Is there a problem with being obese? Are there issues that obese people have to deal with that people of normal weight do not have to deal with? To answer these questions, there is need to have a thorough understanding of obesity. This research paper defines obesity, explains how it arises, and shows that it is a risky health condition that comes with numerous challenges that are difficult to handle. The challenges include susceptibility to disease, social stigma, and the inability to perform certain roles in society. Obesity is the possession of body weight that is more than the norm. Body mass index or BMI is used to measure the state of one’s weight and obesity starts at a BMI of 30 for an adult
• An adult who has a BMI between 25 and
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After eating fatty foods, the individual opens his or her body to attack by numerous diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, and heart attack. These diseases are difficult to treat or manage. Obesity is also a cause for stigma that is a major cause for stress and depression among obese individuals. The stress and depression resulting from the stigma can cause poor performance in school and overindulgence in some actions such as drinking too much alcohol. Another challenge resulting from obesity is the slamming of doors to the obese individuals in some professions. Some of the professions that do not usually entertain obese individuals include modeling and the military. The modeling industry is notoriously hostile to obese and overweight men and women, and the industry’s preference for skinny models has been blamed for the pervasive obsession of young girls with dieting. This is a disadvantageous scenario that limits the opportunities that obese people have to succeed in life. All these challenges work in unison to create one major life and health crisis for obese people and their families. The challenges extend even to the nation that has to come up with mechanisms to combat the problem and the challenges it poses. Since eating and exercise habits are largely to blame for obesity, taking care of these areas by eating healthy and exercising adequately can help escape obesity thus avoiding all these challenges that come with
Obesity has been accepted in the American society as a norm. According to the U.S. office of the Surgeon General, in 1999, 6 in 10 American adults were classified as obese or overweight (McMurray, par. 5). In order for one to be classified as obese they’re body mass index (BMI) must be 30 or greater. The number of obese in America has continued to increase. It has been estimated by The World Health Organization that 300 million people will be obese by 2025 (Bailey 3). Since obesity comes with many health risks, many feel it should be treated as a disease.
About 2.8 billion adults every year die of obesity (Diet). Rachel Epstein wrote the book “Eating Habits and Disorders” which talks about obesity being a disease. Obesity is a condition with extra body fat which often starts to form in childhood (Epstein 25). While obesity for some adults can be life-threatening (Epstein 25). It can also form psychosocial problems (Epstein 25). Being obese causes a risk in diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, kidney trouble and more (Epstein 25). Being obese during pregnancy can cause many problems for the mom, and for the baby (Epstein 25). Any of these things could cause many problems either in the future, or in the present (Epstein 25). The worse the eating habits, the harder it is to cure (Epstein 25). The government needs to do more about obesity because obesity rates are rising, many kids are being victims of obesity and they don’t even know it, also Medical Care is taking a big part with the growing obesity rates.
Obesity has been identified as one of the risk factors affecting directly and indirectly the health outcome of the population. Even though many approaches and programs have been conducted in order to reduce the obesity rate, this health issue is still a big headache and keeps being put on the table. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overweight and obesity rate have been increasing significantly in the past two decades in the United States with more than 35.7% of adults and almost 17% of children and adolescents from 2-19 years olds being obese ("Overweight and obesity," 2013). As Healthy People 2020 indicated, in the period from 1988-1994 to 2009-2010, the age adjusted obesity rate among U.S adults aged 20 and over increased from 22.8% to 35.7%, which means increased by 57% while the obesity rate among children and teenagers from 2 to 19 years old increased from 10% to approximately 17%, witnessing the increase of 69% ("Nutrition, physical activity," 2013). Obesity has impact both on economic and health of the nation. Obesity is the risk factor of serious chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, certain kinds of cancer, and other leading causes of preventable deaths ("Overweight and obesity," 2013). Moreover, obesity continues to be economic burden in terms of medical costs for either public or private payers up to $147 billion per year which increased from 6.5% to 9.1% (Finkelstein et al, 2009). In 2008, medical spending per capita for the obese or obesity related health issues is $1,429 per year, as 42% higher than “those of normal weight” (Finkelstein et al, 2009, p.8).
There is no doubt that obesity has taken its seat as one of the top disease that strikes the world today. In America, obesity has now spread through the country leaving 2 out of 3 adults either overweight or obese, and worldwide 1.5 billion are overweight or obese (Overweight). The cause of this disease stems from multiple reasons such as the increase in modern food production, putting out ample amounts of food causing the prices for meat, groceries, and especially junk food to plummet. Subsequently, Americans especially were more inclined to purchase more food and showed an increase in the average American house hold food intake by 1,000 more calories a day (Dreifus).
A person is classified obesity if he/she is extremely overweight with high amount of fat. Obesity is a major health issue affecting many adults and children across the UK, every year. According Public Health England adults who are obese has been increased by a half percent while children continues - to breed nearly two quarters; in last two decades. Here some facts “Population monitoring definition of obesity For example, obesity affects both physically and emotionally, it develops a number of serious health conditions. (≥95th centile) (NCMP 2011/12). By 2050 obesity is predicted to affect 60% of adult men, 50% of adult women and 25% of children (Foresight 2007).”
Obesity is when a person’s calorie intake exceeds one’s activity level. Activity burns calories and what ever calories are not burned, are stored as fat cells in the body. 19-24% is a healthy body mass index (BMI) for an individual. Mary Jo Thomas, M.D., states that “One that is obese has a body mass index of over 30. With a BMI of 30 or greater, one is at an immediate health threat.” (Thomas, 2013) Scientific evidence supports that the main causes of an obesity may include: ““increasingly sedentary lifestyle; high consumption of simple carbohydrates and fats (especially the refined sugars and greasy preparations common in junk and fast foods); and stress. To a lesser degree illnesses such as hypothyroidism (u...
Obesity means having too much body fat. It is not the same as being overweight, which means weighing too much. Someone may be overweight from extra muscle, bone, or water, as well as from having too much fat. (Bing health). Obesity is a major problem that is occurring in parts all over the world. Currently, the fattest nation is America . Many people are overweight because the do too little or no exercise at all. This is especially true in countries like America, where as people are bombarded by fast food stores on virtually every corner. Obesity can not only cause health problems, but as well mental ones. Obese people may think of themselves as a useless human being because they are too fat and can’t accomplish anything, because of their weight. Though this is incorrect, many people believe this and end up taking their life. In this paper we will describe the causes of obesity and ways to combat the “everlasting epidemic.”
Obesity happens when a person become severely overweight. Doctors can find out if a person is overweight by using the body mass index chart or calculator and by measuring fat percentage. The BMI chart shows what a person’s height and ideal weight. If such person happens to have a BMI reading over 30, then that person is considered to be obese. Obesity comes with many health factors, some of which includes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, respiratory problems, and arthritis.
According to the USDA, at the start of century 21st American people have increased their daily caloric intake by consuming five hundred calories more than in 1970. As cited by Whitney & Rolfes (2011), there are many recognized causes of obesity such as genetics, environment, culture, socioeconomic, and metabolism among others; but the cause most evident is that food intake is higher than the calories burned in physical activity. Excess of energy from food is stored in the body as fat causing an increase of weight. During the course of the last 40 years, obesity has grown enormously in the United States and the rates remain on the rise (pgs. 272-273).
8. Allison B.D. et al (1999) Annual Deaths Attributable to Obesity in the U.S. (Reprinted) JAMA, October 27, 1999 Vol. 282, No. 16.
Millions of Americans and people worldwide are overweight or obese. Obesity develops when “calories consumed exceeds calories expended” (“Obesity and Genetics”). “Obesity rates have more than doubled in adults and children since the 1970’s,” and in the present day it is estimated that “two – thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese” (Ogden). Being overweight or obese highly increases the risk of deadly health problems, therefore this statistic states that the majority of the United States population is at risk of obtaining life–threatening diseases. Around forty years ago obesity would not effect this abundant number of people; however today’s society consumes more fast food in addition to spending most of their hours doing sedentary activities (Green). There are now many causes of obesity such as environment, genetics, bad habits, culture and economic level. Obesity has many negative impacts on the human body. It can very likely cause diabetes, joint pain, sleeping problems, depression, and many hazardous diseases (“Explore Overweight”). In contrast to this, there are some possible solutions to obesity such as physical activity, dieting, and surgery. Obesity is a widespread epidemic that unfavorably affects the body, but with exercise fused with dieting the disease could be kept to a minimum.
Metcalf, T., & Metcalf, G. (Eds.). (2008). Perspectives on Diseases and Disorders: Obesity. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Cengage Learning
Townend, L. 2009. The moralizing of obesity: A new name for an old sin?. Critical social policy, 29 (2), pp. 171--190.
Obesity is a physiological condition characterised by an excessive accumulation of body fat, specifically the build-up of adipose tissue beneath the skin. In recent years, the number of people diagnosed with clinical obesity has increased dramatically, with governments desperately trying to tackle the obesity epidemic and its associated consequences (McLannahan and Clifton, 2008). Studies have found that the prevalence of obesity once stood at an estimated 9.8% (Kelly, Yang, Chen, Reynolds & He, 2008), a considerable figure representing almost 400 million individuals worldwide. Even though obesity has now been recognised as a major problem the number of people affected is increasing rapidly, with almost 300,000 deaths attributable to obesity in the USA each year (Allison, Fontaine, Manson, Stevens, & VanItallie, 1999). Excessive amounts of fat can prove dangerous as the condition has a very high comorbidity rate with other long term health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and cancer (Pi-Sunyer, 1993). Numerous examples of media, medical journals and educational literature concerning obesity refer to the condition as a disease, with an increasing use of the word ‘Epidemic’ to describe the somewhat recent surge of obesity cases in western societies (Boero, 2007), however there is little material available that offers evidence for obesity meeting specification for disease. Instead it has been proposed that obesity is alternatively a risk factor for developing other potentially harmful diseases, influenced by a variety of other factors i.e. genetics, cultural ideals and biological impairments.
When one hears the word obesity thoughts that may come to mind are overweight, big, or even unhealthy. "Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 30" (Obesity).