Modern Lifestyle Essay
The modern lifestyle has a number of advantages which includes easing peoples life, saving hundreds of peoples lives by the new development of medicine and vaccines. On the other hand different modern life style patterns have negative effects on health physically, psychologically, and socially. One of these modern ways of living is the high intake of fast foods. This is due to specific reasons such as the short time specified for eating and choosing healthy food. Lack of physical activity combination with fast foods leads to bad effects on the heart’s health. Use of high technology machines is another way of modernity. Although use of these machines has helped in saving the time to do a lot of tasks, the wrong use of them will indirectly affect health. Another point is the advanced transportation which reduces the time needed to travel and made travelling an enjoyable time. Last, is the use of computers and internet in the communication, transfer of information, and entertainment as well. Altogether will constitute the elements of a sedentary life style. That means, high fatty foods intake and lack of physical activity. Which both are caused by fast foods, depending on high technology machines and transportation, and sitting long hours in front of the computer.
Modern life style increases the risk of obesity. Consequently, leading to diabetes, heart diseases, and cancers. Pollution caused by the machines and advanced transportation causes different respiratory diseases. Furthermore, it leads to atopic diseases which are group of hereditary diseases contributing to allergies and asthma. Psychologically, persons are prone to increased stress level and depression. Social isolation will occurs due to spending long time on computer and internet.
Effects of modern life style
Nobody can ignore the usefulness of modernization on our daily life, especially on how much it makes life of humans easier. This is particularly correct about the new evolution of the new development of medicines, vaccines that save people from the fatal endemic diseases. On the other hand, Modern life style becomes more and more an important factor influencing health state of most developed countries. Unhealthy behaviors responsible for increasing the mortality of the cardiovascular, cancers, diabetes, and respiratory diseases. There is increasing evidence that following a healthy lifestyle including appropriate diet, satisfactory physical activity level, and healthy weight can provide significant cardiovascular and metabolic benefits. From that we come to a conclusion that different modern life style patterns affect our health physically, psychologically, and socially. The main life style patterns that are going to be discussed in this research are the use of high technology machines, fast foods, advanced transportation, and the use of the computer including internet and video games that is being used by almost every member of the family.
The way people eat today is far different the way people ate before. Hundred years ago people used to include a lot of fruits and vegetables in their diet. This gives a lot of nutritional value to their meals, and decreases the risk of getting cardiovascular diseases which is related to the less fat content of these foods. These days people have very bad nutritional habits, especially with the fast widespread of fast food culture particularly between young people which they continue to carry on the same eating habits in their adulthood. According to Shepherd et al. (2001), the promotion of healthy eating is high on the health policy agenda in the UK.They mentioned that young people are particularly important group, as poor eating habits established during teenage years may be maintained into adulthood, creating a number of cardiovascular and other health related problems later in life. Ed Edelson (2009) mentioned in his article” that data from 2003-2006 shows that 11.3 percent of children and teenagers were at or above the 97th percentile in body mass index for their age”. This shows that overweight teens have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight adults (Para.6).The reason for people’s poor eating habits is the less time provided by them to prepare a healthy food which probably would take time. Furthermore, people don’t spent enough time to eat and choose correct and healthy meals. Everyone is just busy in building their future ignoring the fact that this might be interrupted by diseases caused by their poor eating habits. Other reasons include the need for both the man and women to join the work field. This means that the women will be away from home for long hours and depend on the fast foods to feed her family. Therefore, children will acquire this habit and they won’t be able to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy food. In addition to poor eating habits, lack of physical activity is a major problem in this today’s life. That is, if it is together present with the high consumption of fatty foods, they will lead to disastrous effects on the person’s health status. So, maintaining regular exercise is good for the well being of an individual health and helps prevent so many heart and metabolic diseases.
The use of modern technology makes living better and brings certain advantages to people. Such advantages include fast communication and improvement of travelling. Before, people use animals to help them travel from one place to another which might take days to travel. Now, we spend only few hours using the air planes which make the journey easier. The use of new technology machines is also now in our home. We do most of the house cleaning with machines, which actually makes the life very easy. Every day a new machine is invented for human use to ease their lives. According to Emmanuel Mesthene (n.d.), “Technology is neither good nor bad, it is neutral”(page 12).This means that technology can bring us luxuries, but it also can cause problems. It is a matter on how the technology is used according to him.
Computer and internet are being introduced into most houses. Although they have a lot of advantages, they have adverse effects on people health. Jayashree, 2007 said “Internet has been perhaps the most outstanding innovation in the field of communication in the history of mankind. As with every single innovation, internet has its own advantages and disadvantages”(Para.1). According to her the advantages include better communication, and faster way of getting information, and for entertainment. The internet has made the world smaller; it also provides services for people use. Children also now use the computers very widely. It is even being introduced in the teaching curriculum of majority of schools. They also use it in playing video games for their entertainment and joy. Even a lot of adults enjoy the video games as well.
All of the past modern life style patterns lead to adopting sedentary life style which combines eating high calorie diet and lack of physical activity. Which are major risk factors for getting a lot of different diseases. In my opinion, sedentary life style includes the wrong use of available high technology machines and transportation as well.
Physical effects of modern life style patterns especially the fast foods and the lack of physical activity increase the risk of getting cardiovascular diseases. Acharia (2007), wrote in his article Modern Life Style Could Damage Your Heart, “The modern lifestyle, which puts people under constant stress, could severely damage major organs and lead to heart attacks, kidney disease and dementia”(Para.1). Other diseases caused by sedentary life style include type two diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Doctors said that sedentary life style is a modifiable risk factor. This means that this risk factor can be prevented and changed by following a healthy life style. A healthy life style means healthy eating and regular exercising. Obesity, which is a major health problem of industrialized countries, is a result of following sedentary life style as well. A study done by Rodriguez,Nvalbos, Martinez, and Eschobar (2009),” results shows that the highest levels of obesity associated with daily alcohol consumption, greater consumption of television, and sedentary pursuit. A lower prevelance of obesity is observed among those with active physical activity”. (Para. 1) Pollution caused by the use of high technology machines and transportation contributes to many respiratory and skin diseases as well. Furthermore, Herbert et al. (2009) study showed “that so-called western lifestyle may contribute to the development of atopic diseases”. (Para. 1). Atopic disease means the hereditary tendency to experience immediate allergic reactions such as asthma or vasomotor rhinitis because of the presence of antibody in the skin or bloodstream.
The effects of modern life style on the psychological status of people are still on research. But, most researchers agree that to some extent modern life style indirectly impact psychosocial life of individuals. Experts from university of Washington have warned that the way modern technology has been breaking people’s connections with the natural world may give rise to a major psychological problem. One of these effects includes increasing the stress level due to the so many obligations today’s person might take. Even though some degree of stress might be useful in order to handle different problems we face every day. Chronic stress will have effects on the person’s physical state as it will lead to many diseases. Raylopez, (2009) said in his article about causes of stress in modern life style “In modern lifestyle, however, stressful stimuli are continues and stress is daily, so the pressure builds up and eventually causes damage to the body”.(Para. 4). A healthy life style will have its positive effects on the psychological status of the individual which will directly affects his physical status as well. The use of high technology machines will reduce person’s self independence and make him depend in doing his job on the machines. This will subsequently reduce the self satisfaction. As doing a job on your own will make you more confident about your abilities. Brendan, (2009) cited from lardie’s research findings in his article Depression Caused By Modern life style. Those findings are conclusive that “depression primarily stems from modern living: social isolation, fast food laden diets, physical inactivity, sleep deprivation, and less exposure to the outdoors”. (Para.6) .Depression finally will damage person’s life physically and socially and will deprive him from his normal life.
Socially, modern life style affects the social relationships very strongly. Especially with the use of internet to chat with others. People use internet messenger widely in their communication with others. This will lead to social isolation as a result of spending long time on the internet. As consequence, the person will isolate himself at home and deprive himself from family and friends social gatherings. Using the internet may lead to declines in visiting with friends and family. Irina, Robert, and Lee, (2004). They mentioned also that frequent internet use has negative social outcomes. They cited in their research the results of other research findings which includes; “internet is associated with increases in depression and social isolation” Kraut et al. (1998).(Para.3). Irina,Robert, and Lee, identified that “frequency of internet use associated with declines in spending time with family and friends and in attending social events”. (As cited in Nie et al. 2002). (Para.3).
Conclusion
To sum up, different modern life style patterns affects our health in different aspects physically, psychologically, and socially. I think that if the people’s awareness about these effects doesn’t increase, this may lead to dangerous consequences in the near future. Adopting this life style patterns and especially sedentary life style for long time might threaten people’s life. If this happens then the community health will be affected and we will be having high percentage of diseased and disabled persons. Which finally reduce individual’s productivity and development of their own communities. The best way for reducing the effects of these modern patterns of living is by educating people about its effects on their lives. Particularly concentrating in educating children as changing the way these children live will affect future generations coming after them as well. Another part of resolving the problem is the proper use of high technology machines and advanced transportations. Such proper way means correct use in benefiting the humanity not affecting it and increasing the self dependency in doing different tasks of the day. Promoting healthy life style which includes proper eating, physical activity, and better way of communicating and socializing in the community will have its positive impacts. Furthermore, it will reduce the risk of getting so many diseases which cardiovascular diseases and cancers are at the top of them. Finally, maintaining people’s health is a primary goal of any country that probably would make her spend millions of dollars to achieve it as people are the’ real wealth of a country’.
