Obesity : A Significant Public Health Problem

Obesity is defined as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduce life expectancy and/or increased health problems. “The problem of obesity is increasing in the United States. Understanding the impact of social inequalities on health has become a public health priority in the new millennium. Social, political, and economic factors now are acknowledged to be "fundamental" causes of disease that affect behavior, beliefs, and biology.” (Goodman, 2003)  In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. Obesity has not always been seen as a medical

Obesity has been a growing problem in the U.S. for more than a decade. Various reasons and theories are thrown around as to the cause of this severe problem by psychologists, dietitians, and professors trying to pinpoint a single cause. Due to America’s vast supply of resources, luxurious living standards, and moral of the country, there is no one cause for obesity contrary to advertisements offering a quick-fix drug. America’s obesity problem is rooted much deeper than just cheap fast food and poor choices. Medical conditions, influence of genes, unhealthy lifestyles, and mental illnesses are all contributors towards obesity in any one person. Obesity is a serious problem in America with multiple contributors and one lone solution

Obesity is an illness, and it is becoming a pandemic, according to an article by Karl Persson 34% of the United States population is classified as obese and these numbers are expected to hit 50% by the year 2030 (person, 2015). To put into perspective ,30% seems like a small number but

Obesity has been measured or defined in various ways. Many researchers have differing opinions on the origins and effects of obesity. The rapidly increasing rates of obesity are often linked to a high calorie diet and little to no physical activity. Although obesity is seen as a disease that affects a person’s weight, it actually affects a lot more than that. Obesity can affect individuals in both adolescence and adulthood, their families, and the healthcare system. From an outside viewpoint, obesity looks like a disease that careless, inactive people develop. Not always is this the case. Obesity is not a disease that affects solely the weight of a person. To be considered obese, your BMI (body mass index) would have to be 30 or higher. Almost 70 percent of Americans are either overweight or obese. Not only does obesity affect the weight of a person, it can also lead to increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, and many other things. Questions posed on this dreadful disease by many people are on the origin of the disease, the effects and exponential growth of the disease, and the actions that are being taken to help provide a healthier environment for Americans and to establish programs and preventative methods across the country to help fight the ever increasing obesity rate.

Obesity has been a problem in America for multiple years. Obesity rates in the United States are going to increase 37% in the next twenty-five years (Pomeranz 2009). According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 68.8% of adults are overweight or obese, one in every 20 people or 6.3% of adults have extreme obesity and 3 in every 4 males or 74% of males are obese (Overweight and Obesity 2009). Once someone comes to the realization that they are obese, it can be hard to turn their life around and lose some of that weight that is making them obese. Obesity can be the cause of multiple health related issues that Americans face. For example, obesity can cause type two diabetes, cardio metabolic disease,

Obesity presents numerous health risks, both physical and mental. Obesity has been linked to or is a risk factor for many non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease (including stroke and heart) type two diabetes, many cancers (including breast, colorectal….), musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis, depression and mental health disorders. Obesity along with all of the alarming health implications have the ability to

Children with obesity may experience trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, early puberty, flat feet, and constipation (Knowlden & Sharma, 2013). Obesity is closely related to mental health as well. Negative perceptions of body image associated with obesity place children at a higher risk of low self-esteem, depression, and poor performance at school (Knowlden & Sharma, 2013). When obesity continues into adulthood, it is associated with several health concerns, such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, pulmonary diseases, diabetes mellitus, and

Obesity is associated with a number of long term conditions which place significant burden on individuals. The growing issue of obesity can be slowed down, if society focuses on the effects of obesity. Concentrating on psychological problems, health problems and social care, overtime, obesity can be decreased and lead to a healthier

While there are several surgical options, there are two procedures that are most commonly perfomed. The gastric bypass procedure divides the patients stomach into two pieces, rerouting the large intestine to the smaller of the two pouches—limiting the amount of food a patient can eat, as well as reducing food absorption after indigestion (Groven et al 509). So, the gastric bypass surgery is not only the most commonly performed procedure, but it results in the most significant amount of weight loss (Groven et al 509). Another commonly performed and fairly new procedure is the sleeve gastrectomy. During a sleeve gastrectomy procedure, the surgeon removes 70-80% of the patient’s stomach, creating a tubular pouch that often resembles a banana—limiting the number of calories that can be absorbed (Gumbs et al 962). This new tubular stomach pouch holds a considerably smaller volume than the normal stomach, helping significantly reduce the amount of food that can be consumed, as well as reducing hunger and blood sugar levels (Gumbs et al 962). Although the gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy are the most common bariatric surgeries, every weight loss surgical procedure reduces caloric intake by modifying the anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract; therefore, resulting in not only weight loss but the loss or reduction of existing

The most common eating disorder in our society is excessive eating which includes craving and compulsive eating which can quite often result in obesity (http://www.nutramed.com/zeno/addictive.htm#exorphins). Obesity is a body condition where a person's body mass index is greater than 30. Other diseases that can accompany or follow obesity include diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Also, obese people are at a greater risk of certain kinds of cancer like breast, colon, and uterine cancer. Nori Geary, an associate professor of psychiatry at Cornell University, did a great deal of work on the physiological control of feeding behavior

Obesity has caused great dilemma in America. It was known as an adult disease. “Over two thirds of adults are over weight or obese.”(Obesity, Jerry R Ballenttne) these numbers are increasing rapidly. Obesity is not just a appearance

Psychologist are reasoning why individuals, despite understanding the consequences that accompany obesity, continue to overindulge while engaging in less physical exercises. In this regard, recent research has shown that there is psychological aspect of obesity which means that it is related to brain disorders. This implies that consideration of the mental component of

In recent years, the number of people that diagnosed with clinical obesity has dramatically increased. Although, what are the factors that can influence a person to become obese? Hyperphagia is related to obesity? Those are some crucial questions that this paper will try to answer. “Obesity is a medical and psychological condition characterized by an excessive accumulation of body fat to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health’’ (World Health Organization,2017). One widely used measure of obesity is body mass index (BMI), correlates in direct measures to body fat and height (Gazzaniga,2015). Recent evidence suggests that people with BMIs over 35-45 were most likely to die (Flegal, Kit, Orpana, & Graubard,2013).

In the simplest terms, obesity is a chronic condition of excess stored body fat (Balantine). Such a minor problem hardly warrants the need for worry; surely a few pounds in excess and snug-fitting jeans are not enough to cause nation-wide apprehension. However, Dr. Tansneem Bhatia, medical director and founder, the Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine, goes on to describe that similarly to depression, alcoholism, or anxiety, there are several medical patterns including hormone imbalances, neurotransmitter deficiencies, and nutritional exhaustion which contribute to the disease of obesity (Rossi). Although the severity of more than one in three Americans suffering from obesity is significant and the health complications are notable, is it enough or even acceptable to medically define obesity as a disease? Doctors from coast to coast insist the term can be justified. For instance, Dr. Pam M. Peeke, assistant clinical professor of Medicine, University of Maryland, straightforwardly maintains that obesity

Obesity is classified as one of the extremely common and serious public health problems in the world. Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading global risks of mortality in the world (World Health Organization, 2009). Furthermore, they are one of the major factors of for a number of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer (World Health Organization, 2005). According to NHS UK, obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more for adults, and the UK 1990 growth reference curves are used to define obesity for Children (Cole TJ, Freeman JV, Preece MA, 1995). The growing challenge of obesity of Europe countries is remarkable among Asian countries .In 2008, 1.4 billion adults (35%) aged 20 and over were overweight and 500 million were obese (11%). More than 40 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2012(World Health Organization, 2014). That is the global obesity situation. Furthermore, the obesity problem in the UK is not optimistic, the UK has the highest obesity rates among Europe countries, and this trend has strikingly increased over the recent years to the point where more than 20% of the population are now obese. (University of Birmingham, 2014) However, the obesity situation in Singapore is more worrisome. In 2010, 40% adults aged 18 to 69 were overweight and 10% were obese which is more than double the level seen in 1992. (Ministry of Health Singapore, 2010) This essay will