Obesity : Obesity And Obesity

Obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects health or wellbeing. As methods that determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of obesity and its many adverse health effects, it is being recognized as a serious public health concern (Lobstein and Leach, 2007).

According to the National health survey, in 2014-15, 63.4% of Australians aged 18 years and over were overweight or obese that 27.9% of population were obese (about 5 million people), this number has constantly increasing for a decade (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2015). Generally speak, obesity is able to increase the risk of type 2

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic with 67.1% of adults (aged 16 and over) in the UK being overweight or obese according to the

Obesity is defined as defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Obesity is not only based on an individual’s weight but also their BMI. A BMI greater than or equal to 25 is overweight. A BMI greater than or equal to 30 is obesity ((Organization, 2013). Obesity is the most common preventable deaths and the fifths leading health risk globally. Obesity has also been linked to other debilitating diseases and can increase a person’s chances of being hospitalized. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death (cdc.gov, 2014).

Obese- is becoming an “epidemic!” We have 44.3 million people that are either obese or over weight. In 1986, the numbers were at 1 in 2000, and they became 1 in 400 by the year 2000. Even our high school age students are at an all time high of 16% overweight and 10% obese. As that number keeps increasing, future projections for covering healthcare expenditures must figure in the obese-related

Obesity is the 21st centuries plaque. It is a disease spreading at a rapid rate, taking over our society; affecting us from the grass roots up. Obesity, defined as excess fat/weight causing health issues is a multifactorial issue that needs to be addresses. There are too many consequences presented by the disease, both physical and mental to allow it the continual power to destroy the lives of many, too many Australians. The alarming rate at which this disease is spreading must become a topic of conversation for our whole society. Change needs to be seen at every level.

Obesity is a public health issue that has devastatingly developed into a global epidemic. According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is dramatically increasing worldwide at an appalling and intimidating rate with more than 1.9 billion adults aged18 years and older being overweight in 2014. Out of these 1.9 billion adults being overweight, 600 million were classified obese. While the issue regarding overweight and obesity are prevalent in all countries, the National Health and Medical Research Council stated that Australia’s obesity levels have been developing faster than any countries in the world over the past thirty years. Although obesity may have been primarily considered as a personal concern three decades ago; it is overwhelmingly a societal concern today in Australia. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare have measured that in 2011 and 2012, around 63% of Australian adults had the characteristics of being overweight and corpulence. That is over a quarter of the adult population in Australia being obese.

Obesity is a medical condition, in which a person’s excessive body fat accumulates to a point where it may have a negative impact on their health causing serious illness, disability and premature death. In Australia the rate of obesity has gradually increased over time, where in 2011-2012 it was found that 35.3% Australians aged 18 and over were overweight and 27.5% obese. (WHO reference)This health condition is the outcome of a range of social determinants that warrant attention. However this report will focus on and discuss two social determinants that could conceivably lead to obesity or being overweight.

Currently, in Australia, 1 in 4 children are classified as overweight or obese; and the setting surrounding children has been identified as an attribute for this rising prevalence (1). Between 1985 and 1995, Australian children aged 5-14 years, the growth of obesity and overweight epidemic doubled to reach 20% (2). Although the prevalence have plateaued over the last 17 years, the rates continue to remain high, and therefore a cause for concern.

This book comprehensively addresses the subject of obesity. Apart from highlighting the main causes of the epidemic, the book also presents suggestions on what can be done to stem the rising rates of obesity.

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).

In 2008, obesity alone cost Australia 58.2 billion dollars (Obesity Australia, 2014). The majority of the cost of obesity comes from the ever growing list of health-related problems including diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, just to name a few. There are also numerous indirect costs of obesity, which include but are not limited to; the value of lost work and the inflated insurance prices (Withrow D & Alter D, 2011). The long list of physical problems that arise from obesity include; insulin resistance, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancers, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea, osteoarthritis, cognitive impairment and depression (Core.monash.org, 2010). Recently, Cancer Council Australia CEO, Professor Ian Olver stated: “Unchecked, obesity will ultimately surpass tobacco as the major cancer killer in Australia” (Cancercouncil.org.au). The Cancer Council estimated that obese Australians are 23% more likely to fie from cancer, that those within the healthy weight range (Cancercouncil.org.au, 2011). Not only are there medical issues involved with obesity but a raft of adverse social and emotional effects.

Obesity is one of the most challenging and neglected health issues within society (Glenny et al. 1997). In 2008 the Australian Government spent $58 billion on direct healthcare and obesity related management, and this value continues to rise exponentially (ANPHA, 2014). This profound impact on population health has made it a rising concern at the primary health care level. According to (Monash University,2013), 80% of all Australians will suffer from obesity by 2025, leaving future generations to experience shorter life expectancies when they reach twenty years of age.

In April 2018, ABC’s Four Corners program aired an episode about the rising obesity levels in Australia and the link between high processed foods, mainly sugars, and the rising obesity trend. Health professionals are calling this rise the “Obesity Epidemic” as from 2017, 63% of adults and 27% of children are above the healthy weight level compared to 1988 where only 10% of people were considered overweight (ABC, 2018). Many believe the rise in obesity levels are due to the rise of cheap fast food products, an intake of excess added sugar e.g. soft drinks, and a lack of physical exercise. This “obesity epidemic” is the leading health issue in the western world and can have great effects on a a persons health and can act as a catalyst to more

Obesity refers to the condition of having an extra amount of body fat. Obesity is caused by eating too much and moving too little. When an individual’s amount of body fat becomes too high, they are at a greater risk of being affected with life changing diseases such as heart failure, hypertension, type II diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, and others. This shows that people should become more physically active and attempt to make healthier choices because their life depends on the decisions, they make.