Running head: OBESITY

Obesity An Assignment Submitted by Name of Student Name of Establishment Class XXXX, Section XXXX

OBESITY Obesity Obesity is a medical condition which often occurs when the weight of the person is disproportionate to his age and height. It is important to assist people who are obese in their lifestyle, as they are often mistreated, physically and emotionally neglected by friends, relatives and even parents. Moreover, obesity rates are on the rise, and obesity may often impede the progress of people and even cause severe psychiatric problems through constant criticism and disapproval (International Obesity Task Force prevalence Data, 2011). Causes of Obesity. The issue of obesity has long been the center of debates of psychologists, sociologists, and nutritionists all over the world. Various causes such as race,

genetics, behavior, environment, gender, and other socio-economic conditions have been and are considered from a theoretical and practical perspective. Indeed, obesity continues to be one of the salient topics today, and in some cases the causes and effects of obesity are multiple layered and can be difficult to sort through (Berthoud, Lenard, & Shin, 2011). Effects of Obesity. The extreme addictiveness of food and other health dangers has not been adequately explained to people. More and more patients have significantly less knowledge of their disease, important lifestyle modifications, and essential self-management skills. In any case, it should be remembered that obesity is a big problem, which not only affects the one person, but also people and society as a whole. Indeed, when a person suffers from obesity, he or she can challenge the future for everyone involved. People believe they can reduce or stop obesity before health problems occur. The reality is that most people will be unable to stop obesity, and up to half will die from obesityrelated illnesses. Many obese people cannot name specific diseases caused by obesity other than high cholesterol levels, and do not know that obesity also causes high blood pressure, breathing difficulties, beginning signs of heart disease, restless sleep patterns, complications in surgery, polycystic ovarian syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and type II diabetes

OBESITY among others. The effects of obesity can also be the increased risk of vitamin deficiencies (vitamin B12), which can easily contribute to bone and joint problems (such as slipped femoral epiphysis and bow legs), and various emotional disorders such as depression and poor self-esteem. Furthermore, obesity has potential to lead to bad emotional well-being,

social discrimination, unhealthy peer/adult relationships, high risk activity (drug/alcohol use), lowered expectations for a positive future, and being misunderstood by family members among others. Since obesity affects every organ system in a persons body, it could decrease life expectancy by two to five years (Hoffman, 2010). Strategies and Interventions Designed to Stop Obesity. The process of identifying potential risk factors that cause obesity is very important in every community. Only through positive intervention, programming, education and counseling, it is possible to divert a person from a path that otherwise would result in obesity. Moreover, it is also believed that earlyphase intervention including individual, group and organizational efforts, represents the best approach to preventing obesity (Berthoud, Lenard, & Shin, 2011). Since obesity has reached epidemic levels in developed countries, various methods of preventing obesity are being provided. Explaining the negative aspects of obesity to every person, some countries focus on obesity prevention programs. The main aim of obesity prevention agencies and local communities is to explain people how to engage in positive self-appraisal, deal with conflict, and control obesity (Hoffman, 2010). In fact, proper training and education, TV/computer/social-network communication limit to a maximum of 2 hours per day, breastfeeding during the first year of life, proper restaurant portion sizes, vigorous physical education programs, and outside play activities among others greatly assist in obesity prevention. Stronger policies are also needed for providing clear and consistent consumer information, encouraging food companies to provide lower energy, more nutritious foods marketed for people, developing criteria for advertising

OBESITY that promotes healthier eating, and encouraging every community to enact coherent food, nutrition and physical activity policies among others. For instance, schools play a critical role in obesity prevention by establishing a safe and supportive environment with various policies and practices that support healthy behaviors of children. Schools promote regular physical education programs that emphasize

and model learning of daily activities for personal fitness of an every child. Thus, in a number of towns young people have largely avoided obesity problems with the help of establishing of basketball programs, which can lead to decrease in obesity rates. Moreover, researchers at Columbia University in New York City found that having a Boys or Girls Club in a public housing project reduced the level of obesity by an average of 13 percent. Thus, adequate opportunity for regular physical activity may help more people to get to a healthy weight and avoid becoming overweight (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2009). The role and responsibility of local communities in dealing with obesity is also high. Organized group activities can be achieved through social service agencies or organizations such as the YMCA, YWCA, Girl Guides and Boy Scouts, as well as independent boys and girls clubs and community centers. Special programs and rehabilitation schemes should be provided in every state. Their aim is to provide every person with access to education, skills, training, recreation, and rest and also to protect people from obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). In any case, any health services for preventing obesity should be delivered in ways that are understandable and beneficial to health, longevity, and quality of life of people. Health knowledge, health status, and access to health services should be obligatory provided in every community when talking about health literacy of obesity. Conclusion. Though a lot of factors overlap, researchers seem to agree that obesity is a very complex phenomenon. In addition to understanding the causes of obesity, it is also

OBESITY important to focus on how to prevent obesity, and how society can support and help to rehabilitate the persons who have such a problem. However, the thoughtless expenditure of

money, time or effort for spontaneous or poorly developed measures will do little to solve the problem. It must be acknowledged that a proactive and carefully considered approach to the development and implementation of prevention and rehabilitation programs is needed with research and evaluation integrated into all prevention efforts. Moreover, obesity prevention programs will be effective if the contents and targets of prevention work are clearly defined and taken into consideration, and control and coordination for this type of prevention work have been carefully developed. However, obesity is often wrongly perceived as an individual phenomenon. To be effective, prevention work should include not only healthy diet, proper exercise and inculcating good habits in every person, but also a broad array of management tools, potential medications, and other therapies for the treatment of obesity. Indeed, communities must implement a combination of prevention, intervention and suppression strategies to address the obesity problem and to clearly define the target group at which preventive measures will be directed.

OBESITY References Berthoud, H. R., Lenard, N. R., and Shin, A. C. (2011). Food reward, hyperphagia, and obesity. American Journal of Physiology, vol. 300, no. 6, pp. 12661277.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). Overweight and Obesity. Consequences. Retrieved March 12, 2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/NCCDPHP/DNPA/obesity/ childhood/consequences.htm Hoffman, D.J. (2010). Early nutrition and adult health: perspectives for international and community nutrition programs and policies. Nutrition Research and Practice, vol. 4, no. 6, pp. 449454. International Obesity Task Force prevalence Data. (2011). Global childhood overweight. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2009). WeCan! Ways to Enhance Childrens Activity and Nutrition. Retrieved February 27, 2009 from http://www.wecan.org