Interview 1 - Dr. Gordon

Henry Quillin
Mr. Roddy
IHSS
23 April 2020
My challenge project topic is the Obesity Epidemic in America. Dr. Paul Gordon is a contact I found while researching this topic and was my first interviewee. Dr. Gordon is a professional with nearly twenty years of experience in the healthcare field. He currently serves as Professor and Chair in the Department of Health, Human Performances, and Recreation at Baylor University. His areas of expertise include research methods in physical activity and lifestyle-based research related to obesity and its comorbidities across the lifespan. 
I first asked Dr. Gordon about why Obesity is such a horrible condition and what problems come along with having high body fat levels. He said that people who have very high body fat levels typically have a shorter life expectancy and suffer many health problems throughout their life. The most significant medical condition associated with Obesity is diabetes. People who are obese can also expect to have many cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure and are actually more at risk for accelerated cognitive decline (wasting away of brain tissue as they get older), which dramatically increases the likelihood of dementia. 
I then asked Dr. Gordon about why so many Americans are obese. Dr. Gordon explained to me how most Americans have very sedentary lifestyles where they are going to work, sitting at a desk all day, and coming home just sit and watch TV on the couch. Most Americans come home mentally exhausted from a job they probably hate, so the last thing they want to do is go for a run or hit the gym. On top of that, Americans live in a place where food is literally everywhere and is mostly very unhealthy. Fast-food chains and aggressive marketing make it very difficult for people to eat healthily. He explained that so much food in America has been engineered to be higher in fat and sugar, leading to extremely calorie-dense foods that are not satiating. He called this situation an obesogenic environment, meaning that the conditions are perfect for obesity. Americans are basically burning the rope at two ends with sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets. 

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