Read the essay and find extra ideas from other sources to support the reasons or details.
Write
the citation (Author, year) after each statement. Then write down a list of references at the
end of the paragraph. You can use MS Words or Al for assistance.
Marketing Health and Fitness
Americans spend between $30 and $60 billion a year on dieting. This amount is more
than the gross national product for Morocco! Such spending has not always been the case.
Only recently has the marketing boom on earth, fitness, and dieting infiltrated American
televisions, radios, and magazines. The message is clear: getting healthy through diet and
exercise is a necessary part of life. As Americans continue to be bombarded with these health-
conscious images, it is evident that the images have altered Americans' ideas about health.
The current advertising trends in weight loss and fitness have had both positive and negative
effects.
Perhaps the most positive effect of dieting and weight loss advertising is an increase
in education. For many years Americans ate heavy foods cooked only in butter or lard. For
example, obesity rates in the United States were far lower before the diet and fitness
industries expanded – only about 13% of adults were classified as obese in the early 1960s,
compared to roughly 40% of today (USAFacts, 2025). As advertising pushed nutrition
information into the mainstream, public health messaging helped Americans understand
that controlling diet and exercise habits could reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and
other chronic illnesses (CDC - Newsroom Archive 2000, n.d.). In addition, exercise was
considered appropriate only for men. These trends changed as television and radio began
promoting a healthier lifestyle that includes private gyms, low calorie foods, and aerobics
tapes, among other things. As a result of this advertisement, Americans began to understand
that diet, exercise, and other preventive measures made them healthier. They are now aware
that heart disease and other illnesses can be controlled with proper diet and exercise. Since
the media's attention to this phenomenon, Americans are certainly healthier than they were
in the recent past.
Although the current trends in weight loss have made Americans more conscious of
their health, they have also led to increased public pressure. This is true for teenagers,
especially girls. Adolescents cannot escape the constant barrage of ads on television and radio
and in magazines and newspapers. Studies confirm this pressure falls disproportionately on
girls: one analysis found that 50% of advertisements in teen girls’ magazines used beauty as
a central product appeal, compared to none of the equivalent commercials aimed at boys
(Eating Disorders: Body Image and Advertising | HealthyPlace, 2008). Nearly 70% of
elementary-school-age girls who read magazines say the images they see shape their idea
of the “ideal” body shape (Eating Disorders: Body Image and Advertising | HealthyPlace,
2008). While some teenagers take this new-found knowledge and begin eating more
appropriate foods and exercising regularly, others become obsessed with weight loss. As a
result, these young people can develop eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa
to try to emulate the physiques of models and health promoters. In these cases, the focus on
fit and healthy bodies has a negative effect.
The financial effects of health industry ads cannot be avoided. Americans spend
billions of dollars each year trying to get fit. Consumers will spend whatever they have to in
order to get the latest gym equipment, fat-free food, or diet supplement pill. This spending is
substantial and growing: Americans currently spend more than $60 billion a year trying to
lose weight, covering everything from gym memberships to diet sodas and weight-loss
programs (The Heavy Price of Losing Weight, 2013). Weight-loss supplements alone
generate about $2.1 billion annually, and roughly 64 million Americans now hold gym
memberships (Dey, 2026). Because all these marketing strategies promote healthy living,
many people are spending excessive amounts of money on such products. Consequently, the
diet industry continues to promote newer and better products.
Marketing strategies have changed public opinion in many areas, and the idea that
everyone should have a perfect body is a major example of this. Knowledge is power, and
Americans should learn as much as they can about health and fitness. Then they should use
that knowledge in healthy ways.
Reference:
- CDC - Newsroom Archive 2000. (n.d.-b).
[Link]
- Fitness movement | History | Research Starters | EBSCO Research. (n.d.). EBSCO.
[Link]
- Eating Disorders: Body Image and advertising | HealthyPlace. (2008b, December
11). [Link]
image-and-advertising
- National Eating Disorders Association. (2026, May 18). Media and Eating Disorders
- National Eating Disorders Association.
[Link]
- Dey, M. (2026b, July 27). Weight loss statistics by facts and figures explained (2026).
Sci-Tech Today. [Link]
- USAFacts. (2025b, November 5). US obesity rates have tripled over the last 60 years.
USAFacts. [Link]
last-50-years/
- The Heavy Price of Losing Weight. (2013, January 2). U.S. News & World Report
L.P. [Link]
heavy-price-of-losing-weight