Identifying the Causes and Treatment of Obesity - Essay Example

Childhood Obesity Obesity is a widespread condition in Western societies today and especially in the United States and in the younger generations. Although this is often considered simply an adult problem, children can be just as susceptible to the factors that contribute to obesity as adults, but the problems they experience can be much more detrimental. Obesity is impossible to hide and typically introduces a great deal of public humiliation every time the individual walks out the door. This element alone can cause lifelong severe psychological damage that significantly impacts the individual’s ability to live a happy, fulfilling life. However, the physical cost of being obese are much greater even than this. It is well-known that obesity can dramatically lower life expectancy at every age level. Approaching epidemic proportions, identifying the causes and treatment of obesity is of utmost importance particularly when working with children who have an entire lifetime ahead of them. An obese person is someone who has more body fat than science considers healthy for their particular height, body type, gender and age. As a general rule, people who are 40 to 100 pounds over this determined ideal weight range are considered obese. People who are more than 100 pounds over this weight range are called morbidly obese. Heredity significantly influences obesity. People who are genetically predisposed to being obese have a harder time trying to lose weight or to maintain a desired body mass. Children born into overweight families are often overweight even before they have the opportunity to try maintaining a healthy weight. Other contributing factors to the problem of obesity in children can include metabolic and socioeconomic circumstances, diseases, endocrine ailments and medications Metabolism refers to how efficiently a person’s body burns up energy. Metabolic levels and hormonal balances differ widely from one person to another and both factor significantly in controlling weight. (“Overview of Obesity”, 2007). Overeating, eating fatty foods and spending long periods of time in inactivity also contribute significantly to obesity. Studies have also shown that there is a connection between substandard economic circumstances and the rates of obesity in children. The food available to lower income populations usually has a higher level of empty calories, meaning it is poor in nutritional value but high in fat and corn syrup. Children growing up in low income homes don’t always have the option to eat well and frequently find themselves eating as a source of emotional comfort. Lifestyle preferences such as a being a ‘couch potato’ and overeating on a regular basis, not surprisingly, contribute to weight gain. “Eating a diet in which a high percentage of calories come from sugary, high-fat, refined foods promotes weight gain” (“Overview of Obesity”, 2007). Fast food consumption and lack of exercise are the major controllable factors in obesity of adults. For children, the main factor outside genetics is inactivity while their adult caretakers provide them with fast food as the inexpensive and quick alternative to cooking meals. Inordinate amounts of time spent on the computer, watching television and playing video games leads to higher rates of obesity. “Over nine million children between the ages of six and 19 are overweight” (“Overview of Obesity”, 2007). The wide-spread problem known as the ‘couch-potato’ syndrome, is considered to be the result of consuming large amounts of snack foods which are high in calories and fat content while watching television. Essentially, it’s the result when enticement meets boredom and inactivity. As children watch their favorite shows, they are attracted by ‘junk food’ then proceed to the kitchen, an endless cycle enabling what has become an epidemic of obese children. Instead of playing outside and burning up calories, children are content to sit and snack. The ‘couch potato’ syndrome is curable however. Studies have shown what anyone with common sense already knows, obese children lose weight when they are allowed to spend less time in front of the television (Miller, 1999). Watching television will make you fat and children are the most at risk. T.V. commercials promote junk foods to an already hypnotized audience. Commercials promoting foods often misrepresent their products to impressionable children, as well as adults, regarding the product’s nutritional values, or lack of. (Byrd-Bredbenner & Grasso, 2000). Obesity has been linked with at least 30 adverse health conditions. Arthritis of the knees, back, hips and hands are common ailments of the obese, affecting people at younger and younger ages as a result of long-term abuse of their systems. Breast cancer is twice as prevalent among obese women and men as compared to those of comparable gender that maintain a relatively stable weight as an adult. The obese also have a higher risk of contracting other cancers such as colorectal, esophageal, gastric and endometrial. The risk of cardiovascular disease is greater because obesity has a direct correlation with high cholesterol levels which blocks the arteries of the heart (“Health Effects”, 2002). In addition, the veins of the obese are more constricted which slows oxygen to the tissues of the body and prompts complaints of breathing problems, sleepiness and general fatigue. As expected, this has an impact on the child’s growth rate and ability to develop normally. Obesity heightens the risk of stroke and hypertension by a significant amount. More than 75 percent of people who suffer from hypertension are obese. Up to 90 percent of people with diabetes (type two) are either overweight or obese, a startling statistic. Next to alcohol abuse, obesity is the leading cause of liver disease (acute hepatitis and cirrhosis), gallbladder disease and pancreatitis. The obese are three times more likely to develop gall stones and are more susceptible to infection and pneumonia. These and many other maladies including problems with pregnancy and childbirth are also associated with obesity (“Health Effects”, 2002). Childhood obesity is the precursor of many significant health risks, yet there is no obesity panacea. Diet, exercise, behavior modification, medication and surgery have all had successes and failures in the treatment of obesity to varying degrees. The general consensus is tilting steadily toward surgery as the best option for obesity in adults, but there is no similar ‘simple’ cure available for children. Medications, exercise or dieting alone has proven successful in producing long-term weight reduction for less than 10 percent of the morbidly obese. “Surgery is the only proven method to allow the severely and morbidly obese person to reach normal weight and maintain it” (“Health Effects”, 2002). A 2000 study indicated that gastric bypass surgery reduced not only weight for patients but instances of diabetes and hypertension within the study group as well (Sjostrom, 1999). Gastric bypass surgery is more common but the newer and less invasive Lap-Band method is growing in popularity. The latest and least invasive type being developed is performed via the mouth (“Health Effects”, 2002). On the surface, obesity seems to be caused by poor lifestyle choices alone but for most, the choices they make are rooted at least somewhat within their biological make-up and economic social positioning. The cause of childhood obesity was discovered through scientific means and seemingly, the cure will be as well. Obesity is responsible for the poor health of millions and the deaths of hundreds of thousands every year while costing taxpayers billions. The most viable way to stem this tragic and widespread condition is to identify it in the young and work with behavioral modification therapy as a means of achieving and maintaining a more healthy weight through a greater self-acceptance and self-value. References Byrd-Bredbenner C & Grasso D. (2000). “Commercials During 1992 and 1998.” Journal of School Health. Vol. 70. pp. 61-65. “Health Effects of Obesity.” (2002). AOA Fact Sheets. American Obesity Association. Miller, Daphne. (August 20, 1999). “Television’s Effects on Kids: It Can be Harmful!” CNN. July 8, 2009 “Overview of Obesity.” (January 22, 2007). Cardiovascular Diseases. University of Virginia Health System. July 8, 2009 Sjostrom, C.D., et al. (1999). “Reduction in incidence of diabetes, hypertension and lipid disturbances after intentional weight loss induced by bariatric surgery: the SOS Intervention Study.” Obesity Research. Vol. 7, N. 5, pp. 477-484. Read More