During Most of His Childhood, George Was a Bit on the Pudgy

question 40

Essay

During most of his childhood, George was a bit on the pudgy side, but with the onset of puberty he became obese.Dieting did not seem to help, although George freely admitted that he was not very interested in dieting because eating was one of the things he truly enjoyed.And he did not enjoy sports or other forms of exercise that left him out of breath.Nor did he truly enjoy telling "fat" jokes about himself and making people laugh, although his classmates seemed to like him for that.(a) From the text discussion of obesity, what factors might be involved in George's weight problem? (b) What self-fulfilling prophecies might be operating in George's case? What advice could we give him and his parents on helping him lose weight?

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Definitions:

Completely Inelastic

A situation where the quantity demanded or supplied does not change regardless of changes in price.

Infinitely Elastic

Describes a market situation in which the quantity demanded or supplied changes by an unlimited amount in response to any change in price, indicative of perfect competition.

Elastic

A term used in economics to describe a situation in which the supply or demand for a good or service is sensitive to changes in price.

Demand Curve

A graph showing the relationship between the price of a good and the quantity of that good consumers are willing and able to purchase, ceteris paribus.