The Social And Psychological Ramifications Of Obesity Essay

For many children and adults, those insults that make life uncomfortable cause them to be sad, lonely, and nervous and in some cases lead to suicidal thoughts and attempts. In the case of children, Seeman and Luciani (2011) explain that “obese children, especially boys, are likely to be victims of bullying. Overweight children report significantly more verbal and physical bullying then their thinner classmates” (Pg.13). These risks are very well known in today’s society. However, an obese individual may not develop all the illnesses and disabilities that come along with being obese in his or her lifetime. It is likely they will have one out of the nine listed above. Even though they may not develop all the illnesses and disabilities, obese individuals should still look into how to lose their weight so they are able to live an enjoyable, long, and healthy

Per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one in three children age two to nineteen in America are obese or overweight, putting them at risk for serious comorbidities. Like many illnesses, obesity reduces the life expectancy and quality of life of those affected. The impact of obesity on children and adolescents’ physical, social and emotion wellbeing can be extremely devastating. The body mass index which most obese children suffer from limit their ability of be mobile. In addition to this, they may endure a change in their academic performance due to their health status. Obese children are less likely to perform to their full potential in school (Wang and Veugelers, 2013). On an emotional level, many obese children and adolescents suffer from low-self-esteem. These self-confidence issues may arise as they start feeling self-conscious about their weight. Unfortunately, at this age, kids tend to highly value their peers’ opinions. This can be negative or positive depending on the individual, but it is most likely going to be negative for obese children. Their peers’ opinions can impact the way they view themselves. Bullying can become a problem, as they constantly worry about their peers teasing them about their weight. It is not easy building self-confidence when one’s self-image is constantly are belittled and scrutinized. Per Wang and Veugelers (2013), a study shows that children’s self-esteem and academic performance decrease due to obesity. Adolescence is a phase in which a person builds and develops not only self-confidence, but his or her personality. Due to this fact, it is extremely important for them to have a strong self-esteem and personality as they grow Moreover, it is essential for policymakers to focus on creating programs to reduce obesity among children because it is the easiest, and best way to lower the national obesity rate. Children are constantly growing in

According to the Endocrine Society webpage, obesity is an enormous concern in the United States and it is related with diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. People with obesity have a higher risk of suffering a heart attack, abrupt cardiac death, angina, and cardiac arrhythmia than those that have a healthy body. Fat accumulation promotes higher levels of triglycerides and bad-cholesterol, and reduces the level of good cholesterol. Other potential health problems for obese people could be a stroke incident or renal failure. In the same way, overweight is a characteristic of young women diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, hormonal dysfunction, and infertility. Furthermore, most of the people with diabetes (Type 2) are obese. The National Health and Nutrition

Throughout the last twenty years there has been an increasing trend of childhood obesity. The trend of childhood obesity is highly discussed more than ever before because prior to 1980 there was not a pandemic of childhood obesity (Type 2 Diabetes, 2015, para. 2). Moreover, many people lack the knowledge of how harmful childhood obesity is and how it can negatively affect their children in numerous ways. However, it is important to realize that there is more than one factor that leads to childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is an increasing trend that supports a sedentary lifestyle and puts children at risk of social criticism, which can impact a child’s social skills negatively. For example, “obesity increases the likelihood of

Obesity occurs over time when you eat more calories than you use. The balance between your genetic makeup, overeating, eating high-fat foods, and not being physically active. Being obese increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and some cancers. If you are obese, losing even 5 to 10 percent of your weight can delay or prevent some of these diseases. For example, that means losing 10 to 20 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds. All of this can come from eating unhealthy foods.

The sociological aspect of obesity shown through the impact of families, the government and the economy. The rapidly growing, fast-paced, technological society creates an epidemic of sorts. Families pursue the use of technology, restaurants and fast-paced eating as well as single parenting and parental denial. The government sets a significant health care cost to obesity, which prevents a solution and increases risks. A non-stable economy brings about a society filled with unemployment or multiple jobs as well as both parents working to stay above absolute or relative poverty leading to distractions from a healthy lifestyle. Obesity is a concern, not just for an individual but also for

This increased prevalence of childhood obesity has correlated with a rise in serious health concerns, once only seen in adults including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and asthma (Freedman, Srinivansan, Berenson, Dietz, 2007; Whitloc, Williams, Gold, Smith, Shipman, 2005; Han, Lawlor, Kimm, 2010). Additionally children who are overweight or obese are at increased risk for being bullied, experiencing psychological distress, mental disorders such as depression and anxiety and low self -esteem (Halfon, Larson, Slusser, 2013). Furthermore, obesity in childhood is a strong predictor of adulthood obesity and therefore a precursor to more serious health consequence throughout the lifespan (Halfon et. al, 2013).

Much has been written to explain the medical aspect of obesity but little attention has been paid to understanding the sociological aspect of the epidemic. This research attempts to understand the sociological aspect of obesity by examining the socio-cultural, gender, and psycho-social effects and includes the different perceptions of the epidemic as well as what is deemed acceptable in the society we live in.

Obesity rates are soaring throughout North America (What Is Obesity?, 2013). With obesity reaching almost epidemic proportions in the United States, and the threat of a global epidemic, we must watch this alarming increase carefully ( Health Risks of Obesity, 2013). Obesity is defined as: "…an excess of adipose tissue…" (A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014). The two most common measures of obesity are Body Mass Index (BMI is a ratio of weight to height) and relative weight index, such as percent desirable weight (Body Mass Index , 2013). BMI is the most frequently used measure of obesity as it has a strong correlation with more direct measures of adiposity, such as underwater weighing (A Report of the Surgeon General, 2013). Some

Being bullied for being overweight or underweight is very common among children and teens. Kids may want to feel accepted, but if they don’t have a normal-weight appearance like their peers they will possibly be more prone to being bullied. Health conditions concern parents as their child grows. Obesity in adolescents have rose up 11 percent from 1980 to 2012 (Magnolia, Paul, PhD, and Kenneth, MD Dill). Obesity results in diabetes, while anorexia

This may not seem like a huge problem; however, being overweight increases the risk of developing other diseases, including life-threatening diseases.

Being obese in adults has consequences for health in both the short term and long term. Obesity is usually asscociated with a large range of diseases, especially diabetes (type 2), hypertension, cancer, heart disease and stroke. Futher more, obesity is also connected with poorer psychological and emotional

Being overweight can cause many health problems, but not everyone may present them. If an individual has a family with a history of health problems, than the risk may increase. Being obese means that people weight about 20% more than what they are supposed to according to their height. While many viruses

Individual problems such as addictions, illnesses and mental depression stalk us throughout our lives, but there is more to addictions, illnesses and mental depression than meets the eye. A good example of this theory is obesity. Obesity in Australia is turning into a problem and as the rates of obesity increase each year, the larger the problem expands. According to sociologist, C. Mills, problems can be divided into either troubles or issues and more often than not, a problem which is seen as a person trouble, when looked at globally, is in fact a social issue. This idea is referred to by C.Mills as the sociological imagination.

Obesity can cause other health problems to occur. There is a direct like between obesity and type 2 diabetes. It also put you at higher risk of developing certain types of cancer and other illnesses