Obesity: a major problem

Obesity is a major problem that affects both children and adults. Obesity is when there is too much stored in the body’s fatty tissues. When this excess increases, there is also a corresponding increase in other medical risks. Some of these medical risks have the potential to be life-threatening.

The severity of obesity is measured through the body mass index (BMI). BMI is calculated by dividing a person’s weight by the square of their height. (This measurement is done in the metric system.) The value is separated into ranges that would represent your weight classification from underweight to severe obesity.

The cause of overweight conditions is when energy intake from food is greater than what the body needs. The excess is converted into fat cells and stored in the body. The amount of excess energy consumption is very small, but over time it can add up and cause overweight. Factors can range from the person’s diet to eating disorders and mental stress, among others. There are some statistical factors that show a higher incidence of obesity in women who have married to a lower income level than in women who have married to a higher income level.

The best results in reducing excess weight have been obtained by controlling the diet and a moderate exercise program. Small drops in weight have created fewer risks to the person’s health. Most people who diet and achieve greater weight loss tend to gain the weight back over the next few years. Other weight loss methods include drug therapy and surgery. Both come with risk of complications and mortality risks as well.

In many cultures, obesity represents attractiveness or wealth. This is depicted in some of his artwork. Someone I spoke to once commented that they were working abroad for their embassy. They organized a party and invited several guests. One of their guests commented that everyone thought they were very rich because they put more than one slice of meat on their sandwiches. Other people in foreign lands get comments on their apparent wealth because they are overweight. When asked about the comment, the answer is that people in that country couldn’t be overweight unless they were rich because they couldn’t buy enough food to be overweight.

In the last 20 years, obesity problems in the United States have become a very serious problem. Obesity among adults has doubled and among children it has tripled. Children under the age of 19 have an incidence of obesity of just under 20%. In adults, the rate is just over 32%. Recent increases in obesity rates have public health concerns. A quick look at the environmental issues related to this would reveal some interesting issues with activity levels in addition to the marketing of foods that lead to obesity. There are so many other factors that can affect this rate increase. The shift in job types to more desk jobs and less physically demanding jobs adds to these factors. There has been a decrease in walking as you can drive everywhere. The fast food industry has also increased tremendously during this time.

The end result will be people taking personal responsibility for managing their weight problems, their exercise programs, and their general health problems.