What Is Obesity and What Does it Lead to?
Obesity is now one of the largest epidemics that the world is facing, which means it will likely soon get ‘pandemic’ status. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), obesity is growing all over the world, across all demographics. It is believed that in the USA alone, some 97 million people are overweight or obese. This equates to more than half of the adult population in the country. Out of these 97 million, some 11 million are severely obese.
What Is Obesity?
Essentially, obesity is when there is too much total body fat. This is caused by an excess calorific intake, which means the person does not use as much energy as what they consume. A measurement that is used in order to assess what a person’s health risks are as a result of obesity is the BMI.
According to the American Obesity Association, people who are obese increase their risk of death by 50% to 100% when compared to people who are of a normal weight. This equates to between 300,000 and 587,000 deaths, which is huge. As a result, in terms of preventable deaths, obesity is the second leading cause in the United States. This really demonstrates the scale of the problem and how important it is to make a difference now, before it is too late. This generation is also the first generation that has a lower life expectancy than the previous generation, and this is attributed mainly to obesity.
What Causes Obesity?
There are a number of potential causes for obesity and it is usually a combination of several factors that are actually involved. Some of these factors are:
- Genes – if you come from parents who are overweight or obese, you may have a higher chance of becoming obese yourself.
- Biology – how capable is your body of turning food that you consume into energy?
- Behavior – what are your habits in terms of diet and exercise?
- Environment
- Psychological factors
What Are the Consequences of Obesity?
There are a number of serious and dangerous consequences of obesity. Read more about the consequences of obesity here.
Major health risks:
- Your life expectancy is reduced.
- Your chance of dying prematurely is increased by 50% to 100%.
- You are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, gall bladder problems, digestive problems, breathing difficulties, psychological problems, fertility problems and urinary incontinence.
The consequences of obesity also affect your psychological and social well-being. These consequences include:
- Social isolation
- A poor self-image and low self-esteem
- Discrimination
Finally, someone who is obese will have significant difficulties with day to day living. Some of the consequences include:
- It is more difficult to complete everyday tasks because it is more difficult to move.
- Obese people get tired much quicker and they often find themselves short of breath during activities.
- Vehicles, telephone booths, public transport seats and other such seating arrangements may be too small and narrow.
- It is more difficult to maintain personal hygiene.
