Final answer:
The over-accommodating environment in American life, with its technological conveniences and cheap, fast food options, hinders healthy living by promoting sedentary behavior and poor dietary choices. This contrasts with the well-being-promoting environment described by Stephen Boyden, which is characterized by creative opportunities, involvement, and a sense of community. Industrialism and consumerism further exacerbate health issues by fostering a disconnect from these positive elements.
Step-by-step explanation:
Theorists have suggested that American life may be too easy and accommodating and may lead to an over-accommodating environment, making it hard for people to engage in a healthy lifestyle. This environment, characterized by ample technology and an abundance of convenience, encourages less active lifestyles and dietary habits that can contribute to noninfectious diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. For example, children spending more time on computers or watching TV rather than playing outdoors, or the prevalence of fast and cheap meals that are typically less healthy, exemplify how the environment influences lifestyle choices.
Stephen Boyden outlines an environment that promotes health as one that offers opportunities for creative behavior, personal involvement in daily activities, clean air, water, healthy diet, and plenty of physical exercise. In contrast, the modern accommodating lifestyle often lacks these components, leading to negative health outcomes and diminishing the biopsychosocial well-being that is consistent with the biological health needs of humans.
The consequences of industrialism and consumerism also play a role in shaping this accommodating environment. The constant drive for efficiency and consumption not only causes environmental damage but also affects our mental health by fostering a sense of alienation and chronic frustration. This contrast sharply with the lifestyles of historical hunter-gatherer societies, which provided a greater sense of community and satisfaction, elements that are crucial for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.