Emerging Issues of Obesity - Essay Example

Also, the issue of childhood obesity is international and is gradually impacting many middle- and low-income nations, especially in urban settings (Poston & Foreyt, 2000). Internationally, in 2010, the total of obese children below five years was projected to be more than 42 million. Nearly 35 million of these children are residing in developing nations. Obese and overweight children are expected to stay obese into old age and expected to develop noncommunicable illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at a younger age (Poston & Foreyt, 2000).

There are three major methods of treating this problem - dieting, exercising, and then weight loss surgeries (Koeck, E. et al., 2013). When it comes to dieting, high-carbohydrate, low-fat plans, normally including whole grains, fruits, and high-fiber along with vegetables are related to good overall health (Koeck, E. et al., 2013). These diets place stern limitations on nutritional fat. Diets such as caloric juice are meat to make someone reduce substantial fat in seven days. Severe exercise, on the other hand, like the one used by military recruits in Singapore leads to a 35-lb weight loss in 5 months. Exercise eats away body fat and allows someone to reduce weight with time. Finally, the main surgical procedure, Bariatric Surgery, comprises several procedures performed on obese people (Koeck, E. et al., 2013). Weight loss is attained by reducing the mass of the stomach with a gastric band.

Bariatric surgery has had a lot of controversies. In two studies conducted by Koeck, E. et al. (2013) and Sjöström, L. et al. (2004), they reveal that patients who have undergone bariatric surgery as children and attained normal BMI have lived like that through adulthood, but they reveal that adults who undertake the surgery have relapsed to obesity in later stages of their lives. Sjöström, L. et al. (2004) furthermore classifies the matter claiming that five of the 11,453 subjects (0.25 percent) who underwent the procedure in a 2010 study who underwent surgery died postoperatively. Also, according to Sjöström, L. et al. (2004), 151 patients (13.0 percent) in a study involving 1164 obese individuals, which the authors were tracking, had postoperative problems (internal bleeding – 0.5 percent, thrombosis or embolism – 0.8 percent, deep infections – 2.1 percent, wound problems – 1.8 percent and pulmonary problems – 6.1 percent). In 2.2 percent of the patients (26), the postoperative problems were severe enough to call for reoperation (Sjöström, L. et al., 2004). Despite this, critics still claim that surgical intervention is the best way to heal obesity.

The research on bariatric surgery would benefit the youth, grownups, bariatric surgeons themselves, dieticians, and other stakeholders concerned with the intervention of obesity as a worldwide calamity (Stern & Kazaks, 2003). It would benefit the youth of today because, as earlier stated in this paper, youths who successfully undertake the surgery and attain a BMI have the chance of living the rest of their lives with a normal BMI, unlike adults. Adults are advised to be cautious, on the other hand, because research shows that they have a higher chance of relapsing to obesity after undergoing surgery. This research confirms that, in reality, there have been some complications regarding bariatric surgery. Therefore, is up to bariatric surgeons to step up and show the importance of this surgery as the world tries to beat the obesity issue (Stern & Kazaks, 2003). Any health practitioner would not wish to have an unsuccessful surgical procedure; therefore, this research will make bariatric surgeons more cautious. For other stakeholders in this field, the research informs them whether the surgical intervention of obesity is successful or whether they need to find other successful procedures.

The main aim of this research was to discuss the controversy surrounding the main surgical intervention on obesity. Bariatric surgery has been thought to have a lot of complications as discussed in the controversial part of this paper, but a majority of the procedures have been successful also as stated in this paper. Therefore, this research will aid in understanding the complications that arise under bariatric surgery, but also that the chances of these complications are minimal.