Obesity affects health

Obesity can be defined as a condition when an individual has excess body weight due to an abnormal accumulation of fat. In simple terms, someone is considered obese when he/she has a weight of 20% or more over the maximum, recommended for his/her height and age.

Should you watch what you eat?

The primary cause of overweight and obesity is an imbalance between calorie intake and calorie expenditure. This means that more calories are consumed than are burnt and this eventually leads to weight gain over time. This weight gain may be cause by over eating, lack of exercise or in most instances, a combination of both. One pound of body fat is equal to 350 calories; therefore, if someone eats 500 extra calories for one week, he/she will gain 1 extra pound of fat. In two weeks this person will gain two extra pounds of body weight. See how easy it is to gain a few extra pounds. If a cheeseburger containing a minimum of 320 calories is consumed every day for one week with no form of physical activity to burn off the extra calories, this individual would have gained at least 6 pounds in that one week.

How prevalent is overweight and obesity?

Thirty one percent of Americans between the ages of 20-74 are obese. This is a 100% increase over that of adult obesity from 1976 to 1980. Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that, since the mid-seventies, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased sharply for both adults and children in all racial and ethnic groups. Research has also shown that obesity is more prevalent among African Americans, than that of other ethnicities, and definitely more dominant among women than men. A survey conducted from 2003-2004, show increases in overweight among children and teens. For children aged 2–5 years, obesity increased from 5.0% to 13.9%; for those aged 6–11 years, the increase went from 6.5% to 18.8%; and for those aged 12–19 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 17.4%.

An assortment of demographic and behavioral factors, such as age, gender, socio-economic status, race, and ethnic background, influence the rate of obesity it the United States. For example studies conclude that African American women are less inclined to value thinness and may equate fatness with prosperity (Kittler & Sucher, 2001). Hence, the reason why they may have a higher rate of overweight. By racial groups, obesity exists in 23% of white women, 31% of Hispanic women and 37% of Black women.

Factors Contributing to Obesity

Some of the factors contributing to obesity include genetics, psychological, socio-cultural, diet and level of physical activity. Although genetics, psychological, and socio-cultural factors do contribute to overweight, most of the other cases of obesity are caused by poor diets combined with a lack of physical activity. People generally eat many unhealthy foods with high calories and engage in no form of physical activity to burn off the extra calories. The extra calories accumulate and over time and eventually lead to overweight and obesity. Learn how exercise can help you with weight management.

Environment may also contribute to obesity because people may make decisions based on their environment or community. For example, someone may choose to avoid walking to the supermarket because of a lack of sidewalks. Communities, homes, and workplaces can all influence people's health decisions. To discourage this type of behavior or mentality, it is necessary to create environments in these locations that make it easier to engage in physical activity and to eat a healthy diet. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity 2001 identified action steps for several locations that may help prevent and decrease obesity and overweight. The following table provides some examples of these steps.

Location	Steps to Help Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity
Home	Reduce time spent watching television and in other sedentary behaviors Build physical activity into regular routines
Schools	Ensure that the school breakfast and lunch programs meet nutrition standards Provide food options that are low in fat, calories, and added sugars Provide all children, from prekindergarten through grade 12, with quality daily physical education
Work	Create more opportunities for physical activity at work sites
Community	Promote healthier choices including at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and reasonable portion sizes Encourage the food industry to provide reasonable food and beverage portion sizes Encourage food outlets to increase the availability of low-calorie, nutritious food items Create opportunities for physical activity in communities

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services

Health consequences of obesity

Individuals who are overweight and obese are at increased risk for many diseases and health conditions.
These diseases and health conditions may include:

Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)
Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
Type 2 diabetes
Insulin resistance
Cardiovascular disease
Stroke
Gallbladder disease
Gallstones and cholecystitis
Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
Increased incidence of certain cancers (endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon)
Increases the risk of complications during and after surgery
Risk of complications during pregnancy labor and delivery

Obesity significantly increases mortality and mobility and is considered as a major contributor to preventable deaths in the United States today.

Economic consequences of Obesity

Other than the health consequences caused by overweight and obesity, they also have a considerable economic impact on the U.S. health care system as well (USDHHS, 2001). Medical costs associated with overweight and obesity may involve direct and indirect costs (Wolf and Colditz, 1998; Wolf, 1998). Direct medical costs may include preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services related to obesity. Indirect costs relate to morbidity and mortality costs. Morbidity costs can be defined as money lost from decreased productivity, restricted activity, absenteeism, and bed days. Mortality costs are the value of future income lost by premature death.

What are the benefits of weight loss

What are the benefits of losing some of the extra pounds I’m packing? What would I gain if I lose those extra few pounds?

The benefits of losing excess weight include:

Improvement in sense of well-being
High self-esteem
Increased energy level
Improved quality of sleep
The risk factors of obesity are improved or resolved
Great health
Reverses insulin resistance
Protection against certain cancers, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease

Strategies for losing weight

Some options for weight loss include:

Nutritional therapy
Increased physical activity
Behavior therapy
Pharmacotherapy
Surgery
Combination of these.
Healthy diet

The most productive of all these methods include physical activity and a healthy diet.

To lose weight your calorie intake must be less than your calorie expenditure. In simple terms, you have to burn more calories than you consume.

How can you burn off the extra calories and start losing weight.

It can be best accomplished through physical activity. Through regular exercise and a well balanced diet containing the various nutrients to give you a healthy life, you will notice that you will begin to lose weight. It will be amazing to see how effective, this simple, yet powerful technique can be.

You cannot enjoy a healthy life if you’re obese because you are putting yourself at risk of too many diseases and health conditions.

Source:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services

Dudek, Susan. Nutrition Essentials for Nursing Practice. Hagerstwon: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2007Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General's call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity. [Rockville, MD]: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General; [2001]. Available from: US GPO, Washington.

Wolf AM, Colditz GA. Current estimates of the economic cost of obesity in the United States. Obesity Research.1998; 6(2):97–106.