Global Obesity Epidemic

I enjoyed my time in the Global Obesity Epidemic Seminar class that I completed this past fall semester. I found it so interesting and learned so many new things that I had not known previous to this class, such as certain myths and societal hurdles associated with obesity. This class was structured in a discussion format which I really liked because everyone got to hear different thoughts and opinions from our peers. We discussed media biases, ethical concerns, and other social and legal implications that are associated with being overweight or obese. A huge focus of this class was the road to becoming obese and the feasibility of common prevention methods, which I felt was a refreshing way to approach obesity. Oftentimes in society and the media, we focus on the obese individual and what they are not doing to prevent further weight gain and disease. In this seminar, we discussed every angle of obesity prevention, not just the negative aspect. We learned a lot about how truly difficult it is for some individuals to prevent weight gain and lose weight, for many reasons, after they have reached a certain point.

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I chose to take this seminar because it relates to my major, nutrition and dietetics. I wanted to learn more about the social, ethical, legal, etc. aspects of obesity that I didn't learn in my nutrition classes, which mainly focused on the treatment and biological aspects of obesity. I also really felt like I learned a lot about being a better global citizen scholar in many ways. I learned a lot more about a new community of people who struggle with their weight and all the hurdles associated with it, engaged in many group discussions and felt more comfortable doing so, and developed more overall empathy for a group of people who are often heavily criticized for a problem that is likely out of their full control. 

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Linked in the 'P' icon below is the final presentation I worked on along with fellow group members which outlined a hypothetical solution to the global obesity epidemic after the year 2035. We decided to focus on a solution that would encompass our local community of Cincinnati, OH, and implemented resources and changes to the way our current society functions and handles the obesity epidemic. I earned an A in this class and it has been one of my favorite honors seminars thus far!