Is Obesity the 21st Century Pandemic? Research Paper Example

Obesity has become a pandemic that has caused both medical and social issues for victims. The issue is defined as an abnormal accumulation of body fat, and its rampancy among adults is alarming as statistics indicate an increase in victims since 2016. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) published information indicating that 1.9 billion people in the world who were 18 and over were overweight. Of this, about 650 million were obese (WHO, 2). The findings further revealed that of the 39% of the population that were obese, 39% of the victims were men, while 40% were women (Drexler, 2). This revelation indicates that women are more prone to the problem than their male counterparts. Compared to the severity of the issue in previous years, the issue has increased and tripled in numbers since 1975. The increase in numbers further demonstrates how the issue has become more severe and calls for serious measures to curb the consequences of obesity (Brody, 1).

Apart from obesity in adulthood, obesity in children is also a growing concern (Weihrauch-Blüher & Wiegand, 255). In 2019, WHO estimated that around 38.2 million children below the age of five were overweight while some were obese. Although the issue was mostly in high-income countries, current statistics reveal that even low-income and third-world nations are experiencing the problem. However, it is primarily recorded in urban settings compared to rural ones. In Africa, for example, the number of documented overweight cases among children under five has increased since 2000 to 24% currently. However, most cases of overweight children in 2019 mostly lived in Asia. This irony where obesity has become rampant in developing nations and families is explained by several coexisting factors that escalate the situation. These problems are malnutrition due to a lack of adequate resources to acquire a balanced meal and eat healthily (Davidson, 6). The other issue is the lack of platforms that promote healthy lifestyles like exercising.

Tackling the issue is also not easy because the causes of obesity are a complex interaction of societal problems. One such cause is increased subsidies for high caloric food items. Resultantly, people opt for the high caloric foods that are subsidized than the non-subsidized healthy foods. The issue is also dependent on personal factors such as how often an individual engages in physical activities like walking and exercise (Carbonell, 2). Genetics is also a crucial aspect in determining the prevalence of obesity among populations, as research indicates that people are pre-exposed to the issue due to their genetic makeup. Therefore, although health workers should be engaged in helping the wider public and community address the obesity issue, their help towards individuals who are trying to lose weight and live healthy lives is also essential.

The severity of the issue has prompted numerous researches and publications in the area. Some of these include:

Brody, E., Jane. “Half of Us Face Obesity, Dire Projections Show”. The New York Times. 2021. www.nytimes.com/2020/02/10/well/live/half-of-us-face-obesity-dire-projections-show.html

In this resource, the author recognizes the health and social implications of obesity. She uses data from a team of medical students in the US who predicted that by 2030, obesity would be a severe issue that almost one in two adults will be obese. The source further acknowledges other health risks such as climate change and compares the two on their severity. However, the author notes that obesity is direr and calls for effective measures given the reliable results that predict its increase. The situation in the US is particularly serious as the statistics indicated that in more than 29 states, the prevalence of obesity would be 50% or more, with not less than 35% of any state population being obese.

Carbonell, Diane. “Entitled eating: satisfying the now”. Fit to the Finish. 2021. dianecarbonell.com/entitled-eating-satisfying-the-now/

In this blog issue, the author focuses on her life choices and narrates her experience with obesity and how she managed to lose weight and managed to keep it off for 18 years. Through her regular blog updates, she shares her experiences with her readers, particularly women who have children and find it hard to exercise because of the numerous responsibilities that come with being a mother. This particular blog is mostly about how people feel entitled to their meals as they think they deserve it, maybe after a long day of work, without considering the food’s impact on their health. She narrates how her entitlement to junk food during her young adulthood made her obese and reduced her life quality. She, therefore, encourages her readers to adopt cleaner ways for nourishment and get rid of junk.

Drexler Madeline. “Obesity, Can We Stop the Epidemic?” Harvard Public Health. 2017 www.hsph.harvard.edu/magazine/magazine_article/obesity/

This article paints a dire picture of obesity, calling it a pandemic and comparing people’s features now and those from the past. The author reveals that when one looks at magazines from the 1970s going backward, the people in the magazines had slimmer frames compared to people in magazines now. This demonstrates that obesity is here with us and is spreading at a fast rate. The article goes ahead to list the possible dangers obese people can face. One is the risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases, suffering strokes, type two diabetes complications, cancer, sleep paralysis, mental and psychological issues, and arthritis. The article further reveals the high risk of obesity in women compared to men, which sounds a warning for women to engage more in physical activities. Lastly, the article presents data results from empirical studies which reveal the in the US, 35% of adult men were obese, while 40.4 of women were obese, according to a 2014 national research data. The resource then provides an informative sector that illustrates BMI calculation to monitor one’s weight and beware if they exceed the healthy BMI limits. This way, its readers can manage their weight and avoid obesity.

Davidson, Paul. “Behavioral Options for Weight Loss”. Obesity actions.org. 2021

In this online magazine publication, the author recognizes the severity of obesity among different adults and does not take a path where most authors have taken by displaying the statistics and possible complications from obesity. Instead, the article focus on behavioral changes that one can adopt to lose weight and eliminate obesity. For the weight loss journey, he encourages a behavioral lifestyle that observes self-discipline. Some of the suggested practices include monitoring one’s food intake, engaging in physical activities, and joining a self-help group for like-minded people. For the groups, the magazine mentions a variety of groups that he deems helpful in the journey of losing and maintain weight loss. This resource is very educative and provides practical solutions to people trying to fight obesity and not just mentioning that it has adverse effects on one’s health without offering solutions.

Chooi, Yu Chung, Cherlyn Ding, and Faidon Magkos. “The epidemiology of obesity.” Metabolism 92. 2019: 6-10.

In this scholarly article, the authors acknowledge that obesity has become an epidemic that has numerous causes. In most parts of the article, obesity is termed as a disease that requires intervention. Like most of the discussed articles, this publication also compares statistics from the 1970s with now when obesity has become more prevalent and common in families. The report reveals that obesity cases have doubled since 1980, such that almost a third of the world population is now obese. Furthermore, they recognize the epidemic as a global problem that attacks all races, genders, ages, and people of various socioeconomic statuses. However, they indicate that it is primarily common among older adults, particularly women. Finally, the article mentions the vitality of monitoring one’s BMI in an attempt to fight obesity. However, they warn people on the overreliance of BMI as some ethnicities, genders, and age groups have revealed to be different in their fat compositions. Hence, overreliance on BMI can hinder interventions that aim to prevent obesity and control it.

Weihrauch-Blüher, Susann, and Susanna Wiegand. “Risk factors and implications of childhood obesity.” Current obesity reports 7.4 2018: 254-259.

The authors of this article, just like the rest, agree that obesity has become a global menace to pandemic levels. However, the report focuses more on obesity in children under 18 as this is becoming a pandemic on its own. Although most obese children lose the fat, as they grow older, some carry on the weight into adulthood, which becomes a reason for most adulthood obesity cases. According to research, childhood obesity cases have increased by eight times since 1975. This is severe compared to adult obesity which has only tripled. To address this, the authors call out past interventions that suggest behavioral changes. Instead, they propose an environment-oriented approach such as taxing unhealthy foodstuff, formulating healthy meal plans in schools, and increasing physical activity in lower grades in schools. Additionally, relevant authorities should ban the advertisement of unhealthy foods and snacks for younger kids. This way, obesity among children can be eliminated, hence reducing adulthood obesity.

World Health Organization. “Obesity”. World Health Organization. 2016

This article by WHO adopts an informative approach to obesity. First, it defines what obesity is and how it poses a health risk to victims. Like most articles, this one also mentions BMI and indicates that BMIs above 25 are regarded as overweight while those above 30 fall under the class of obese people. The article further informs readers on the death statistics related to obesity, revealing that over 4 million people die annually from obesity-related complications. Lastly, the publication indicates that obesity is a continuously growing menace globally among adults and children. This is demonstrated by statistics that suggest that since 1975 and 2016, obesity among young adults and children aged between 5 and 19 has increased by up to four times. This revelation serves as a wake-up call for people to recognize the dangers of being overweight and encourages them to take measures to prevent and manage their weight.

Gareth Williams, ?Gema Fruhbeck. “Obesity, Science to practice” 2019: 300-520.

In this comprehensive textbook, the authors adopt a multifaceted approach to obesity that explores its scientific causes and implications. It further acknowledges obesity as a menace to public health due to its adverse effects. The book clearly defines obesity and how to measure the severity in different cases. Furthermore, it explains why obesity is considered epidemiology which is essential in understanding the massive recognition over the years. It further gives the adverse physiological and psychological effects on one’s body, the associated diseases such as diabetes mellitus, and ways to prevent it. Finally, the book does not only target victims of obesity; instead, it adopts a multimodal approach to the issue by suggesting how caregivers can help victims overcome obesity. This approach is essential, as obesity is not a one-person problem but a community issue.

Jahan, Garrison. “Solution for Excessive Obesity Hypertension and Chronic Disease”. Dash Diet Solution. 2020.

The DASH diet textbook is a food publication designed to help people stick to a formulated meal plan that promotes health and reduces the chances of being obese and hypertension. The book’s author recognizes the need for healthy eating to curb obesity and other lifestyle-related diseases. To help his readers achieve this, he formulates meal plans that are wholesome and nutritious. Interested readers can borrow from the meal plans and change their eating habits. Although the book concentrates on the one crucial aspect crucial in weight loss, diet, it fails to recognize other solutions. Obesity is a multicausal disease that requires an integrated approach to solving it. Meal plans alone cannot solve the problem, although it is a central part of the process. Therefore, teachers should consider integrating other programs such as exercise into the adopted meal plans for better results.

Wass, John. “Obesity and what we need do about it- an interview with John Wass”. BMC Med 12, 135 (2014). doi.org/10.1186/s12916-014-0135-0

In an interview with Professor John Wass, a professor of endocrinology at Oxford University, UK, he revealed compelling points about obesity. First, he pinpointed that almost a quarter of the UK’s population suffers from obesity. Secondly, the professor encourages an active role among health practitioners in ensuring they fill the gaps in healthcare delivery. He also pinpoints the role of healthcare personnel in sensitizing the public about the need for healthy nutrition and the dangers of obesity. His role as an endocrinologist has given him the chance to interact with diabetes and hypertension patients, making him the best fit to engage in an interview about obesity.

Through his role, he has established a relation between endocrine diseases and obesity, thus necessitating the need for health personnel to intervene during the management of such cases to prevent obesity. This interview brings a twist to mainstream ideologies that associate obesity with poor nutrition and physical inactivity. Instead, it introduces obesity as a secondary condition caused by endocrine disorders. Additionally, it expounds on the role of health caregivers in managing obesity in such patients, which is essential in health care practice.

It is undeniable that obesity has negative impacts on human life and that its prevalence is constantly increasing globally. This increase in obesity cases has been linked to most lifestyle diseases, anxiety, depression, and reduced life expectancy. Among these lifestyle diseases that accompany obesity are type II diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) (Drexler, 4). However, sex-reliant relationships have not been adequately explored, which is why most deaths by obesity and obesity-related complications continually increase. Research indicates that women are more at risk of getting obese and developing fatal complications compared to men. WHO records more women being obese than men in all their research, which calls for measures targeting female members of the population to increase life expectancy among women. Researchers have related this difference to a strong association between cardiometabolic outcomes and fat distribution in females more than male members. Although studies that significant on sex-related differences, there is undeniable evidence that women are the most affected by the pandemic, increasing their risk for other diseases.

Obesity in children is also an upcoming and rapidly increasing social issue. There are relevant and sufficient data that connects children below 18 years with obesity (Weihrauch-Blüher & Susanna Wiegand, 254). This revelation calls for measures both in school and home settings to incorporate healthy measures to curb obesity among young people as it can lead to the onset of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes at an early age, thus reducing the quality of life for the children.

Proposed Solutions

Although there are numerous propositions on how to curb obesity among adults and children, each case is unique, thus the need for specific intervention that suits each patient. However, there a few standard procedures that have proven to be effective. These include regular physical activity like walking, running, or exercising (Gareth & ?Gema, 300). Additionally, observing healthy diets that incorporates fruit, vegetable, and water intake are encouraged. Saturated fats, high caloric foods, and sugar are discouraged. People should also consider the input of a health professional in their regimen if they are doing everything by the book. There seems to be no change as there might be underlying conditions hindering their progress.

Lastly, victims of obesity should beware of the numerous and upcoming solutions to obesity that may seem quick but may be unhealthy in the long run. Examples of this are drugs that are well researched that purportedly increase metabolism and initiate weight loss. The other is surgeries such as liposuction to remove abdominal fat or enhance some parts of the body. Such strategies may cause problems in the future if not adequately researched. Lastly, people should learn how to monitor their BMI so they can manage their weight and foresee potential weight gain (Chooi et al., 6). This way, they can engage in actions that will reduce cases of obesity.

In conclusion, weight-related problems are rampant in contemporary society. Resultantly, each individual has a role to play in ensuring they maintain healthy lifestyles and avoid obesity. Parents and caretakers particularly have a role in their children’s health and nutrition to ensure they maintain healthy weights in their childhood and do not carry childhood weight-related issues into adulthood. Healthcare personnel also need to recognize their role in community health and the reduction of obesity cases. This realization among the constituents of a population will significantly reduce the global pandemic and allow for improved quality lifestyles.

Works Cited

Brody, E., Jane. “Half of Us Face Obesity, Dire Projections Show”. The New York Times. 2021. www.nytimes.com/2020/02/10/well/live/half-of-us-face-obesity-dire-projections-show.html

Carbonell, Diane. “Entitled eating: satisfying the now”. Fit to the Finish. 2021. dianecarbonell.com/entitled-eating-satisfying-the-now/

Chooi, Yu Chung, Cherlyn Ding, and Faidon Magkos. “The epidemiology of obesity.” Metabolism 92 2019: 6-10.

Davidson, Paul. “Behavioral Options for Weight Loss”. Obesity actions.org. 2021

Drexler Madeline. “Obesity, Can We Stop the Epidemic?” Harvard Public Health (2017) www.hsph.harvard.edu/magazine/magazine_article/obesity/

Gareth Williams, ?Gema Fruhbeck. “Obesity, Science to practice” 2019: 300-520.

Jahan, Garrison. Solution for Excessive Obesity Hypertension and Chronic Disease Dash Diet Solution. 2020.

Wass, John. “Obesity and what we need do about it- an interview with John Wass”. BMC Med 12, 135 2014. doi.org/10.1186/s12916-014-0135-0

Weihrauch-Blüher, Susann, and Susanna Wiegand. “Risk factors and implications of childhood obesity.” Current obesity reports 7.4 (2018): 254-259.

World Health Organization. “Obesity”. World Health Organization. 2016: 4-6