Obesity refers to the excess accumulation of body fat to levels that can have adverse effects on the health of individuals (World Health Organization 63). This often leads to reduced life expectancy and increased health complications among victims. One is considered obese if their BMI index is between 25 and 30.These ones are considered to be pre-obese, while for people whose BMI is above 30 are considered obese. Obesity cases have in the recent past increased in the United States, a situation which most doctors say is attributed to the lifestyle and the food consumption of majority of the victims (Thounaojam et al. 14). Obesity in other parts of the world continues to be a challenge, but prevalence rates indicate that those most affected are members who adopt unhealthy feeding habits, lifestyle changes among the young folk, and old age to some extent seem to have contributed toward the exacerbation of the menace. The prevalence of who is obese is not a uniformly acquired condition but a random one; hence the comparison between Asia, Japan and the USA is well placed in context.
WHO (27) observes that the rate of obesity in the US is very high as compared to that in Japan and in the Asian countries by the closure 2006. There are so many factors which account for this disparity in the rates. America’s eating habits has for instance been put into perspective in as far as the spread of obesity is concerned. The range of eating habits in the three countries differs greatly, thus casting different rates in the obesity cases. There are also lifestyle changes and the level of indulgence in different exercises or body physicals. The problems associated with the obesity in these countries have been explicated in this paper as shall be seen in the following exposition.
Diet and Eating Habits
Business Wire (17) observes that the problem with the average American child is the challenge of avoiding snacking and overeating. Most people in the US have bad eating habits as compared to those from Japan and Asia with Americans snacking almost 10 times as the Japanese. Business Wire (25) asserts that there are many drink vending machines almost at every corner of the street. What is worse is that the vendors sell sweetened tea, juice, and tea sometimes contains milk and a little bit more of fats. The snacks contain oil and pork meat which contains much fat. On the other hand the Japanese nationals snack less, with most of them ingesting natural caffeinated tea without sugar. Kiselinchevet al. (24) highlights that there are less numbers of vendors selling sugary snacks and drinks in the Japanese country as compared to those in America. This has had considerable differences, and perhaps accounting for the divergence in the rates of obesity.
The Japanese also prefer rice, fish and vegetables as compared to the Americans who eat much processed and packaged foods with a lot of calories. Thounaojamet al. (32) argues that while most people think the obesity epidemic in the US is caused by the ingestion of improper food, the truth is that the Americans have a problem of balancing the amount of calories taken and the exercise they do. Japanese nationals have less preference to fatty foods. For instance, there are three grades of beef in the US and other commonwealth countries which have more progressive fat marbling, while there are 12grades of beef in Japan (progressively leaned on the lean fat standard upheld by the country). Most Americans take eggs, fatty snacks and avoid cereals to a large extent. While there are those members in the US who take healthy meals, some still blunder by taking large quantities which increase the calorie content (Research and Markets 34). This leads to obesity as most members do not exercise quite often as their counterparts in the Japanese country.
The Asian countries have not also been left out in terms of obesity. In fact the WHO report indicates that the rates of obesity in the Asian countries are on an upward trend because of a number of factors. Most Asian countries prefer rice and cereals, plus other low fat meals. Perhaps this also accounts for the low fat content in the countries. However, there have been cases of increase in obesity in the countries with Thailand leading with 15%, and the lowest being India 8% (Sassiet al. 12).The rates are not in a very big disparity from that of the US. The problems can be attributed to the nature of the global influence in the diet and the changes in the lifestyle of the people.
Lifestyle changes
Griffith (14) speculates that changes in the lifestyles of people in the global considerations have been one of the major causes of obesity and related conditions. Most countries in the developing world have been on upward trends in development with increased transport systems, better income and improved agriculture. This therefore has led to massive food productions and thus an increased level of food availability. These countries have thus been developed, a case which is different from the past. As Monteiroet al. (75) argues, obesity has set in due to the changes in the lifestyles of the people accompanying these economic shifts. For instance, Asia used to be an underdeveloped region but due to industrial expansions and developmental efforts the Asian states such as Malaysia, Singapore, and China have in the recent past underwent massive expansion and developments. Monteiro et al. (48) notes that the food production in China has increased in the past 10 years to greater levels than its initial capacity to produce food. This means that there is more food availability to the people and the population is thus well fed unlike in the past. The improved modes of transport in the countries such as the electric trains, good road network and availability of cheap cars has also overseen more people driving rather than walk or cycle to work as is the case in Japan. Obesity is a lifestyle condition that is most prevalent among the economically well to do individuals in nations (Gill 33). Therefore the increased number of automobiles in the country and the surge in the number of people who prefer to watch TV during their leisure has increased the prevalence of obesity in individuals. The US leads in the number of people who are obese. Doshisha University Report (65) claims that the industrial development and high number of people who drive to work have a lot to account for the effects.
The Asian and Japan cases are quite limited in terms of the effects caused by this type of changes. While the change in individual lifestyle in terms of the eating habit and less exercise may cause the obesity prevalence to go up, the lack of exercise has a lot of influence also in determining whether one develops the conditions. People who consume many calories and fail to burn the fats ingested through exercise have a high rate of developing obesity rather than those people who exercise. Gronniger (5) agrees to this proposition by stating that lack of exercise may lead to fat deposits in the body leading to obesity. As asserted in this essay, most Japanese people have a more exercise oriented lifestyle as compared to the Americans. In Japan the most preferred mode of transport is bicycles; therefore people walk more often and work out in the gym than the US. In Asia the changing trends in the economic development of the region has seen more people develop the obesity due to the changes. However the rates of prevalence in the Asian countries are still low as compared to that of the US. The least figures of those people diagnosed with the obesity are recorded by Japan.
Genetic Causes
Just like any other effect that is genetically oriented, obesity has been found to have a link to genetics (Gronniger 17). Genes of different people may be genetically predisposed for the individual’s acquisition of the condition while for others they may lack the genes and therefore not affected by the condition. The number of people who have the genes responsible for the development of obesity in the different counties under consideration has not yet been established. However Cheng (17) notes that the prevalence of obesity in parents may tell the extent to which the child may develop the same conditions. This is because the child has the same genes from the parents. Environmental conditions and the lifestyles adopted by the individuals have been identified as the major causes of obesity in individuals (DeArment 9). Environmental factors include the ability to take part in exercises for children, the exposure that one has in terms of how they spend their leisure time. Most American children spend their time watching TV, movies, and playing games on computers while ingesting high sugar content snacks. This compared to Japanese children seen to be more outgoing and involved in physical exercises. Etiological factors and the adoption of sedentary lifestyles have therefore had a lot of influence in the different rates of obesity in the three regions.
Health effects of obesity in the three regions
The effects of obesity are very diverse in the populations of the world. Allison et al. (44) point out that one of the major effects of obesity in the US is the prevalence of diabetes. Diabetes in the US has been a direct consequence of the obesity where individuals have been diagnosed with mostly diabetes type two (Chan 10). There are also other factors and diseases that have been linked to this type of condition in people. While most people in the western countries and Europe have been diagnosed with diabetes and other diseases related to obesity, the same cases have been reported in parts of Asia and Japan. Japan still records small numbers as compared to other countries under consideration. Perhaps this is because of the nature of the lifestyles of the people in the country. Allison et al. (44) argues that the rate of development of diabetes in countries is directly linked to the number of obese cases reported in the country.
Reports by the WHO indicate that India has the highest prevalence rates of diabetes in the world. The same study indicated that Indians of Asian descent cast a higher number of abdominal obesity than the white population. The abdominal adiposity as reported by Cole et al. (16) has much to offer in as far as the diabetes acquisition and development is concerned in the India population. This is responsible for explaining the increased rates of diabetes in India, even though it records small cases of general obesity as compared to the US (International Diabetes Federation 12). Japan has also recorded diabetes conditions in the regions but to a small number. Most of the cases reported in the country are related to the obesity and other predisposing factors (Lukman 11). Generally the rate at which the obesity influences the development of life diseases and conditions is higher in the US and Asia as compared to Japan (Lukman 23). Other conditions developed include cancer, obstructive sleep apnoea, social stigmatization, and osteoarthritis.
Gronniger (23) notes that one of the major social problems experienced by Americans is the social stigma. Social stigma of the people with obesity condition is a very big issue in the public of the average American child. The issue is more pronounced in women. Some of the cases of obesity as reported have led to depression and trauma. In extreme cases most people affected by obesity have contemplated suicide. An Oprah Winfrey interview, several obese women and men said that one of the greatest challenges that they experience is the social stigma. Most people with obesity in the US fear to appear in the public due to the public stereotype and castigation reminiscent of some parts of the US. This has therefore led to socially withdrawn members. This scenario has led to social sensitization among the US population to help people with obesity to acclimatize to society and adopt better eating and lifestyle habits. Thais efforts have had influence as many people now in the country indulge in better eating habits than earlier adopted.
The social stigmatization in the Asian world and Japan does not manifest any divergent view. The view of obese people almost globally raises eyebrows (DeArment 18). In some cases it is even more serious as members of the public may not want to deeply associate with this people as some feel embarrassed at the extent of fat that members carry. In Japan people living with this condition are seen as patients and therefore in most cases referred for medical attention, or seek professional assistance. The same case applies in the other states with the individual feeling an embarrassment on their own, rather than the public publicly disowning or embarrassing them. Monteverde (7) holds that the condition has had negative feelings in the people involved and has to some extent reduced their happiness and work output. Self-confidence is one part that is really affected by this condition. Most people feel that they are not fit to speak or appear before others, and have fear within the self (Prentice 2). This has affected relationships and led to withdrawal from the public life (Gill 19). This has continued to affect their social life which is more constrained, unlike those who do not experience the condition.
Implications to the Public health
The WHO report notes that obesity may soon be the leading cause of death and health problems among people in the world. This will replace the traditional common causes of death and health complications like under nutrition and malnutrition. Obesity has for instance caused a major national crisis in America as compared to other nations in the world (Raloff 1). This as Cole et al. (20) holds has led to US government spending much money in the treatment and sensitization of the American people on proper lifestyle and adoption of proper diet. The public spending in the treatment of obesity in America is for instance estimated at $117 billion in 2000 (Cabanet al. 17). The same statistics showed that two in every five Americans is obese. This has caused a lot of unrest in the public sector of the US with major structural changes to combat the menace. Major companies like the Coca Cola have also joined in the effort of encouraging the youth to adopt a more health living through ingestion of healthy meals.
The obesity cases in Japan and the Asian countries have also been identified as of a potential explosion (Chan, 19). With the increased development witnessed in the Asian countries, especially Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, the region is bound to face quite a number of increased cases of obesity. Although Business wire (13) points out that the crisis in Asia is slowly developing as experienced in the health sector, obesity is still on a large-scale countered through the lifestyle that is adopted. However in Japan the government has been spending a lot of money on diet related illnesses. In 2005, the country is estimated to have spent 10 trillion yen in the fight of illnesses related to diet. This is almost a third of the national medical expenditure of the country (Cabanet al. 11). The obesity problem is therefore becoming more complicated in the country. Most reports indicate that the national spending of countries toward obesity related diseases and illnesses has been on an increase thus if actions by respective governments are not undertaken in restitution of the problem, more lives will continue to be lost under the same menace.
The economic implications posted by treating obesity related diseases have been on an upward trend. The United States of America spends more than $132 billion dollars in the treatment of diabetes and other related diseases. Obesity has been identified as one of the major epidemics affecting the US Monteverde (31). The budget dents are a manifestation of the extremes that the country has incurred in expenses for the treatment of this preventable illness. In Asia the same case is manifested with budget deficits being experienced due to increased spending from treating an ever-increasing rate of obesity and diabetes. India in this region is the world’s number one country in the number of people recorded with diabetes. The government spending in fighting these cases has rocketed to large amounts, thus raising budget allocations for the medical care. Japan has been on an increased spending in tackling problems directly or indirectly related to obesity.
Conclusion
Obesity is a global problem which continues to spread to the developed countries at an alarming rate. The issue has been exacerbated in already industrialized and highly developed countries where sedentary lifestyles have played a major role in the acquisition of the conditions. This has therefore led to health complications related to the illness meaning that the diseases are cutting huge chunks in the respective government spending. The Asian cases are examples of countries where the increased economic empowerment and development has had the effect. The increased food availability and increased automobiles in the region, similarly to the US cases has led to development of the health conditions leading to major deaths. Restitution mechanisms and governmental adjustments must be adopted for the situation to be changed. Unless this is done most people will continue to suffer and succumb to the conditions worldwide.
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