Introduction
Obesity refers to a medical condition whereby a person’s body structure is made up of excessive body fats to an extent that is detrimental to their health. More generally obesity and overweight are defined the same way as conditions where a person body fats are above normal levels (Chen, 2008). The official definition of World Health Organization (WHO) states that “obesity is a condition where a person has abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health” (WHO.com, 2010). The scientific approach of determining obesity in a person is the Body Mass Index (BMI); a ratio index that compares a person’s weight against their height in order to arrive at a numerical figure that is used to determine if a person is obese or not (Chen, 2008). The current global projections by WHO on the trend of obesity indicates that more than 3 billion adults would be overweight by the year 2015 (WHO.com 2010). In this paper we are going to discuss the causes of obesity, risk factors, management, prevention, and summarize emerging research findings in the area of obesity in general.
Background Information
According to the WHO obesity and overweight are defined and categorized differently; a person is defined as overweight if their BMI figure exceeds 24, beyond 29 the official definition of the condition becomes obesity (WHO.com 2010). Nevertheless, numerous research findings indicate that risk factors of diseases associated with obesity tend to significantly increase among persons that have BMI of 21 and above. Generally obesity is categorized into three groups: class I obesity, class II obesity and class III obesity (MediLexicon.com, 2010).
Class I obesity is for individuals within the range of 30-34 BMI, Class II obesity for persons between 35-40 while Class III is for persons with BMI figure that is above 40 and the most serious of all (MediLexicon.com, 2010).
The current trend of unhealthy eating habits that is most prevalent in developed countries as well as in developing countries has been brought about by an array of circumstances that had combined together to cause this phenomenon. Among the major factors that contributes to the culture of unhealthy foods includes overpopulation, reduced farm yields, advent of Genetic Engineering (GE) technology, work related pressures, reduced incomes, and the power of advertisement industry (Boero, 2003)
Causes of Obesity
The major cause that is attributed to the high rate of obesity prevalence in the world today is mainly because of lifestyle changes. The term lifestyle when used in this context describes a particular way of living based on two forms of determinants; types of food eaten and physical activeness (Kim and Willis, 2007). One of the major factor that is attributed to overweight in both adults and children is dietary intake of food that are high in fats, sugars and carbohydrates; more than the maximum amounts that the body requires for it sustenance. When high diets of fats, carbohydrates and sugars are consistently taken over time the result is accumulation of energy that is stored in form of fats within a person’s body leading to excessive weight (Puhl and Heuer, 2009).
Lack of exercise is not a cause of obesity per se; rather it is a confounding factor that accelerates the process of obesity given that the body is not actively utilizing the excess energy that is stored in form of body fats. However recent research findings indicates that the cause of obesity or overweight in that case are hardly limited to the two factors mentioned above; obesity is now also determined to be influenced by a person’s genetic makeup, frequency of eating, rate of metabolism, medications, psychological factors and certain diseases all of which varies among different people (Mitchell, Padwal, Chuck and Klarenbach, 2008).
Regardless of the amount of food intake that a person consumes, frequency of eating has been determined to be a causative factor of obesity in general. Whereas this factor is not yet clearly understood, most research studies attribute the phenomenon to the metabolism process of cholesterol and insulin, which are the two major agents that determine the accumulation of fats in the body (MedlinePlus.com, 2010). As a matter of fact it has been observed that when small meals are taken several times a day there is less insulin and cholesterol levels in the blood system compared to when only one large meal is taken (Mitchell et al, 2008). Thereby, verifying the significance of frequency of food intake to the outcome of obesity.
A closely related factor to the frequency of food intake pertains to the type of food eaten; in fact this is perhaps the leading causative factor of obesity when all other conditions are equal (MedlinePlus.com, 2010). For instance, french-fries when eaten regularly is known to significantly contribute to overweight; besides, it has been found to have adverse effect on a person health in general (Boero, 2007). In America it is ranked as the leading risk factor by food type that significantly contributes to obesity (Puhl and Heuer, 2009). Carbonated soft drink have also been linked to overweight due to their high sugar content; all soft drinks are produced using a type of artificial sugar called acetamine which is also now linked by recent research studies as the cause of certain types of cancerous diseases (Boero, 2007).
Most burgers, fried potatoes, dough nuts, hot dogs, and most of baked foods are just examples of other food types that are associated with overweight due to their high cholesterol, carbohydrates and sugar content.
Risk Factors of Obesity
Risk factors are different from causative factors in that risk factors predisposes someone to a certain disease condition by virtue of a person’s characteristics, genetic makeup or any other characteristic that increases a person probability of contracting a certain disease condition (Puhl and Heuer, 2009). In this section we are going to discuss such factors as pertains to obesity. Genetics is perhaps one of the recent causative factors of obesity that has recently been confirmed through various research studies on the subject.
The predisposition of a sibling to become overweight at any point of their lifetime is determined by the nature of their parent genetic characteristics. This is because obesity is actually linked to genetic makeup of an individual as a result of leptin deficiency; a hormone that is essential in weight regulation that functions by signaling the brain when more calorie intake is required or vice versa (Balentine and Mathur, 2010). Hence, deficiency of leptin among obese persons is a documented common characteristic that makes them unable to control their food intake thereby leading to their obese condition.
The rate of food metabolism is directly proportional to the amount of food intake that is burned by the body; naturally the rate of metabolism in men is higher than in women simply because men have higher muscle density than women which is the determinant factor of metabolism rate (Balentine and Mathur, 2010).
Later on and with age, the rate of metabolism gradually reduces both in men and women since muscle density generally decreases thereby significantly reducing the rate of metabolism; this is the reason why obesity is more prevalent above adults of certain age than in young people (Balentine and Mathur, 2010).
Other factors that are known to contribute to weight gain are certain medications such as antidepressants, anti-convulsants including most diabetic medications which are known to induce weight gain through side effects (MediLexicon.com. (2010). Other forms of medications that are known to cause overweight include most forms of contraceptives methods that are usually made with hormones. Notable psychological conditions that are associated with obesity include Bulimia and binge eating; bulimia nervosa is a common occurrence among young people that is characterized by excessive food intake followed by episodes of vomiting which is attributed to feelings of guiltiness (MediLexicon.com, 2010).
Relationship of Obesity and other Diseases
In the same way that some factors are risk factors for obesity, obesity is itself a risk factor for a range of other common occurring diseases that are only prevalent to persons that are overweight. Presence of obesity alone predisposes someone to an array of not less than ten disease conditions that ranges from cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure to hypertension. The proportion of the risk that is posed by an obesity condition is directly correlated to the level of BMI figure; hence the risk of suffering from associated diseases rapidly increases with high BMI figures (Mitchel et al 2008).
There are four broad categories of diseases conditions that are directly linked to obese conditions: cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders and specific types of cancers (Chen, 2008).
It is notable to note that worldwide and particularly in developed countries, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death of up to 17 million people annually according to the WHO (2010). Other specific diseases that are linked to obesity include type II diabetes, osteoarthritis, colon cancer and breast cancer. Considering that a third of the population is already considered obese in United States, the rate of prevalence of these associated diseases is even set to increase every year.
Obesity Management
Needless to say prevention and management of obesity is the only way that can effectively reduce morbidity rate for most of this other related diseases. Since obesity is largely a factor of three key determinants; food intake, type of diet and level of physical activity any form of interventions must be structured along these determinants. A comprehensive strategy of dealing with challenges associated with overweight and obese conditions are contained in a resolution adopted in 2004 by the World Health Assembly titled the “WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health” (WHO.com, 2010).
The focus of this resolution is on two key areas; it emphasizes the need for healthy diets to people and promotes engagement in physical activity (WHO.com, 2010). This resolution serves an additional function of complementing a similar framework adopted by WHO that is focused on prevention and management of chronic diseases in general given that obesity is a key determinant factor in this case as well.
The adoption is titled WHO Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Framework that set outs key strategic objectives that include: promotion of healthy living, high nutritional values in foods, halting and reversing the current trend on chronic disease prevalence and promotion of regular exercise (WHO.com, 2010).
In practical terms, activities that are necessary to achieve reduced obesity prevalence and consequently lower the rate of chronic disease include reducing intake of particular types of foods especially that have high contents of fats, sugars and carbohydrates. Increase food consumption with high nutritional values of vitamins such as vegetables and fruits, regular water intake and heightened physical activity for at least half an hour each day.
However, it is clear that the challenges presented by the current prevalence of obesity worldwide go beyond the dietary and health factors that we have so far discussed. To address effectively the problems associated with the present trends of obesity and overweight a different approach and strategy is necessary that goes beyond the direct causative factors of the condition. For instance obesity is also caused by the high population increase in the world today: due to the high population increase the current trend in food habits is moving towards genetically modified, non organic foods which research studies has proved to have less nutritional benefit to the body compared to organic types (Puhl and Brownell, 2009).
Other reasons has to do with shrinking income levels and work pressure which means that on average a person does not have the time, energy and money to prepare and eat healthy food. The alternative is fast food joints restaurants that offer cheap and readymade foods that are very convenient under the circumstances but which are largely made up of high carbohydrates and sugar content. It is also a known fact that some of the most unhealthy food that are directly associated with obesity are being advertised and promoted by food giants Company’s such as Coca-Cola and Macdonald.
Conclusion
It is clear that the current phenomenon of high prevalence of obesity in the world today is caused by various interrelated factors that go beyond the simple factors of diet and exercise alone. Perhaps, it is the power of advertisement by some of these giant food companies or the convenience and cost of junk foods that finally tips over the masses to continue eating unhealthy foods despite knowing their adverse effects. Coca-Cola Company for instance was among the official sponsors of the 2010 world cup football in South Africa, an opportunity that gave them a platform to advertise and promote their zero diet high sugar products to the world market.
This certainly presented a strong influence that no doubt shaped the eating habits of many people in the world. In terms of perceived convenience and cost, these unhealthy foods are certainly a better option at any given time compared to nutritional diets in more than one way. The advantages that is offered by many types of junk food is in their cost, convenience and availability; preparation of french-fries for instance will only take minutes to prepare and are relatively cheap when buying from a restaurant than most other foods. The result is cheap foods and cheap eating habits that are very costly in the long run, both to the person and to the government as well since it is from this single factor that majority of obesity cases can be traced.
References
Balentine, J. & Mathur, R. (2010). Obesity: Causes and Risk Factors. Web.
Boero N. (2007). All the News that’s Fat to Print: The American “Obesity Epidemic” and the Media. Qual Sociol, 30(1):41–60.
Chen, H. (2008). Diseases and Conditions: Obesity. Web.
Kim S., Willis L., (2007). Talking about Obesity: News Framing of who is Responsible for Causing and Fixing the Problem. J Health Communic, 12(1):359–376.
MediLexicon.com. (2010). What is Obesity. Web.
MedlinePlus.com. (2010). Obesity. Web.
Mitchell, J., Padwal, R., Chuck, A. & Klarenbach, C.,(2008). Cancer Screening among the Overweight and Obese in Canada. Am J Prev Med, 35(1):127–132.
Puhl, R. & Heuer, C. (2009). The Stigma of Obesity: A Review and Update. Obesity, 17(5): 941-964.
Puhl, R. & Brownell, K. (2009) Ways of Coping with Obesity Stigma: Conceptual Review and Analysis. Eat Behav, 4(1):53–78.
WHO.com (2010).Obesity and Overweight: What are Obesity and Overweight?Web.