The Obese Epidemic
Have you
ever wondered what the difference is between being obese and being overweight?
In this paper, the definition of being obese should be explained. Using someone’s Body Mass Index (BMI) will
determine whether they are overweight or underweight (Overweight and
Obesity). Although BMI does not directly
show one’s body fat, it shows a strong correlation between a lot of factors
that indicates if one is obese (1). One’s BMI is found by taking their weight
in kilograms and dividing it by their height in meters (1). If there BMI is from 25 to 30, then that
person is considered obese, but if their BMI is 30 or over, then they are
considered obese (1). Anywhere from a
18.5 to 25 BMI is normal, and anything less that an 18.5 BMI is underweight
(1). Obesity is no small issue in
America, from 2015-2016, there were about 93.3 million adults who were affected
by obesity (1). So, let’s dive into some of the history of obesity.
The current epidemic of obesity has
only been around for a few decades (Eknoyan). During the eighteenth century, there were
technological advancements, some that helped in the increase of food supply
(1). Initially, these advances in
technology improved public health as well as increased the lifespan of many
types of food (1). This allowed for
people to have more food since there was an easier access to all types of food
and reduced physical activity (1). Those
two things are the variables in the equation that cause obesity. Since food would be scarce during different
times in history, it led people to believe that being fat was a good sign
(1). It was not until the second half of
the nineteenth century that being fat started to have its negative social
effects (1). During the twentieth
century, it was believed to be that obesity is a factor of chronic nephritis
(1). This means that when someone is
obese it might lead up to kidney disease specifically chronic nephritis
(1). There have been more studies done
over the past decade to give us enough evidence to prove that obesity will lead
to chronic nephritis (1). So, what is
chronic nephritis exactly? It is a
disease, specifically in the kidneys, that affects the nephrons in the kidneys
by making them to become inflamed (Dresden).
The nephrons are the functional units in the kidneys (1). Inflammation of the nephrons has a direct
association with having an effect on kidney functioning (1) . There are quite a few different types of
nephritis, some chronic and some are temporary (1). There are other ways, besides obesity, to get
chronic nephritis such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, old
age, or it could even be hereditary (1).
The symptoms of nephritis include the following: different urine habits,
different urine color, blood in urine, foamy urine, and swelling of the body
(1). This disease can be treated,
nonetheless, through medications (1). So
obesity is not only dangerous by itself, but it can cause other diseases.
Obesity has become very prevalent in
these past few years, and it is still a growing threat. Here is a brief example of how obesity has
increased over the year. In 1990, about
15% of the United States population was made up of obese adults (An Epidemic of
Obesity: US Obesity Trends). Since 2003, the obesity rates have stayed steady
while slightly rising over the years (1).
In 2010, there were 36 states where a quarter of their population were
obese, and 12 of those states had a 30% obesity rate or higher (1). In today’s society, a little of two thirds of
all American adults are overweight, and around one third of American adults are
obese (1). It is not only the adults who
suffer from obesity. The youth are also
struggling with obesity as it is steadily rising in children and teenagers
(1). If you picked 6 people from the age
group of 2 to 19, at least one of them would be obese (1). For children and teenagers, there are
multiple risks of being obese. These
include: increases chances of adult obesity, increases risk of heart disease,
high blood pressure, high cholestrol, and high blood sugar (1). Obesity is an epidemic that is very serious
for all age groups and continues to be a growing threat in society.
Other than physical consequences of
being obese, there are social consequences.
Obesity stigma is a real thing and is very prevalent (World Obesity
Day). People with obesity can be
stigmatized by family, friends, teachers, classmates, coworkers, employers, the
media, and other groups (1). Being
stigmatized as an obese person can lead to serious psychological issues such as
anxiety, depression, suicide, and lowered confidence in themselves (1). There can also be physiological issues, for
example, obesity stigma can cause disordered eating patterns, lack of physical
activity, and avoiding medical care (1).
It is not only adults who are being stigmatized, but the children are as
well. These obese children can be as
young as six before the prejudice of other people begin (Wadden). Prejudice will be shown to them in the
academic and work settings (1). There
were studies that showed that children with obesity have a 63% chance of
getting bullied in their schools (World Obesity Day). The same psychological and physiological
effects that can occur with adults who are stigmatized for being obese also can
occur in these bullied children (1). Not
only can these children be bullied by their classmates, but teacher can
stigmatize their obese students (1).
This can affect that student’s education levels (1). This will not lay down a solid foundation for
their future as far as their opportunities for a successful life. So, it is very clear that not only can
obesity hurt people physical but also socially and psychologically.
Why do obese people work towards
getting rid of obesity; well, there was a study done asking obese people why it
is so difficult to go back to a healthy weight (Mozes). The study showed that obese people ate food
that tasted better and did not even check the nutritional values (1). There were some people who tried slimming
down by eating smaller meals, but on the other hand, did not work out to
accompany the smaller meals (1). Another
problem for these people is that typically, healthier food is more expensive
(1). Another issue with these obese people
is that they are not motivated enough to start living healthier (1). Getting rid of obesity takes much hard work
and dedication, and that may not come easy to all those who suffer from
obesity.
Unfortunately, there is not a
certain type of serum that cures obesity instantly (“Strategies to Prevent
Obesity”). Obesity is a very complicated
epidemic that requires a complicated and tedious solution (1). In order for obesity to be eradicated, it is
going to take the combined efforts of healthcare professionals, state
organizations, businesses, schools, and individuals (1). With everyone doing their part in getting rid
of obesity, a healthy environment will be produced for present and future
generations (1). A healthy lifestyle
will provide the means for those with obesity to get rid of it (1). Things such as eating healthier and working
out would be key parts of stopping obesity.
As a society, we need to encourage each other to live healthier. By doing this, obesity will no longer be an
issue in our world. One thing that might
assist the encouragement of one another is public awareness (Hussung). Many people know that obesity is a problem,
but not everyone knows how serious of a problem it actually is. So, more public awareness would enlighten those
who do not know how serious obesity is.
MyPlate is a government ran organization that helps people with their
food choices which, with consistency, will ultimately lead to a healthier diet
(1). Their main focus is in the amount
of fruit, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy people consume (1). They know that those food groups lay the
foundation for a healthy diet (1). There
is another government organization geared towards healthier lifestyles for
people called the Prevention and Public Health Fund (1). It was started by the Affordable Care Act and
is used as a national investment for community and clinical prevention
initiatives, research surveillance and tracking, public health infrastructure,
and public health workforce and training (1).
Essentially, it is the government making efforts for America to be
healthier. In 2015, there was about $73
million that the Prevention and Public Health Fund sent towards efforts in
stopping diabetes throughout all 50 states (1).
The Prevention and Public Health Fund has saved up $35 million to donate
towards nutrition and physical activities (1).
There are many other state and local organizations that help increase
obesity awareness, but, once again, it is going to take efforts from everyone
to efficiently stop this obesity epidemic.
Since
obesity is a serious problem in people from all age groups, there are different
ways to deal with obesity for each age group.
During infancy, it was discovered that the longer that babies are
breastfed, the less likely the will grow overweight later in their life
(Obesity Prevention). There is a 15-25
percent chance for breastfed babies to less likely become overweight, studies
have shown (1). If that baby is
breastfed for at least 6 months, there is now a 20-40 percent chance of that
baby less likely becoming overweight (1).
What this means is that babies who are breastfed for a longer amount are
less like to become overweight in their future years.
For infants, there are not that many
prevention steps because they are very young and still developing. However, for children and teens, there are
many more steps in the prevention of obesity.
This is the case because the childhood and adolescent years play a
pretty big role in your health as an adult.
The children and teens who do not exercise enough or eat unhealthy are
typically the ones who become overweight or obese in their later years
(1). Also, genetics and lifestyle can
factor into one’s weight (1). Now, here
are a few steps that should be applied to the lives of children and
teenagers. Rather than focusing on one’s
weight, try focusing on changing eating habits and amount of exercise (1). Those two things need to be a slow and
gradual change instead of an huge and immediate change (1). For example, take someone who never works
out. If they suddenly work out every day of the week, they will probably hate
it and end up quitting. Now, instead of
working out every day of the week, they try working out a little bit each
week. Once they get comfortable working
out, then they start working out more and more each week. The same type of change applies to their diet
as well. Physical activity should be
made fun and should be encouraged to children and teens (1). This will help them enjoy exercising rather
than it being another thing on their to-do list. Another step is to reduce time in front of
the television or the computer (1).
Eating fruits and vegetables throughout the day is another great step in
preventing future obesity (1). Those
were just a few of the steps in help lay down the foundation of a healthy
lifestyle, which will lead to preventing obesity in that child’s life. Those steps should be administered by
parents, teachers, and others who are in authority over the children.
For adults, most of those same steps
apply. One of the steps that would
differ is the amount of exercise (1).
Exercising as an adult should be more strenuous and focused on more as
an adult than as a kid (1). This will
keep more adults consistent with their healthy lifestyle. Also, adults need to eat healthier foods such
as whole grain foods, and they need to avoid highly processed foods (1). As you can tell, the steps in adults are a
little more in depth than the prevention steps in children and adolescents.
To start off, Camus was a man of
many talents. He was a journalist,
editor, playwright, director, novelist, author, political activist, and a
philosopher (Aronson). One of his
biggest claims was that there is no inherent meaning to life (1). If he were to see obesity, Camus would
probably have thought that obesity is just another example of how life is
meaningless. He would have argued that
obesity along with other diseases have the ability to shorten our meaningless
life spans on this earth.
In conclusion, obesity is a serious
issue that affects people from all around the world. It can take place in someone’s life at any
age. Relatively, obesity has not been
around for that long and only started becoming a serious issue a few decades
ago because of advancements in food supply and production. In order for obesity to be put to an end, it
is going to take everyone to pitch and do their part to create a healthy
environment. Obesity may be a huge
problem now, but, hopefully, it can be put to rest in the coming years.
Works Cited
“An Epidemic of Obesity: U.S.
Obesity Trends.” The Nutrition Source,
12 Apr. 2016, www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/an-epidemic-of-obesity/ .
Aronson, Ronald. “Albert Camus.”
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 10 Apr. 2017,
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/camus/.
Dresden,
Danielle. “Nephritis: Types, Causes, and Symptoms.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 28 Sept. 2018,
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312579.php.
Eknoyan,
Garabed. “A History of Obesity, or How What Was Good Became Ugly and Then Bad.”
Advances in Chronic Kidney Disease,
U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2006,
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17045228
Hussung, Tricia. “The Obesity
Solution: Exercise Science and Wellness.” Concordia University, St. Paul
Online, 6 Apr. 2018, https://online.csp.edu/blog/healthcare/the-obesity-solution-how-exercise-science-approaches-wellness.
Mozes,
Alan. “Why Obese People Find It So Tough to Slim Down.” WebMD, WebMD, 20 June 2018,
www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/news/20180620/why-obese-people-find-it-so-tough-to-slim-down#1.
“Obesity Prevention.” Stanford
Health Care (SHC) - Stanford Medical Center,
https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/healthy-living/obesity/prevention.html
“Overweight
& Obesity | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/obesity/index.html
“Strategies to Prevent Obesity |
Overweight & Obesity | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/obesity/strategies/index.html.
Wadden,
T A, and A J Stunkard. “Social and Psychological Consequences of Obesity.” Annals of Internal Medicine, U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Dec. 1985, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4062126.
“World
Obesity Day: Understanding the Social Consequences of Obesity.” World Health Organization, World Health
Organization, 10 Oct. 2017,
www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/nutrition/news/news/2017/10/world-obesity-day-understanding-the-social-consequences-of-obesity.
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