Final paper

Obesity Affecting the World Today

By: Emily Schleif

” You couldn't open up a magazine, you couldn't read a newspaper, you couldn't turn on the TV without hearing about the obesity epidemic in America” (Spurlock).  This quote is all truths. Where ever you go in society today there is always some form of advertisement to help lose weight and live healthier lifestyle. In the world today there are several factors that go into obesity, lifestyles, classifications, history, health issues and the solutions. Obesity is all around us the only thing we need to change is trying to make a healthier world.

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems (Wikipedia). One way to check if you are over-weight according to a scientific method is to use the BMI (Body Mass Index). The way to check is weight 703 (height (inches). That will give you a number between zero and over forty.  After finding this number you will be able to classify yourself as severely underweight less than 16.5 (which is less the number you got from BMI), under-weight from 16.5 to 18.4, normal weight from 18.5 to 24.9, overweight from 25.0 to 29.9, obese class 1 from 30 to 34.9, obese class 2 from 35.0 to 39.9, and obese class 3 from 40 and above. As previously stated there are several types of classifications of body sizes, but there is a flaw to them as well, you could be very muscular and have a high BMI and not be overweight just fit and weight more _because of muscle mass. According to the Article “Differences in the relationship between BMI and percentage body fat between Japanese and Australian-Caucasian young men” different countries have different standards for BMI. In Australia when compared to the United States more people would be overweight in Australia because they have lower number standards for weight classification. You would be classified obese at BMI of 23 when in the U.S. that would be considered normal weight. In the world today obesity is affecting every race and culture. A way that it is affecting culture is what the type of food they consume. One aspect that is being discussed more and more is child obesity. There are reasons behind child obesity but the biggest is because poor nutrition.

During the Middle ages and Renaissance because food was scarce and humans struggled to get by, it was a sign of wealth and prosperity to be bigger because it showed you were able to eat (Wikipedia).  During this time period being obese or overweight wasn’t looked upon as a health risk. Another time that having a high BMI was beneficial to have was during times of war. The type of soldiers the military wanted were big body size and strength. Height and weight thus both increased through the 19th century in the developed world. During the 20th century, as populations reached their genetic potential for height, weight began increasing much more than height, resulting in obesity (Wikipedia). When it was realized that weight was increasing more than height, insurance companies started to realize that and they raised their premiums for the population that was obese. One surprising fact stated was “Obesity is still seen as a sign of wealth and well-being in many parts of Africa. This has become particularly common since the HIV epidemic began” (Wikipedia). This statement took me by surprise because whenever I think about Africa, I think about how several Olympic athletes come from there so I pictured in my mind they majority of Africans are fit and active. Another reason I found this statement to be surprising is because, everywhere in the world you go today being in good shape, losing weight is talked about and not praised for being bigger.

When it comes to the causes of obesity there are the obvious reasons and the hidden ones. The biggest hidden reason is genetics. According to the website Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the obesity epidemic is related with our genes. “Genes do play a role in the development of obesity. Most likely, genes regulate how our bodies capture, store, and release energy from food” (CDC). Some of the obvious causes that people become obese are: health conditions, emotions, inactive lifestyle, family history of obesity, low esteem, and smoking.  A couple reasons that can affect a person’s weight that they might not even realize are: the environment, pregnancy, and lack of sleep. There are several health risks that come with being overweight.  One of the main health issues of obesity is cardiovascular disease. Another main issue is diabetes. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that fifty five percent of adults with diabetes are obese (Sterns). Even though obesity and diabetes is on the rise they are both preventable the only problem is sticking to it wanting to change. Some other health risks that come from being obese are, high blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease, hard time breathing, and having troubles sleeping at night. One of the biggest obesity epidemics hitting our world today is children obesity. In the past years child obesity has grown at a significant rate.  According to the CDC Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 18.1% (National). These statistics show that obesity is increasing and if we keep letting it increase its going to drastically affect our world’s future. Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem (National). All these risks for children will hurt them later on in life and cause them pain. Overall, Medical science has not yet found a way to control childhood obesity. It must be done one family, one child at a time (Ashworth).

Around this time of year, people start to make their New Year’s resolution and the one that is most prevalent around the globe is weight loss. Millions of people will try to go after their goal but after a couple of weeks or months people will give up. Still, at any given time of the year, an astonishing 15 to 35 percent of Americans are trying to lose weight (Kassirer). In the world today there is always a new medication, pill, or new dieting routine that come out to try to get people to lose weight.  When it comes to dieting no matter what size you are the main objective is being self discipline. When starting a new diet there are two things that you need to stick to, exercise and the diet. It’s not easy to do both alone when you’re looking for one result when you do both correct they work together to produce the results you would like to see. No matter the amount of weight you lose it can all improve your health. Some other behaviors that would need to be adopted when starting a new diet its avoiding bad foods, making time to work-out, not giving in to temptations, and thinking about the positive and the end results. One of the most important aspects of dieting is that you need to have patients. One surgery that helps with weight loss is Gastric Bypass Surgery. Gastric Bypass Surgery help you lose weight by changing the size of your stomach and how the small intestine handles the food you eat. This type of surgery is considered a major surgery and with any major surgery there are complications that come along with it.  Some of the common types of complications are infection, hemorrhaging, hernia, and bowel obstruction.  The overall result of gastric bypass surgery is to lose sixty five to eighty percent of excess body weight.  Even thought losing a significant amount of weight can have a great ending result it is still an emotional time. The types of emotions that one can experience are, depression in the following months because they are not able to eat the same amount of food as previous, not amount of energy they have will be lower because they will not be consuming as much food as before. The physical complications that result in the negative emotions in the months following the procedure that one could face are, muscle loss, weakness which could cause balance problems, trouble walking up stairs and lifting heavy objects. Even though these are some of the physical complications that can happen but don’t always, after a couple of months of losing all weight and keep losing these side effects will go away once you are use to your new weight. If you compare the struggles to the end result, the end result will always prevail and win.  When it comes to losing weight one of the most important things to have is support. If you talk to anyone about losing weight one of the things they will say is that it is never easy. One reason it is important to have a support system is that that it is hard to lose weight and eat healthier on a daily basis. It has also been proven that you can lose more weight and feel better about yourself when you have people there to help you along the way. Many experts have stated that having a buddy or someone there to support makes a difference between if you’re going to fail succeed.  When looking for a support buddy there are some important aspects to look for, someone that encourages you, always there for you, gives you positive feedback, and guidance.  One thing that might not work-out when looking for a buddy to lose weight with is someone who has the same qualities you see in your in your best friend or spouse.

The world needs to deal with the epidemic of obesity head on. There are too many health issues, and related deaths to obesity and its affecting our children. If we don’t deal with the issue now, when will we? There are several programs implemented into communities that will give everyone a jump start to making and transforming the world, the only issue stopping everyone is excuses and the willingness not to try. There are several benefits that come with losing weight that make you feel better about you on the inside and out. Overall, obesity is a problem in the world today that needs to be solved. We all need to do apart to help everyone out. It will all take time but we can all do it if we work together.  

 

 Work Cited  

1)     Ashworth, Carolyn D. Defeating the Child Obesity Epidemic: a Pediatrician (and Mom) Tells How to Fight Fat, Save Your Children. Dallas, Tex.: PSG Books, 2005. Print.

2)     Kagawa, Masaharu, et al. Differences in the Relationship between BMI and percentage body fat between Japanese and Australian-Caucasian young men. 10 January 2006. 14 December 2010 <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/12067/1/12067.pdf>.

3)     Kassirer, Jerome. "Losing Weight — An Ill-Fated New Year's Resolution." The New England Journal of Medicine (1998): 52-54.

4)     Office of the Associate Director for Communication, Division of News and Electronic Media. Obesity & Genetics. 19 1 2010. 17 December 2010 < http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Obesity/>

5)     National Center for Chronic Prevention and Health. Childhood Obesity.  3 June 2010. 19, December 2010 <http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/obesity/index.htm>

6)      Spurlock, Morgan. Brainy Quotes . 1 January 2001. 14 December 2010 <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/obesity.html>.

7)     Sterns, Judith S. and Alexandra Kazaks. Obesity: A Reference Handbook. San Barbara: ABC- CLIO, 2009

8)     Wikipedia contributors. "Obesity." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

9)     Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 11 Dec. 2010. Web. 14 Dec. 2010.

10)  Stearns, Peter N. Fat History: Bodies And Beauty In The Modern West. New York: New York University Press, 1997. Print.