List and describe four societal factors that have encouraged widespread rapid weight gain the in the United States

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Several societal factors have encouraged widespread rapid weight gain:
- Availability of cheap commercial fat and sugar. The 1970s saw two massive changes in the U.S. food economy: the discovery and mass production of high-fructose corn syrup and the importation of palm oil. Use of corn syrup, which is six times as sweet as ordinary sugar, and palm oil, which is high in saturated fat, lowered the production costs of soft drinks and calorie-dense convenience foods.
- Portion supersizing. When fast-food chains increased portion sizes substantially at minimal price hikes, customers thronged to buy "value meals." Research reveals that when presented with larger portions, individuals 2 years and older increase their intake, on average, by 25 to 30 percent.
- Increasingly busy lives. With more working women in the workforce and both genders working more hours, meal preparation time shrank and eating out increased.
- Declining rates of physical activity. During the 1980s, physical activity started to fall as Americans spent more time in sedentary transportation and jobs. At home, a rise in TV viewing has been linked to weight gain.