The Solution to the Epidemic of Obesity - Essay Example

Introduction Obesity is considered to be an epidemic, which has been responsible for the declination of the physical activities and the unhealthy eating habits, such undesirable habits have been responsible for the overweight of the children, youth, and senior citizens. The solution of the epidemic can be determined with the involvement of the families, schools and the entire community aimed at the evolution of the strategies for defense. According to the Richard Kreipe, the working and strategies evolved to combat obesity is going to be a long haul. As per the observations and recommendations of the Health People 2010, the people of the developed countries in particular the United States have been victimized by two coherent concerns, i.e. the declination of the physical activities, and the record increase in the overweight. The World Health Organization has concluded that physical activity and overweight are the number one and two health indicators (NEHA, 2001). A phenomenal increase in the epidemic has been recorded, the survey conducted by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth concluded that the all racial groups experienced increasing rates of obesity. According to the survey, the participation of the African American and half Caucasian into the physical activity has declined rapidly, and around hundred percent and fifty six percent declination has been observed respectively. The obesity has been responsible for the adolescents grapple with autonomy, issues of self-control, readiness to change, and their relationships with parents and other authority figures. The obesity is also a cause for the interference of the process of understanding identity which incorporates self-esteem and self-concept i.e. considered to be a major developmental issue in adolescence. Obesity has been dominant among the adolescent, and such developed characteristics has been inherited by the off spring respectively. The lack of physical activity is the primary factor which has to be undertaken by current generation, and such factor needs to be discarded to avoid obesity. Obesity is not primarily caused by prolong and excessive eating, rather the lack of physical activities also cause obesity. The epidemic has to be resolved through comprehensive, community-based approach, the epidemic has been integrated with the other social issues, and an understanding has been formulated in accordance to which it is civic engagement, physical health, vocational readiness and success, educational attainment, and social and emotional health (NEHA, 2001) are the established factors that have to be addressed and resolved. It is important to provide services, support systems and other opportunities to the youth in order to prevent obesity, failing to do so might result in a debacle. The obesity has therefore being a major issue among the young generation, and in this regard the Institute of Medicine in New York has launched a concept of balance of health, the monograph states that, prevention of obesity in children and youth is, ultimately, about community extending beyond individuals and families and often beyond geographic boundaries to encompass groups of people who share values and institutions. The public health professionals and community leaders have stressed over the need for the deep and consistent involvement of the community, and such involvement is expected to result in the prevention of the disease and might result in the promotion of the healthful lifestyles, the major focus of the application has been to capitalize on the naturally occurring strengths, capacities, and social structures of local communities to institute health-promoting change (NEHA, 2001). The essence of the community programs has been the mutual and cordial development and promotion of the programs which inspire and encourage the healthful eating behaviors and regular physical activity for high-risk populations, such an exercise is expected to result in the elimination of the health disparities which include obesity prevention as one of their primary areas (Michael, 1998). Obesity: Epidemic of 21st Century The reasons responsible for the rise in the obesity include ‘insufficient exercise, eating the wrong foods, lack of structure in terms of meal times, and eating out’ (Paul, 2004); in some of the cases the schools have been condemned and discouraged for serving unhealthy food to the young students. The emerging interest of the youth towards television and internet has diluted their interest and participation in different sports. It has been observed that a culture and general practice has emerge as per which the youth prefer to have snacks and junk food while watching entertainment programs via television or internet, and such interests have resulted in the lack of motivation towards healthy practices, and have resulted in a kind of clumsy attitude by the youth. The remedial and preventive measures which need to be essentially taken and practiced by the obese population include, a weekly or otherwise regular community physical activity which would both help kids burn calories and decrease the time they are at home or otherwise near food to snack, followed by enhancement of the parental and community involvement into the routine and weekly schedules, aimed at burning calories. The recommendations have stressed over the need for ‘maintaining regular gym classes several times a week’ (Gail, 2006), and have developed certain alternatives to avoid heavy foods including pre-take of water-based soup and salad. The epidemic is more prominent among the males, and the females have exhibited more self-conscious about their body (Christopher, 2002). The recent research conducted by the World watch Institute has revealed that obesity is reaching epidemic proportions, afflicting a growing number of people in industrial and developing countries (Eric, 2001). Obesity can be best regarded as a cause of damaging human health, and has increased vulnerability risk of heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, colon cancer, arthritis, and adult-onset diabetes (Gard, 2005) therefore obesity is root cause of different diseases which are extremely common among public, the rate of affliction is comparatively higher and alarming. According to the statistics, the percentage of the obese adults different parts of the developed country has reached a mark of alarm, in United Kingdom more than fifty one percent of the adult population is obese, in Germany the percentage has reached the mark of fifty, in the case of Europe the obesity is common inheritance between the age group of thirty five and fifty years. In United States the population of obese has reached the highest level, the obesity is common among more than sixty percent of the adult population. Previously obesity was not considered a threat to human health, but it was lately observed that obesity resulted in the ultimate and untimely death of adult population, the Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that more than three hundred thousand Americans die annually obesity-related illnesses, however the current studies have placed the death toll of the Americans from obesity at four hundred thousand on annual basis. In different developing countries including China and Brazil, the percentage of obese has raised significantly, in Brazil more than thirty five percent of the adult population has been categorized as obese, whereas in China the percentage of obese is more than fifteen percent. Juvenile obesity is rising rapidly (Eric, 2001), and as mentioned previously the rising statistics of the obese youth has been a matter of grave concern for the world wide population, in United States more than ten percent of the teenagers are obese, the incidence of obesity among children has more than doubled over the last thirty years (Tamar, 2005), the juvenile obesity is expected to transform into adult obesity, and is considered to be incurable, only because the juvenile obesity is responsible for the initiation of such metabolic changes which are difficult to be treated in adulthood. The cases of obesity are widely popular among the urban population, as societies urbanize and people adopt sedentary lifestyles, obesity increases (Eric, 2001). The statistics it has been revealed that in China and Indonesia, the percentage of the obese population is far greater than the obese population belonging to the rural areas. In Congo, the percentage of obese population is six times the obese population based in the Congo rural areas. A report drafted by Gary Gardner and Brian Halweil titled Underfed and Overfed has revealed that population of the over nourished and overweight has reached the mark of more than a billion, and is equal to be number of the undernourished and underweight population world wide. According to Peter Kopelman from the Royal London School of Medicine, Obesity should no longer be regarded simply as a cosmetic problem affecting certain individuals, but as an epidemic that threatens global well-being (Tamar, 2005). Obesity is responsible for causing irreparable damage to the health of world wide population. The obesity is responsible for raising resistance to the hearts pumping of blood, elevating blood pressure (Christopher, 2002), and also increase force over the joints, and is responsible for causing strain in the lower back. The obese are vulnerable to diseases like diabetes and heart stroke, and the life expectancy declines significantly. The risk of death has increased more than a percent with each additional pound of weight, and is prominent among the population of age group between thirty and forty. The recent statistic has revealed that the ‘number of Americans to die prematurely on annual basis is approximately three hundred thousand, which is nearly equal to the number of population who collapse on annual basis from intake of tobacco’ (Gard, 2005). The caloric intake has increased to the level of more than ten percent for men and around seven percent among women. Unfortunately the population has expressed their ignorance and dislike towards exercising, and the exercise activities and participation has exhibited a record level of declination. According to a recent survey which was conducted in United States, around sixty percent of the Americans exercise only occasionally or not at all, a number that corresponds closely with the share of the population that is overweight. The reason attributed towards the growing dislike towards exercises is the economic modernization which has been undertaken enthusiastically by different segments of the society to improve their living standards (Gail, 2006). The commutation facility has transformed, and in the present circumstances the majority of the population hire or utilize the services of transportation for covering short and long distances, and the sole purpose of utilization of such commutation means is to safe time, thus the significance and the merit of the time has caused a strong repulsion between the people and exercise practices. It is a general observation that the automobiles have replaced walking and cycling, and the elevators and escalators have replaced stairs, therefore the technological advancement on the one side has improved the means and resources relevant to health analysis and improvement, but alternatively has created impediments which as diluted the previously developed stamina and courage to walk and exercise, ‘in the United Kingdom, the two lifestyle variables that correlate most closely with obesity are television viewing and automobile ownership, among children dominantly the time spent playing computer games and surfing the Internet in lieu of playing outside is also contributing to the surge in obesity’ (Robert, 2001). Obesity and Diet The diet is considered to be the effective preventive measure that has to be seriously undertaken by the people who are expectedly in the domain of obesity, or for those who are already trapped within the domain. Diet is expected to reduce caloric intake to the level of caloric use (Christopher, 2002), pessimistically such an approach is physiologically difficult to be undertaken, given the abnormally low calorie use associated with sedentary lifestyles. More than ninety percent of the Americans have failed to achieve healthy body solely through their reliance on the controlled diet factor; therefore without active and regular exercises it will be strongly difficult for the obese to achieve better body and health. The argument has been floated by the World watch Institute, as per which the challenge is to redesign communities, making public transportation the centerpiece of urban transport and augmenting it with sidewalks, jogging trails, and bikeways, and for this purpose the authorities need to seriously consider the replacement of the parking lots with parks, playgrounds, and playing fields (NEHA, 2001). The Obesity has caused alarm in the last twenty years, and it is expected that the obesity will replace the tobacco as the leading cause of preventable death. The obesity is a disease which has high prevalence in every individual irrespective of their age group, race, gender and lifestyle. It has been a failure on the part of the government and other health agencies for their ignorance towards the vulnerability and risk associated with the obesity, the epidemic took several years of dietary changes and inactivity to grow to such numbers, and it also took several years for national health experts to recognize obesity as a public health issue and not an issue of cosmetic appeal (Robert, 2001). Conclusion In United States concept of value meal was evolved as per which more food was provided to the customers and locals at nominal prices, such measures of course developed interests of the local population towards food at low economy, and suddenly an overwhelming response was observed, thus the concept of value meal received acclamation through out the country, the locals preferred availing such schemes aimed at offering more food at lesser prices. The excess consumption and uninterrupted affinity towards food was responsible for causing obesity. It has bee observed that a great deal of the responsibility for obesity in the United States comes from their lifestyle, the offender include different restaurants which primarily include heavy food at nominal prices for attraction of the local population, followed by the schools which offer high fats food to the students on daily basis, followed by the ignorance of the health agencies. The obesity has to be considered a public issue, and by creating literacy program aimed at establishing basic understanding of the obesity and its prevention, it would be difficult to reduce the density of the obese which has already reached a level of threshold. Obesity has been another cause of discrimination within schools, colleges and other different places of social interaction, and it is important for the government and the health agencies to nullify the impact of the obesity to avoid any social backlash. References 1. Craig Stewart, John Warhol , Kim Overton , Chad E. Wiet , Cassy Freeman , John Bourbeau , Stephen Moon , Scott A.G.M. Crawford. Has the Decline of Intramural Sports Contributed to the Youth Obesity Epidemic? The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. Volume: 76. Issue: 1. American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. 2005. 2. National Environmental Health Association. Obesity Epidemic in Exercise-Deprived Societies. Journal of Environmental Health. Volume: 63. Issue: 9. National Environmental Health Association. 2001. 3. Tamar Morad. Youthful Obesity Is Epidemic: Declines in Physical Activity and Unhealthy Eating Habits Are Making More and More Children Overweight. to Reduce the Problem, Strategies That Involve Families, Schools, and the Whole Community Are Needed. Human Ecology. Volume: 33. Issue: 3. Cornell University. 2005. 4. Michael Gard, Jan Wright. The Obesity Epidemic: Science, Morality and Ideology. Routledge. 2005. pp. 163 5. Robert Pool. Fat: Fighting the Obesity Epidemic. Oxford University Press. 2001. pp. 96 6. Michael Fumento. The Fat of the Land: The Obesity Epidemic and How Overweight Americans Can Help Themselves. Penguin Books Canada. 1998. pp. 212 7. Eric Schlosser. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Houghton Mifflin Books. 2001. pp. 199 8. Christopher G. Fairburn, Kelly D. Brownell. Eating Disorders and Obesity: A Comprehensive Handbook. Guilford Press. 2002. pp. 67 9. Paul F. Campos. The Obesity Myth: Why Americas Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health. Gotham Publication. 2004. pp. 90 10. Gail Woodward-Lopez. Obesity: Dietary and Developmental Influences. CRC Press. 2006. pp. 222 Read More