As with several matters within the psychological discourse, there is contention surrounding the aetiology of obesity with respect to ‘nature and nurture.’ Proponents of the nature argument claimed that obesity is the product of genetic and biological determinism, to the extent that it is a disease which is beyond the control of its sufferer. On the other hand, the nurture argument proffers that obesity is the result of environmental influences, whether they be learned behaviours or directly caused by environmental stimuli. These two perspectives represent two opposing ends of a continuum. However, it is commonly proposed that obesity is more accurately explained from an interactionist perspective. This posits that obesity is caused by genetic influences occurring through environmental stimuli (Faith et al., 1997). In lay man’s terms, this argument proposes that obesity is caused by nature occurring via nurture. This essay will discuss the various arguments regarding nature and nurture, and their effectiveness in explaining causality of obesity.
In the relevant literature, obesity is often defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater (Fernández et al., 2008; Janssen et al., 2004). It is a syndrome which has received much attention not only in the psychological and medical literature, but also in mainstream media. It is a health issue which is growing at an alarming rate, to the point where it is now regarded as an epidemic in both the developed and undeveloped world (Janssen et al., 2004; Mokdad et al., 1999). For instance, approximately one third of New Zealand adults were obese in 2012. This has increased between 1997 and 2012 by 43% for males and 52% respectively for females in New Zealand (New Zealand Ministry of Health,...
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...hunger, we have shifted our focus from satisfying energy requirements to satisfying our perceived taste preferences. These are often fatty, salty and sweet foods, all of which contribute to obesity, whilst not providing much in terms of nutritional value (Swencionis & Rendell, 2012).
Obesity is a large health problem in modern society, and it is expanding at a rate far exceeding the increase in the average waistline. It is important that future research acknowledges the interaction of nature and nurture in explaining obesity, as neither can completely explain the phenomenon. The matter is not simple, but is rather the combination and manifestation of several environmental and biological influences which have altered the homeostatic position of those effected to the extent that there is high prevalence rates for not only obesity, but also its antecedent complaints.
Obesity is a very complex condition as there are many physiological and psychological dimensions to it. The complications accompanying the disease are multiple and are associated with the increased risk of many other medical conditions. It is thought that we live in an obesogenic environment due to an interaction of environmental, developmental and cultural influences. With the main cause of the disorder thought to be due to a combination of a sedentary lifestyle accompanied by an increased consumption of poor quality food with a high calorie and sugar content. The lack of energy expenditure could be explained by many individuals working a large number of hours, most days of the week in jobs that require minimal physical activity and it is often difficult to accomplish the recommended ...
In order to take a sociological viewpoint into account when one examines obesity, first it is important to understand how obesity is recognized in current society. According to today’s news articles and magazines and advertisements and other mass media about health and healthy life, one can easily realize that a great number of people have an eagerness to be healthy. Also, one can assume through these mass media about health that everyone wants to be attractive, and they are even prone to transform their own behaviors to gain attractiveness. This is because most people live a life where social interaction is frequently required and must engage themselves into social interaction every day of their life. Therefore, based on these ideas and proofs throughout this mass media, obesity is regarded as one of the characteristics that is disgraceful and undesirable in society.
Gronbaek, H. "'we've always eaten healthil'y: Family narratives about causes of their child's obesity and their motivation for taking action. ." Nordic Psychology. 60.3 (2008): 183-208. Web.
The relationship between obesity and health has been a major factor in drawing national attention to the growing prevalence of obesity. As the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States, obesity claims approximately 300,000 lives each year (Salinsky & Scott, 2003). Obesity is strongly associated with multiple chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, type 2diabetes, and with some forms of cancer, such as uterine, gall bladder, breast, colon, and kidney. Other conditions, such as sleep apnea, asthma, arthritis, reproductive complications, and psychological disorders such as depression, can be attributed to obesity as well. Obese individuals have a 50 percent to 100 percent increased risk of death from all causes, compared with normal-weight individuals. Most of the increased risk is due to cardiovascular issues.
This chapter gives various social and biological reasons for the growing world-wide health concern of obesity. Name them and views - why is the reality of weight for most people so far from the cultural or societal ideal?
Eating the pizza instead of the salad seemed like a good idea at the time, but now one is stuck in this sloth like state hours later. It seems letting cravings control what and how to eat is not the best strategy to healthy living. Mary Maxfield, in her article “Food For Thought: Resisting the Moralization of Food” discusses her views on how people should eat. She believes people crave what their bodies need, therefore, people should eat what they crave. Maxfield claims that diet, health, and weight are not correlated with each other, and because of this, people view obesity as unhealthy, thus forcing them to distinguish “right, healthy” foods from the “wrong, unhealthy” choices.
Graham Holiday “Obesity a Lifestyle choice are you what you eat' Word of Mouth Blog, University of Pennsylvania, January 14, 2008
Is obesity a disease? This is question many people have asked. Yes, obesity is a disease; but one essential question many people tend to forget to ask is, “Can obesity be prevented or how could obesity be prevented?” Prevention does not put an end to obesity, but in fact it can decrease a person’s risk of becoming obese. There are many challengers towards the decision to why obesity rates are increasing; many say it just refers back to the person’s lifestyle, eating habits, and environment. Obesity should be prevented in a childhood versus being corrected later in life, but in order for obesity to be prevented people must first be aware of the causes then conclude by learning the fundamental factors that play into prevention.
Metcalf, T., & Metcalf, G. (Eds.). (2008). Perspectives on Diseases and Disorders: Obesity. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Cengage Learning
The onset of obesity is believed to stem from multiple causes, both physiological and environmental. An example of a cause of obesity might include the lack of exercise, however in this review I will foc...
Although many individuals are uncertain about the increasing statistics associated with obesity, more than seventy percent of men and virtually sixty-two percent of women within the United States adult population are overweight or obese (Wilmore, Costill, & Kenney). Obesity refers to the condition of having an excessive amount of body fat. If an individual’s amount of body fat becomes too excessive, he/she is at a much greater risk of developing life-altering diseases such as heart failure, hypertension, type II diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, etc. (Wilmore, et al., 2008).
Food addiction and obesity Addictive drugs like nicotine, cocaine and heroin, all can rewire the brain to crave the satisfaction that these agents produce. The desire becomes so strong that it starts to take over the body and it no longer becomes for pleasure and it becomes a need for your body. Now likewise, some people argue that some foods have the same power and effects on people that drugs do, where some of these foods can alter the brain in a way that resets the appetite and satisfaction threshold in a way that it’s out of reach, meaning a person can never have enough. Obesity levels these days are semi-dangerous, so some doctors have conducted an experiment that tested the effects of some foods on the brain, where they took 12 obese men after they consumed two milkshakes, with the same amount of calories, protein, fat and carbohydrates, and they were equally sweet. (Sifferlin 2013)
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.
Not only is food education important, but also genomic education. For instance, ninety percent of lung cancer cases begin from smoking. Accordingly, personal obligation is a considerable aspect in determining the risk if somebody gets lung cancer. Individuals can even get lung cancer while never smoking a cigarette. Moreover, this obscures several health policy debates. I believe that a small amount of obese individuals are hereditarily preset to become obese and most likely will come to be overweight regardless even if they followed a strict diet plan. Some are hereditarily susceptible to obesity in that they must be vigilant about their nutrition, which may evade obesity. Furthermore, many have no inherited traits contributing to obesity, but through careless eating habits become obese. Radley Balko, a senior editor at Reason, states, “We’re becoming less responsible for our own health, and more responsible for everyone else’s” (396). Individuals consistently buy fast food around the country, choosing the decision to consume foods that can cause obesity. There is the false economic belief that it is less expensive to eat fast food than to purchase healthy alternatives at a grocery store. Fast food is less expensive in the beginning, yet costs significantly more at the end; I am simply discussing nourishment quality here, not the consequent health insurance costs it puts on the obese. No one needs to reprimand the individuals who end up getting obese on account of no deficiency they could call their own, yet neither would anybody like to exonerate obese individuals from personal
Obesity occurs in all countries and it is one of the gravest problems in modern society. Obesity problems have become one matter of concern for individuals all around the world. What is more is that Obesity rates continue to rise all around the world. One of the chief causes is unhealthy diets. Obesity is also due to lack of exercise and lack of education and awareness. Therefore obesity has various effects including the risk of suffering from a range of health conditions, increased expenditure on health care and lack of self-esteem.