Obesity Essay

Obesity is a very complicated disease and there is no simple cause or cure. Obesity refers to the gaining of weight which occurs when the body takes in more calories than it burns. These excess calories then become fat, leading to increases in weight. There are many factors in the onset of obesity. A major factor is sociocultural factors. Society today plays an important role in how we view food and influences our decisions on meal choices. In today's society, meals are made to be quick and easy, often being high in fat, sugar, salt and calories and lacking nutritional value. Television and advertising also focus on unhealthy food choices, which appeal to children with colorful marketing and toys or games. Furthermore, society has also succumbed to a somewhat sedentary or lethargic lifestyle. Physical activity is on the decline and the relationship between reduced exercise and weight gain has been shown to be a major factor in obesity. Many jobs require sitting in one place in front of a computer for much of the day, children often sit for hours watching television or playing video games instead of engaging in physical activities or sports. This results in weight gain because people do not exercise enough to burn the calories they are consuming.
Society is now much lazier as a whole, resorting to a more convenience-based lifestyle including taking escalators instead of stairs and driving instead of walking. Often times people will choose fast food options simply based on the convenience and low cost. However many of these foods are prepackaged, extremely unhealthy and also do not contain any fruit or vegetable servings. Metabolism and genetics are also factors to consider regarding obesity. Obesity tends to run in families, mai...

... middle of paper ...

...ting obesity. Creating programs which help to raise awareness and education in regions where obesity is prevalent, such are minority populations or those with low socioeconomic status is important for progress. Research should also be done on community and school-based intervention methods in a manner in a manner that promotes healthy lifestyle changes into society as a whole (NHLBI). It is also important to gather data on how exercise affects weight loss and what steps are necessary to keep weight at a safe level, thereby, helping to prevent obesity. Genetic factors can also play a role in risk of obesity and this should be further studied in order to develop potential treatment (NHLBI). There are many indications that can reveal a risk of obesity, it is important to identify these and create a plan as to how best to utilize this information for prevention (NHLBI).