Many people are concerned with maintaining their health, as well as that of their loved ones. However, the main issue is whether body weight is the only cause of poor health. There is a false perception among members of society that overweight is a sign of unhealthy condition while underweight is a confirmation that an individual has a good health.
Convincing members of society to believe that unhealthy conditions are caused by various factors is an issue of concern. In this article, unhealthy behaviour would be evaluated in detail by discussing some of the factors that contribute to poor health. Body weight should never be used to measure the health of an individual because even slim individuals would be suffering from certain ailments.
Therefore, healthy is an issue of concern while overweight is a major problem that would cause poor health (Costa, 2006). The major problem, which is related to overweight, would be resolved through the application of body mass index (BMI) while the issue related to health would be resolved through evaluating the risk factors for diseases, as well as some conditions that are often related to obesity.
Body mass index is an instrument that is utilized in measuring an individual’s weight and obesity. Body mass index calculates an individual’s health by computing his or her height and weight.
In other words, it approximates the body fat, which is a risk that would predispose an individual to various forms of diseases. Body mass index shows the healthiness of an individual meaning that the higher the body mass index, the higher the chances of contracting diseases. Individuals with high body mass indexes tend to suffer from hypertension, diabetes, gallstones and other heart related diseases. Furthermore, research shows that individuals with high body indexes have high chances of suffering from cancer.
Even though body mass index is a reliable tool for measuring the weight of an individual, it should not be relied upon so much in reporting the weight of athletes because it might overestimate their weight. On the other hand, it may end up underestimating the weight of old persons. Those with body mass indexes of over thirty are considered obese while those with body mass indexes of below 18.5 are underweight.
The measure of waist circumference is another technique that could be utilized effectively to determine whether an individual is healthy or not. In this regard, an individual should not have too much fat around the waist because it would predispose him or her to diabetes. Since health is a great issue in society, individuals should keep off from practices that would predispose them to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high blood glucose.
People who are obese, meaning that their body mass index exceeds thirty, should be encouraged to lose weight for them to be accepted as healthy individuals (Sheila, 2004). An individual with a body mass index of between twenty-five and thirty is considered overweight hence he or she should lose weight. It should be understood that weight is a contributing factor to good health, but overweight does not mean unhealthy conditions.
Similarly, underweight does not mean a healthy condition because smoking is another cause of diseases. An individual with less weight might involve him or herself in some unhealthy behaviour, such as smoking, which would expose him or her to diabetes. Therefore, maintaining a normal weight alone is not the only way of preventing diseases.
References
Costa, R. (2006). Obesity in Children and adolescents. New York: Public Health Nutrition Academy
Sheila, G. (2004). Child and Adolescent Obesity: Current Problems in Paediatric and Adolescent Health Care. New York: Pearson.