Obesity, Do You Know What It Means?

Obesity is an ongoing problem that people seem to ignore. Being overweight or obese, and carrying so much extra weight is no good and it’s a fast way for health risks to develop. No one wants to be the reason they develop heart disease, cancer, or diabetes just for being overweight. Sometimes it runs in the genes, but it all depends on if an individual decides to take action or not. When maintaining one’s weight at a reasonable number, that will allow preventing from all the health risks that come along with being obese. And According to “Worlds obese Population hits 641 million, global study finds”, “Every year the percentage of obesity increases tremendously,” causing more and more people to develop health issues and putting their lives at risk. Obesity is such a big problem, and it needs to be noticed.

What is obesity?
This problem is becoming more and more frequent and what’s causing it to become such a big problem is people around the world are not getting the education they need about obesity, and it is harming those that have little to no knowledge about it. According to “Obesity,” the definition is “excessive accumulation of body fat, usually 20% or more over an individual’s ideal body weight”. It might make an individual look good for their height and age, but if one’s weight is more than twenty percent than the “ideal” weight, then they are considered obese. Obesity is so common worldwide and such a big problem that it is resulting in more and more deaths. In the article “Obesity” it also mentions that “The World Health Organization (WHO) declared obesity a worldwide epidemic in 2010, reporting that 1.5 billion adults were overweight and, among those, over 200 million men and almost 300 million women were obese”. Obesity is increasing at a rapid speed and without the knowledge on how to prevent it the more people that will suffer from obesity. The amount of obesity will continue to rise, and so will the number of deaths be happening in the world.

How is obesity caused?
Obesity can be passed down by genetics, but obesity is caused untimely from choices made by an individual them self. In the article “Obesity” the author states that “Eating habits and patterns of physical activity also play a significant role in the amount of weight a person gains.” No one else can control what a person eats or does not eat, except the person taking in all the food. It is all in the hands of a person who is trying to maintain a healthy weight. When genetics are passed down, it is not what makes someone skinny or fat or decide how someone looks. According to “What Causes Obesity?” it says that the only thing that genetics does to a person is “merely determine which individuals are more or less susceptible to weight gain due to a variety of factors, but the weight gain will not occur unless certain behavioral…”Just because the whole family is obese does not mean there is not a solution because there is always a solution to a problem especially if it is putting someone’s health at risk as well as their life.
Eating habits are causing the rate of people becoming obese to go up. In “What causes Obesity” the author says that” Another reason for the increase in obesity is that portion sizes have increased, This applies to restaurants, fast-food places, and at home. The “supersize” meals at fast-food places are particularly large, say medical experts.” Fast food places are giving people the option to intake more calories. That is a cause of why obesity is happening more and more because those eating foods with so many calories are not realizing it and are not trying to prevent it because they are not aware of it. Believe it or not, an individual’s behavior has a huge influence on obesity. According to the article “What causes Obesity,” it says that “Some people tend to eat more when they are unhappy or feel rejected, and this often turns into a vicious cycle.” Some are more sensitive than others causing them to eat and eat without them noticing, then at one point they get obese and continue to do it because they think it is the only thing that can help them feel better.

Risks of being obese

Being obese is very dangerous. Obesity can cause one to develop many health problems that can put their life in danger. In the article “Health Risks Of Being Obese” it says that “Excess weight may increase the risk for many health problems, including, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes, certain types of cancer, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, fatty liver disease, etc.,.)”. There are so many health risks that the list could go on. When it comes to being obese, there are so many health risks that it is just not worth being unhealthy. If one comes close to being at risk with type 2 diabetes, it is never late to lose the weight to prevent it but the sooner, the better. According to the article “Health Risks of Being Overweight” if it comes down to where someone ends up with type two diabetes “losing weight and becoming more physically active can help control the blood sugar levels and prevent or delay health problems.”

It is affecting the population
Obesity is not only a problem to an individual but also society. In the article “Worlds obese Population hits 641 million, global study finds” the author says” in the year 2025 to the percentage of women and men being obese go up.” People believe being obese is normal, it may be common within most people around the world, but it is not a healthy lifestyle, and there are different ways to prevent from becoming obese.

Prevent it from happening

How could obesity be prevented? The same way being obese could start it could be avoided and stopped. The best way to avoid being obese is not even giving it a chance to start, meaning do not get in the habit of eating unhealthily. That will lead to being unhealthy and possibly cause those surrounding you to develop the eating habits. In the article “Obesity Prevention” it says that “15% percent of children aged six to 19 are considered overweight”. And that’ Over 60 percent of adults are considered overweight or obese”. Change the family’s eating habit, reduce the time sitting at home doing nothing and plan more physical activities. Some options for staying healthy are going on a diet, exercising, surgical treatment, nonsurgical, does not matter what path is taken as long as it maintains healthy, Be a leader, not the follower.

Make a difference
How someone could start if having little to no knowledge about how to start is by using different resources. There are various websites in the article “Treating Obesity” along with a number that is in that article as well “650–736–5800”. Obesity is a massive problem in the whole world don’t take part in it.” There are more 300,000 deaths per year” according to “Worlds obese Population hits 641 million, global study finds”. It is growing slowly, and it can be stopped if someone just makes a difference to the ones around in the same environment.

Obesity is a choice. Many people all over the world do not realize how damaging obesity can be to one’s health. Obesity is such a huge problem throughout the whole world, and it needs to be stopped. Take action and be aware of the cause and effects when doing things that involve one’s health. It is increasing as the days go on and without taking action, there will be no change. Live healthily and change bad habits.

Work Cited

Carson-DeWitt, Rosalyn, MD, and L. Lee Culvert. “Obesity.” The Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, edited by Jacqueline L.Longe, 4th ed., vol. 5, Gale, 2018, pp. 2543–2550. Health & Wellness Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3662600809/HWRC?u=lincclin_ecc&sid=HWRC&xid=fcf4d4dc . Accessed 17 Nov.2018

.”Obesity/Healthism”.Photo:Dr.Healthism

.”Prevent Obesity”.Photo:jaypeehospital

” Health Risks of Being Overweight”. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease,2015. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/health-risks-overweight .Accessed 17 Nov.2018

”Obesity Prevention”,Stanford Healthcare.2018. https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/healthy-living/obesity/prevention.html . Accessed 17 Nov.2018

“What Causes Obesity?” Obesity, edited by Melissa Abramovitz, Lucent Books, 2004, pp. 30–45. Diseases & Disorders. Health & Wellness Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3461600011/HWRC?u=lincclin_ecc&sid=HWRC&xid=a98c2d62. Accessed 17 Nov. 2018.

“World’s obese population hits 641 million, global study finds.” Reuters Health e-Line, 1 Apr. 2016. Health & Wellness Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A448112250/HWRC?u=lincclin_ecc&sid=HWRC&xid=c30a0354. Accessed 17 Nov. 2018.

Obesity, Do You Know What It Means?

Written by brianna sanchez