Teenagers and obesity
The current generation, more than there before is grappling with the menace of obesity. It is a fact that there are many parts of the world, especially in the African and Asian countries where people literally die of starvation, malnutrition and under-weight circumstances, yet it is a fact as well that the world is more obese that any other time in history. In a simple manner, obesity can be described as the excessive accumulation of fats in the body. These are fats that the body does not need and yet cannot digest and utilize it all in order to get rid of it. From a medical perspective, when the body mass index (BMI) goes beyond 30 then one is considered obese. The BMI is calculated by dividing the weight of an individual by the Square of the Height in Meters (WHO, 2011).
There are two major causes of obesity; the ingestion of fat rich foods and energy dense foods, which are also rich in sugar and salt. These foods are also noted to be low in essential minerals, vitamins and the essential micronutrients. The other cause of obesity that the WHO (2011) places much emphasis upon is the sedentary lifestyle that one lives. This lifestyle can be occasioned by urbanization and the reduced active life that urbanization comes with, the docile employment environments that many are exposed to of late as well as the evolving means of transport that leaves little walking to be done by people.
Hypothesis
This analysis seeks to divulge the extent to which
It is no doubt that obesity exists worldwide, but it is a very prevalent issue in the US. This pandemic has certainly risen in focus in the past decade, with a rate of obese children that has quadrupled since the 1970s. Though this issue seems quite new, obesity exists in every generation, and the adults in the current generation are living with thirty-four percent of their fellow adults obese. This amount may seem high, and
Recently, a lot of debate has gone around about whether or not obesity is considered a disease or not. It is very difficult to pinpoint one sole reason obesity is occurring in people, there are many different justifications for what causes a person to become obese. Obesity is a disease that is currently sweeping the entire world. Percentages of not just adults, but children are skyrocketing like never before. People have never been so overweight until now. I am going to examine why obesity is considered a disease through a scientific, economic, historical, and futuristic lenses.
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).
Obesity is a big problem in our world today. From the beginnings of 1970’s, America is known for the country on the fast track for being overweight. Obesity can cause health related issues among the people. From the early childhood onwards kids got attacked by the type II diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and some other lifelong diseases.
Obesity is becoming one of the biggest problems in the country, but there has to be reasons for it. It can be the economy, society now, or people and companies. It’s time that our country starts to realize that we can’t live like this anymore. We need to see what is causing the sudden rise in obesity, and what we can do to fix it. Education of risks and solutions can be very helpful. Obesity is killing so many people, yet is still 100 percent avoidable. Our country is beginning to care less and really let themselves go. The fast food industry, supermarkets, and schools are the ones at fault for the spreading problem of obesity.
Besides, studies have shown that “The obesity epidemic ranks among the leading causes”. (WHO, 1998) are “poor diet and physical inactivity were the second leading cause of death in the USA in 2000 and may soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of avoidable death” (Mokdad et al.,2004). “Obesity is a complex medical condition, which has social and psychological dimensions and some major economic aspects.” (WHO, 2000). “It affects people of all ages and socio-economic groups, and of both genders, and is not restricted to developed countries” (WHO, 2000). From
Obesity is a health condition where a persons body weight is heavier than what is considered healthy for a certain height. To determine if someone is obese, a nutritionist measures their body mass index, which correlates with their amount of body fat. If the BMI is 30 or above, their body weight is twenty percent higher than an ideal height weight ratio and considered obeast.
It is no surprise that obesity is becoming an increasingly prominent health concern. In fact, since 1980 global obesity has almost doubled. (1) “The percentage of children aged 6-11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12-19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period.” (2) “35% of adults aged 20 and over were overweight in 2008, and 11% were obese.” (1) To put these percentages into perspective, in 2008 the world population was at almost 7 billion, more than 1.4 billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight, roughly 500 million were obese. (1) Obesity can no longer simply be a concern; it is a
I chose this topic because I believe that America needs a better understanding of Obesity, so one can prevent and treat Obesity to improve the lives of those affected. I also have an uncle who has been affected greatly by this disease. By writing this paper, I am spreading the word about the harmful and life threatening effects of Obesity, which might prevent the spreading of the disease or save a life.
The emergence of obesity is attributed to sociological, genetic, economic and political causes. Obesity has made its way into
According to The Sociology of Obesity it is believed that the “obesity epidemic is largely driven by environmental factors” which are coupled with the lack of nutritional foods and the “excessive use of motor vehicles” and leading a sedentary life (Rosengren & Lissner 2008). With the increase of energy dense food which is relatively cheaper than high quality food and mor accessible especially to the lower socioeconomic classes. With each country, there are different stages of development, but in the western world (America), the socioeconomic slopes with “respect to obesity are both heterogeneous and in transition” (Rosengren et al., & Korbonits (2008). The impact upon the obese has resulted in the stigmatization and has caused great concern
Being obese is a tremendous issue in the United States . According to the book the “Obesity: Cultural and BioCultural Perspectives”by Alexandra A.Brewis, there is an assessment mentioned in the book that was made by the “World Health Organization”. The assessment mentions that “ one third of the people are now overweight or obese . Within two decades , if the current trend continue, the number will be more than two-thirds”.(Brewis 1)
It’s no secret that obesity is a serious worldwide issue and a diseased affecting many people’s lives around the world and becoming a huge health problem. In the book titled I know someone who is obesity written by Sue Barraclough stated that over 400 million people on Earth are conceder obese since 2009. “In Nov. 2010 the US Surgeon General reported that an estimated 500,000 deaths per year were attributed to obesity. “According to BBC news Obesity was the third leading cause of death in 2015, after smocking and high blood pressure. For years scientists and studies have been trying to identify if obesity is a diseased or more of a condition.
Obesity is defined as being grossly fat or overweight. It’s a common disorder involving excessive body fat that increases the risk of health problems. Obesity is also a chronic disease that can have a negative effect on many systems in your body. It is classified as having a Body Mass Index(BMI) of 30 or greater. This condition is very common and usually self treatable rather you choose to diet or exercises which are great strategies for losing weight. Obesity increases your risk of developing related conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, and hypertension. There are more than 40 medical conditions that are associated with obesity and individuals who are obese are at risk of developing one or more of these medical conditions. Obesity has been a major healthcare concern in the United States and rates of obesity worldwide have more than doubled since 1980. It can occur at any age, even in young children and in order to prevent being obese we must take better care of our bodies and health.
Regardless of the recent increased attention by doctors, researchers, and the media, no discernable progress has been made in fighting obesity. Accordingly, the rise in obesity is one of the most redundant health stories of the year. The prognosis for nations is bad and even growing worse as obesity takes its toll on the health of adults and children. According to White (2007), it looks almost certain that obesity will get worse before it gets better.