Obesity by Amber Seeton

           

           Why is obesity having such a rapid rise? Why is it spreading like a plague even though its not communicable? “One in three adults are obese (Dr. Scott Lear)”. One in six children are obese. Obesity is being overweight and calculating your body mass index to figure out just how much you are overweight.  So why the rise? There are many reasons: use of cars, lots of fast food, and prepared meals. There are restaurants and fast food places around every corner making it easy to always buy food instead of having homecooked meals. These are just some of the reason’s obesity is a social epidemic that can be solved.

Let’s learn about the history of obesity. The word “obesity” does not appear in the English language until the seventeenth century (Eknoyan 421). It was not actually recognized as a health issue until the nineteenth century but today obesity can be recognized as a chronic disease (429). Obesity is something that can be pretty obvious that you have so you could be able to fix the problem once you realize that you have it. It has to do with the energy if ingested food and that expanded in your daily activities (422). In history, body fat served a purpose of storing food reserves. The ability to store surplus fat from the least possible amount of food intake may have made the difference between life and death (422). Those who could store fat easily had an evolutionary advantage in the harsh environment of early hunters and gatherers (422).

There are some social effects obesity has on society. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2008 as many as 19.8 percent of adolescents younger than ninetenn were considered obese (Williams 1). Laura Williams says that children face emotional and social effects similar to children who are facing cancer treatments. Being a child can he hard, constantly learning new things, growing up, making friends and learning who they are. Children who are obese have the possibility of being bullied over it. Even though there are more children these days who are overweight it is still normal for them to be picked on about it. With that being said it could have a negative impact on the way they think, they might think less of themselves and grow to have self-esteem issues. Obese children miss more school than children at a normal weight. “They might exhibit reduced performance in the classroom, withdraw socially or act out (1)”. All these factors could usually lead to depression. Children may stop engaging in their favorite activities, which could also lead to more weight being gained.

 There are also some social effects that have to do with the community around you. There are plenty daily activities that influence every day actions: community, home, childcare, school and work place settings (“Overweight & Obesity” 1). For instance, people who live in poor areas may not have access to quality grocery stores and healthy food options. It may be easier for their budget to buy less healthy foods. Another example, people need to drive to get to most of their destinations because it is to far to walk, so that also cuts down on some exercise. In some community’s it is actually dangerous for you to walk places because there aren’t many sidewalks, or maybe at night there isn’t enough light to be seen by incoming traffic. About a year go a friend was hit y a truck on his bicycle while riding at night. The driver did not see him because of lack of street lights and was hit. He was in critical condition for months and is still trying to get back to a healthy state. The ways our communities are set up these days there is restaurants and fast food places everywhere. Most places give bigger portions of food that we should be eating and have lots of added sugar, then the amount we would add if the same food was cooked at home. Another reason could be we spend a lot of time looking at a screen for entertainment. We are also not getting as much physical education at schools as we should be. There are lots of factors that contribute to this epidemic.

 What do our inner circles have to do with obesity? Previous research suggests that obesity clusters in social networks and that a person's chance of becoming obese increases if their network members become obese (Winston 1). This could have to do with how often you see these people, how close of a friendship you have, and how far they are from that person. The friendship you have with others is very important including the activities you do together. For example, if one of your close friends is always eating out, they will ask you to join. Before you know it you are eating out almost every other day which will lead to weight gain. “Theories suggest that network ties are shaped by and interact with a broad range of health determinants” says Goodman. Lots of friends always want to go out and drink almost every weekend. Drinking often is very harsh on your body, but there are your close friends, so you go anyways to hang out with your inner circle.

Being obese has to do with everything being put into your body. The world around us isn’t helping with obesity either. When you are driving down the road there is basically a fast food restaurant on every corner, there’s at least three within a mile of my home. This makes it convenient to just pick up dinner instead of having a home cooked meal which would be a better health choice. Even if you are on a budget you can go to a fast food restaurant there Is a dollar menu, of course nothing healthy. The healthy choice would probably be a salad, but they are usually at least six dollars apiece, which could be fine for a single person but not a bug family the cost will add up. Children can also be very picky, one of my sons loves to eat fruits and vegetables, but my other son completely hates them so, what do I do? I just feed him what he wants because he needs to eat. That is probably my own fault for not making him eat them when he was younger. It is pretty obvious that one of my kids is skinny and my other is a little on the chunky side. After class, I’m usually hungry. Instead of going home and eating healthy I will stop by Whataburger or something of that sort. I am overweight myself. I know I am, but I still do nothing about it because I choose what is convenient for me, like most people do.

There are a number of government resources that can help with the obesity epidemic. A wide range of government policies and programs have been implemented including the development of national clinical guidelines, nutritional labeling on packaged foods, education and social marketing efforts, calorie labeling on restaurant menus, and federal efforts to increase access and financing for fresh fruit and vegetables (Novak 1).

What are some solutions that could help with obesity? First, let’s start with childhood solutions that would help. There is a program called “Let’s move!” founded by Michelle Obama, “This program is dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams” (“The obesity solution” 1). This helps to give parents guidance for a healthy environment for both exercise and nutrition. There are two specific plans for Lets Move!. The first is to have healthier choices in school and the second is to make sure that “every family has access to healthy, affordable food” (1). The name of the program also promotes physical activity for children. There also are many different programs within the Let’s Move!. One of them is Let’s Move Active Schools, “which is a national initiative that works to ensure that 60 minutes of physical activity day is the norm in K-12 schools across the country” (“Lets Move” 1).

In Sharma’s words, “I’ve never met anyone who has been cured of their obesity,” (Fell 1). She also goes on to say: “They’ve lost weight and kept it off, but most people are doing something to keep that weight off every single day” (1). She believes, “They are treating the condition, and if they stop that the weight will come back” (1). “I treat my obesity every day via a regular exercise regimen and thoughtfulness about my dietary intake” (1). If you stop eating correctly and stop exercising surely not to long later the weight will start to come on quickly. James Fell says: “I will be in treatment for the rest of my life if I wish to stay lean” (1). Which I would agree from personal experience. I have tried the ketogenic diet, also known as keto, you might have heard of it because it’s a popular diet at the moment. I did this for about three months with few mess-ups and lost around twenty pounds. As soon as I started back to my regular habits, I gained it back pretty quickly. But what is the solution according to James Fell? Subsidizing the right foods and taxing the wrong ones. A 2012 release from the US Public Interest Research Group determined that government subsidization of treat-food additives pay for twenty one Twinkies per taxpayer per year, but those same taxpayers only get half an apple paid for (1). There is something seriously wrong with that math, “Making healthy food less expensive and treat food more expensive can go a long way to improve eating habits” (1).

One of the things you think about when thinking, “what is a solution to obesity?”, would be physical activity and exercising. Obesity comes from taking in too many calories and not burning enough off. Exercise will assist in weight loss or staying at a healthy body weight. “Despite all the health benefits of physical activity, people worldwide are doing less of it” (“The Physical Activity..” 1). Physical activities are going down in countries all over the world. In wealthy countries like the United States and even in poor countries like China. It is obvious that this decline in activity is the reason for this world-wide obesity epidemic and increasing rate of chronic diseases. How much activity do people need to prevent weight gain? Well, researchers found that women in the normal weight range at the start needed the equivalent of an hour a day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity to maintain a steady weight (1). The researchers also found that vigorous activities rather than a slow walk have a bigger impact when trying to lose weight (1). Exercise helps with weight loss but has a bigger impact when combined with a low-calorie eating plan (1).

 In one study, for example, researchers randomly assigned 175 overweight, inactive adults to either a control group that did not receive any exercise instruction or to one of three exercise regimens-low intensity (equivalent to walking 12 miles/week), medium intensity (equivalent to jogging 12 miles/week), or high intensity (equivalent to jogging 20 miles per week) (“Physical Activity” 1). The whole study group was asked to stick to their regular habits for six months (1). After those six months, the volunteers who were assigned to high intensity works did lose abdominal fat (1). On the other hand, volunteers who were on the low or medium intensity did not lost any abdominal fat. Researchers believe that physical activity can help obesity in more ways than one (1). For example, physical activity increases people’s total energy expenditure, which can help them stay in energy balance or even lose weight, as long as they don’t eat more to compensate for the extra calories they burn (1). Physical activity decreases fat around the waist and total body fat, slowing the development of abdominal obesity (1). Physical activity can help lower depression and anxiety which in the long run will keep them motivated to keep moving. From my experience when exercising it will help control losing weight, but the more you work out and get used to getting up and moving you will start to notice you have more energy during the day also, Be moderately active at least an hour a day.

Now here are some healthy weight loss steps according to Dr. Deborah (“Solutions for obesity” 1). Avoid sugars and starches and restrict all carbohydrates; They promote fat storage and inhibit fat burning. Start to increase protein, salad greens, and vegetables while also allowing yourself to eat fat. Once you start to feel full, stop eating (1).

Obesity is a problem that needs multi-discipline approach. Since there are many factors that contribute, it is less likely that only one approach, exercising, will solve the problem for all obese individuals (Wiley 1). Food is part of our culture and daily lives and needs to be “managed” along with other activities such as work, exercise and sleep (Wiley 1).

Albert Camus was an absurdist philosopher, who believed that life had no meaning. He always questioned “what is the meaning of existence”? I do believe that Camus would think that the obesity epidemic is absurd. We bring obesity amongst ourselves but don’t take responsibility for it, we find other people or things to blame for our own problems.

The obesity epidemic can go away, if everyone starts making better health choices. Every community should work together on living a healthy lifestyle. The importance about learning about the obesity epidemic is having a healthy weight and overall health, avoiding life threating diseases, and teaching our kids the healthy way of life.

Works Cited

"Physical Activity". Obesity Prevention Source, 2018, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/physical-activity-and-obesity/. Accessed 10 Nov 2018.

"Solutions For Obesity | Drdeborahmd.Com". Drdeborahmd.Com, 2018, https://www.drdeborahmd.com/solutions-obesity. Accessed 10 Nov 2018.

"The Obesity Solution: Exercise Science And Wellness". Concordia University, St. Paul Online, 2018, https://online.csp.edu/blog/healthcare/the-obesity-solution-how-exercise-science-approaches-wellness. Accessed 10 Nov 2018.

“Obesity: What Is It and Why Should We Care?” Feel Healthy with Dr. Scott Lear, 14 Mar. 2018, drscottlear.com/2018/03/14/obesity-what-is-it-and-why-should-we-care/.

Eknoyan, G. (2018). A History of Obesity, or How What Was Good Became Ugly and Then Bad. [online] Ackdjournal.org. Available at: https://www.ackdjournal.org/article/S1548-5595(06)00106-6/pdf

Fell, James. "What Is The Solution To Obesity?". James Fell, 2018, https://www.bodyforwife.com/what-is-the-solution-to-obesity/. Accessed 10 Nov 2018. Medicine Reports, Elsevier, 2015,

Novak, Nicole, and Kelly Brownwell. “Role of Policy and Government in the Obesity Epidemic.” Obesity, Circulation, 6 Nov. 2012, www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/circulationaha.111.037929.

Pachucki, Mark C., and Elizabeth Goodman. Social Relationships and Obesity: Benefits of Incorporating a Lifecourse Perspective, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 June 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4512667/

Winston, Ginger, et al. “The Relationship between Social Network Body Size and the Body Size Norms of Black and Hispanic Adults.” Preventive"Let's Move! Programs | Let's Move!". Letsmove.Obamawhitehouse.Archives.Gov, 2018, https://letsmove.obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/initiatives. Accessed 4 Nov 2018.