes of obesity are unhealty food and lack of physical exercise.

It also says that Millennials are most likely to become the fattest generation. In my opinion, I think it is because we acquired really bad habits concerning food by going more and more to fast foods such as McDonald’s or KFC. According to the article, «70% of Millenials are dangerously overweight before they hit middle age» which is very worrying.

As ST-LIV-G3-3 said, obese people will suffer, at some point, from cardiac disease which means that this is a serious problem and some measures must be taken. As I could read in the article, what is more threatening is that obesity can be a risk factor for cancer. Overweight would be a greater threat for millenials than cannabis. It is said that smoking rates are declining meaning that obesity could «overtake smoking as the main preventable risk for cancer».

But, some measures can be taken to make people aware of this terrible situation such as advertisement campaigns on television but also online (since younger people spend more time on internet nowdays).
What do you think about that? Do you think we should do more to prevent obesity. And if yes, what should be done?

Millennials set to be the fattest generation of Britons, research shows | Society | The Guardian

theguardian.com

· ST-LIV-G3-1

I’ve read what you wrote and I share your concerns ST-LIV-G3-3, it is true that obesity can cause a lot of health complications, especially cardiac ones and cancer, and I worry a lot over the fact that it seems like our generation is going to have a lot of problems due to this.

However, I’d like to address something ST-LIV-G3-4 said, about the measures that should be taken to prevent this, she mentioned advertising on TV and on the Internet, but there is already lots of it. You see advertising for dieting products every single day, and that doesn’t seem to slow down obesity, it only seems to create eating disorders and body image problems, especially on young people. Moreover, there’s also the rebound effect, the fact that most people who diet tend to end up gaining most of the weight they lost while dieting back.

Any solution proposed to the problem of obesity has to address this, mental health is just as important as physical health and the current model we have to fight against being overweight seems to rely more on making overweight people ashamed of their bodies than anything else. There has to be an approach that recognizes both the physical dangers being overweight poses to people and the psychological harm beauty standards and a culture obsessed with being thin and beautiful has on people. How can we address both problems?

· ST-LIV-G3-3

+ ST-LIV-G3-1 I agree with the idea of mental and physical health needing to be taken into account, ST-LIV-G3-1. It’s true that almost always our society tends to make youthful people worry about their look. Even so, I’d like to point out that it’s not the same to be thin than to be healthy and the most of us consider obesity to be negative because of the subsequent problems not because of the look of overweight people.

My father is a weightlifting champion, he’s won 23 medals, and when I go along with him to the competitions I see women like Lidia Valentín, world weightlifting Spanish champion, who aren’t thin but overweight neither. They’re often treated as men, still they don’t care for what society thinks about them. Doesn’t that show It is up to you to love yourself and it’s pointless to look for someone else to take that responsibility? I think so.

Moreover, my father has never gone on a diet, because there’s no need to. It’s enough with hearing what your body says; don’t feed me too much, don’t make me eat junk food, don’t give me food each hour or the same food everyday…and the like.

As for obesity related to mental health, I’ve read an article explaining that obesity triggers a chemistry response in our brains that can leads into many mental illnesses. So, since we care for body and mind, we ought to fight obesity. I’ve suggest teaching children about nutrition at schools but now I’d like to add sports and mixed it all in a campaign against this, as ST-LIV-G3-4 has recommended, because mens sana in corpore sano.

References:
New Scientist: Obesity linked to dementia in women
IWF News: Valentin Perez Lydia crowned World Champion

· ST-LIV-G3-2

+ ST-LIV-G3-3 I completely agree with you, ST-LIV-G3-3; mens sana in corpore sano is what should be taught in schools since the very beginning. There’s always the misconception that we have more than enough on that topic by explaining on Biology classes what a healthy diet is, implying the presentation of each nutrient and the weekly amount we should have just as if it was something not very extraordinary, but I think we should emphasize more on that.
There’s an initiative that the Canary Islands’ government put up in order to make people more conscious about obesity, that initiative being giving free fruit to students in between lessons so they would take into account how important it is to give your body the nutrients it needs so it works properly.
So, as a conclusion to what we have been commenting, I think it would be a good idea to implement a subject in schools that taught students how to take proper care of their bodies taking into account the needs they have as individuals, and stop taking beauty standards so seriously. What do you think? Should we also take more measures in order for students to understand this? Or do you think it would be enough with this?
Resources: https://www.thelocal.es/20160405/canary-island-schools-offer-kids-free-fruit-to-combat-obesity

· ST-LIV-G3-4

I completely agree with you, ST-LIV-G3-1, with the fact that advertising for dieting products only creates eating disorders. Of course our society, with television and social media, is shaping the image of the perfect woman with the perfect body. This can also be a real problem for teenagers: in ten years the number of teenagers suffering from eating disorders has increased up to 172% (The Guardian: «Stark rise in eating disorders blamed on overexposure to celebrities’ bodies»).
But I was not talking about this type of advertising. I was more refering to the ones showing how dangerous it can be not to change our bad habits. In my opinion, we all need a wake-up call because we don’t realise how serious obesity is.

I agree with ST-LIV-G3-3 and ST-LIV-G3-2 by saying that we should start teaching what a healthy diet is in schools so that children can be aware of the problem from the very beginning. Prevention is the most important part. By doing so, the next generations will be more concerned by obesity and its problems.
But, what should we do for our own generation? Those children may understand how serious this is but if their parents are not aware of this, will they be good role models? Indeed, if the parents do not change their own lifestyle, how can children be healthy and learn their own children later, how to prevent obesity?
I found an Australian ad on youtube called «Break the Habit – childhood obesity ad» which actually deals with this problem
What do you think about it ?

· ST-LIV-G3-3

+ ST-LIV-G3-4 As I said at the begging of the discussion, I find some information about nutrition should be taught at schools, but a Sport’s programme must be adopted as part of children’s’ overall education too. In fact, sports and nutrition are considered the most effective tools to fight obesity since it’s by this means that our bodies get the necessary to stay healthy. Alarmingly, more than the 42 per cent of European population does no sport at all, according to a recent survey by the European Commission.

In addition, a report by the Sports Council highlights that “The lack of physical exercise spreads its root in childhood, and consolidates during adolescence. That is why it is very difficult to combat this problem by the time people are adults’’. So, in keeping with ST-LIV-G3-4’s concern, I’d highly recommend activities for parents to join. Just walking or running softly with their children at school competitions, for instance, would make a huge difference on the amount of calories burnt.

As a result of all this data, we can see there’s a serious need to care for food as well as for physical activities to be fit and healthy, don’t you agree, girls?
References:
El País: The north-south exercise divide

· Rory Coulson-Tabb

Hi guys, following on from the topic of obesity I have an interesting and quite shocking article about obesity in schools.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/19/one-five-children-obese-time-leave-primary-school/

One in five children obese by the time they leave primary school

telegraph.co.uk

· Rory Coulson-Tabb

After you have read this article let me know your opinions; see who agrees with you and who doesn’t. Do you think that obesity is a pressing problem in society? Do you think it should receive more funding or are there more important issues? Should there be more done to prevent rather than cure?

· ST-LIV-G3-4

I totally agree with you ST-LIV-G3-3. Sport should be as important as nutrition classes and be taken more seriously by children. I also think that it is a good idea that parents participate more to activities (conferences about nutrition, health, sport…) with their children so they can be more aware of the problem and do something about it.

Although I found an article saying that even if more American people are exercising, obesity is still rising, I think that it is still very important to educate sport at school. (Reference: America is exercising more, but that’s not slowing down the rising obesity rate – Quartz).

I also read that advertising had something to do with obesity: according to that article, younger people who recall seeing food ads are more likely to become obese. This means that this kind of advertisement should be changed or less present in television or social media. (Reference: Call to tighten junk food advert rules after obesity link shown – The Guardian).

Still in relation to food, you asked us ST-LIV-G3-3, that food should be taken care of. I totally agree with that. I read on another article that «public health officials are calling on food sellers and manufacturers to cut calories in their products by 20% by 2024». They are saying that it would prevent more than 35,000 premature deaths! (Reference: Food makers told to cut calories by 20% by 2024 – The Guardian).

But do you think there is more to do about food? Or more to do in general to help prevent obesity?

· ST-LIV-G3-3

+ ST-LIV-G3-4 Of course, ST-LIV-G3-4 and Richard, I think there’s more left to be done. As for nutrition, I consider over-sugar products should be removed from the offices and schools vending machines. This option has already been chosen by American schools, because, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, these are plenty of products filled with what they call ‘’empty calories’’ (unnecessary calories).

Likewise, I think TV channels should collaborate with schools as well, since they are one of the most important influence sources for children. In fact, there are some TV channels, such as Antena 3, which have already promoted a healthy lifestyle by rewarding those ‘healthy’ schools with economic prizes.

In view of all our arguments, a school program including every point we have mention here might be the solution to stop increasing population obesity rates. Having said that, I believe this is the best moment to answer one of your questions, DL-LIV-G3-1: Would you like to see into the future? Why/why not?

Well, I do, I’d like to see the future in order to check if this project has succeded or not. Be that as it may, discussing this issue has been the first step to solve the problem of obesity. Don’t you agree, ST-LIV-G3-1 and ST-LIV-G3-2?

References:
The New Scientist: Editorial: Fight fat, dump school sodas

· DL-LIV-G3-1

Hi guys, thank you for your great feedback on Rory’s articles and on the articles you have found.
Something to consider is that in the English Language IV threads, we need to suggest a viable solution to the issue in the form of a product/service. For example, Fitbit have recently launched a fitness tracker for children:

TIME, 13th March 2018: «Fitbit’s Newest Fitness Tracker Is Just for Kids»
(Sorry I’m not putting a link because some of my friends’ threads have been deleted when they’ve done this!)

What are your thoughts on this product with regard to combating childhood obesity?

· ST-LIV-G3-2

+ DL-LIV-G3-1 I completely agree with ST-LIV-G3-3 in the sense in which TV channels and corporations should start advertising a healthy lifestyle and removing over-sugary products from vending machines, because that way we can make sure what our children eat is healthy and is actually nutritious, instead of just filling your stomach.

In regards of the fitness tracker, DL-LIV-G3-1, I think I have the need to stop you right there; unless they are sponsored by the government and, therefore, cheaper or even free, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Right about now, a great amount of people are unemployed or are, in fact, payed peanuts; this means there is no plausible market for products such as Fitbit’s fitness tracker, as it is too expensive for some to acquire and that would exclude a lot of people from the right of being healthy. I speak from the knowledge of someone who has it difficult to get through the month and, still, manages to have a healthy diet. I think it is important to consider the fact that being poor is not really a key factor in being healthy, but a handicap when it comes to fancy devices that could help with the matter at task.

All in all, I think we should take responsibility for what can be easily done, like healthy lifestyle campaigns and the removal of certain products from vending machines and school cantines. If the government or private institutions would like to donate in order to give people the opportunity to have Fitbit’s fitness trackers that is fine, but I don’t think is key for the matter. What do you guys think?

· ST-LIV-G3-4

I totally agree with you ST-LIV-G3-3 concerning over-sugar products. I also think that they should be taken off of the vending machines in schools and offices. Moreover, I did not know that schools and TV channels had worked together. But it is true that it is a good idea.

I also agree with ST-LIV-G3-2 concerning the fitness tracker for children. It is true that not everybody can afford it. Moreover, is it really working? Do you think that kids will actually watch their fitbit device to see if they walked enough during the day? I do not think that at 13 years old, children care that much about fitness.

That is why I think it is better to make them exercise at school. So I agree with the establishment of a programme that would teach children how to eat and how to exercise without having to pay more for that.

Unfortunetly, food has become very expensive over the years. To eat «good food», you have to pay for it. Maybe the government could do something about it? But I already talked about it in my previous post.

I read an article saying that babies who were breast-fed for their first 6 months of life were less likely to become obese. So, I think that by changing little things on our own (food, more exercise…) and taking further measures (teaching nutrition…) will help us get healthier. (Reference: Exclusive breast-feeding reduces risk for childhood overweight, obesity – healio)

· ST-LIV-G3-2

+ ST-LIV-G3-4 I think we might be getting somewhere!! Maybe if we planned out a programme and did nutritional studies to actually have a support for our ideas we could reach the point in we changed things, but as for the moment I will propose several points which I would like you to check and see if you agree:
—Stablish a programme in schools that teaches good nutrition habits and rewards this practices (maybe with healthy food treats such as season fruit or bonuses for grades in other subjects such as Biology? Give me your opinions on this).
—Lower the prices of healthy products so everyone can afford them regardless of their monthly income.
–Promote a change in habits regarding day-to-day life such as breasting infants via advertising and campaigns with the help of TV channels and government campaings.
–Prevent huge companies from adding low-nutritional products to vending machines to avoid extra sugar in snacks.
—[Optional] Create a free app that helps you keeping track of your development and your health status.

What do you think about this? I made it just to summarize some ideas we had, and I agree with most of them, but maybe the creation of the app isn’t that necessary. What do you guys think about all this?

· ST-LIV-G3-1

Hello everyone! I’ve read what you’ve all said and I think you’ve all had some very great ideas! The idea of «mens sana in corpore sano» is, I believe, the key to the solution, we should be promoting a healthy lifestyle that not only is affordable to everyone (which is very important, as ST-LIV-G3-2 pointed out) but that it actually focuses on all aspects of the issue, good nutrition, a good dose of exercise, it’s also important to stop shaming people for how their bodies look like.

People have proposed a subject based on nutrition, which would be a good start, as well as showing less food-related ads. I don’t see how that could be implemented without some sort of campaign or organization, but they are definitely good ideas! Perhaps we could get together to start some sort of organization of our own that addresses all the points that we are worried about! We can create programs for schools to educate children about proper nutrition, give talks about it, and use this platform to campaign so the government applies policies that help on the issue of obesity.

· ST-LIV-G3-1

To conclude everything we’ve been saying, I think we should round up the basics of what our organization should be. We should create a website to begin with, that summarizes what we aim for, which is that the local governments push for policies that promote a healthier lifestyles.

Our proposals include:

-The creation of an education program to be implemented at schools that focuses on proper nutrition.

-Collaborating with local governments to create activities (for both kids and adults) that promote a healthy lifestyle.

-Pushing for policies that make healthy products more affordable and reduces the price of gym tickets.

-Campaigning so that the numbers of advertisements that promote fast-food restaurants is reduced.

-Giving talks on a healthy lifestyle and how to be healthy both physically and mentally and to have a good relationship with our bodies.

I believe we could really get somewhere with this! And we could make a very important change on such a big issue. But with that said, I believe it’s time to finish the debate. It’s been a pleasure to talk with all of you!

Universitat de Valencia

English Language IIA

Debate 3: Obesity

English Language IIB

Debate 3: Obesity

English Language IV

Debate 3: Obesity