Abstract
Obesity is a dreaded illness that affects not only adults but children as well. Long associated with adults, the number of children suffering from childhood obesity is also on the rise as families change their lifestyle and opt for processed and unhealthy foods. What makes it ironic is despite knowing how healthy foods and exercise can combat obesity, still, there are people who do not make changes on their lifestyle. Thus, in order to address the problems of obesity, educating schoolchildren, including their families and school personnel is important. In addition, applying food tax on items considered as unhealthy is suggested as a solution to curbing the obesity problem. By following healthy eating habits, understanding how the body works, acknowledging the various factors associated with metabolism, and having a renewed view of the effects of obesity to an individual and society in general, hopefully, the number of obese Americans will slowly diminish.
America is now crying in pain as the number of people suffering and undergoing medical treatment due to obesity increases. What makes the situation alarming is how the numbers have spread in the number of children suffering from obesity as well. In the past, diabetes, stroke, heart diseases, arthritis, and obesity were known as adult-related illnesses only. However, because of how people lead their lives now, including their lifestyle and diet, more people tend to get sick or develop various kinds of illnesses. In the United States alone, studies point out that obesity is the second leading cause of death as Americans eat more unhealthy foods and exercise less (Hendrick). In the same study conducted by Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index (Hendrick) results registered a high 63% percent of Americans in the U.S. are obese. Idleness and disinterest in exercise and other similar forms of activity has made them stay at home and either play the computer or watch television. What proves ironic is how everyone acknowledges that exercising and eating nutritious foods can help guard against obesity, and yet do not make any steps towards healthy eating and living. To help people towards healthy eating, suggestions to begin educating schoolchildren about obesity as early as their pre-K days and taxation of unhealthy foods are considered as possible solutions in curbing the obesity issue.
Obesity is a medical condition that can be cured by following proper diet and nutrition, coupled with exercise. However, most obese Americans do not follow a nutritious program or even exercise daily despite the knowledge about the benefits of adhering to a strict diet and workout program. Surveys revealed that obese Americans exercise less than overweight and normal-weight people. This is quite alarming because of the 70% overweight and normal-weight people who regularly exercise, only 59% of the obese Americans work out at least once a week. If people from different weight categories claim that they eat no less than five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables at least three times a week, obese people are more likely to say they do not follow such practices when it comes to food consumption. In addition, they would probably claim to not having eaten healthy the past seven days (Hendrick).
This makes obesity a societal problem and not just a personal one as it affects all individuals regardless of gender, age, race, culture, and creed. Adolescents specifically "[consume] more calories, but [get] less nourishment" (McNeely & Blanchard, n.d.). During the adolescence period, teens grow their bodies and begin to develop into what would be their adult bodies, including their weight and bone mass. In effect, seeing their lifestyle and health habits now already tells about their future health condition. As individuals prefer eating processed foods to vegetables, fruits, and vitamins required by the body, the more people become predisposed to contracting various kinds of diseases and illnesses. Most importantly, those who consume large amounts of sweets and junk foods are more inclined to becoming obese and developing obesity-related illnesses (McNeely & Blanchard, n.d.). In turn, this results to children and adolescents suffering from "psychological and social problems brought about by bullying, depression and anxiety" (Collision & Cornell, 2012).
The National Health and Medical Research Council (2003) declared that using an individual's "body mass index (BMI) with a BMI-for-age and gender percentile chart" (p. 3) can help identify whether one is obese or not. As an example, considering there are no established BMI references as of yet in Australia, computation for the BMI reference will be based on data from the Centers for Disease Control BMI percentile charts. According to the charts, a BMI of over 85% means the child is overweight, while a BMI of 95% and above implies that the child may be obese (p. 3). However, there are no available data for children below two years of age. On the other hand, the Institute of Medicine claimed that about 69% of adults and 32% of children in the United States are either obese or overweight (as cited in Gaines, 2012, p. 178). This goes in tandem with another study that affirmed that only Colorado State has an "obesity rate of less than 20%, 12% states have an obesity rate greater than 30%, and 38 states have an obesity rate greater than 25%" (Gaines, 2012, p. 178), which goes against the nation's goal of pushing the obesity rate below 15% in each state.
It is also crucial that individuals have a good understanding of Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) to be able to control one's calorie intake, as this will help in avoiding storage of useless fats. The BMR establishes how fast an individual burns calories, thus, tells so much about an individual's capacity to lose weight, gain unwanted pounds, or maintain desired weight. Aside from the kinds of foods one is eating, idleness contributes to increase in unwanted weight. Therefore, understanding what activities contribute to continuous body metabolism even while at rest, including the amount of calories that can easily be burned and keep body function such as cell growth, breathing, brain function, blood circulation, among others, high even when the body is resting, will help in curbing obesity (Cruz-Neto & Bozinovic, 2004).
Several factors influence the BMR as well. Age is the number one factor, considering that metabolism is at its peak while an individual is young, specifically during the puberty stage. Nevertheless, as one ages, for instance, 30 and above, metabolism begins to slow down, thus, a good exercise program is very important if one desires to maintain a youthful body and look. Another factor that affects metabolism is body composition. This refers to the amount of muscles an individual has, which equates to more body muscles meaning faster BMR even when the body is at rest. According to studies, men have faster metabolic rate than women do, which puts emphasis on how gender also determines the body metabolism depending on sexual category. For instance, comparing two individuals, a man and a woman, who are of the same weight and height, would show that the man would tend to lose weight faster than the woman because generally, men have more body muscles than women. Therefore, even when at rest, men are losing weight due to faster metabolism. The endocrine glands also determine an individual's metabolic rate through the thyroid glands. Low levels of thyroxin means slower metabolism, thus, an individual may have hypothyroids that makes it difficult for the individual to lose weight despite low food intake and rigid exercise routines. However, having hyperthyroidism means higher metabolic rate due to a hyperactive thyroid gland. In this case, no matter how much food an individual eats, one remains thin or even underweight (Faires, n.d.).
How then can obesity be solved? One way is to monitor the calories that enter the body in order to eliminate the possibilities of accumulation of fats cells that contribute to weight gain. By educating the youngsters through health education programs in schools, young students become aware about the effects of obesity and consumption of unhealthy foods. Lessons and class discussions pertaining to food groups and correct amount of calorie consumption could help them avoid any problems associated with weight gain
According to the Harvard School of Public Health (2011), a healthy diet is made up of vegetables, healthy protein, whole grains, and fruits, with vegetables making up most of the food portions. Apparently, the more colorful the food variety is, the better, considering that following this plating system can help in reducing stroke and heart diseases, lower blood pressure, and improve the digestive system, among other benefits.
Source: Harvard's School of Public Health, 2011
Apart from the schoolchildren, canteen personnel and Guidance counselors must also be involved in encouraging students to eat healthy. This means they, too, must be educated about the various facets of health and education in order to assert the benefits of nutrition and exercise to have a healthy body. Next to them is the education of family members as well to ensure that the school's efforts and plans to curb obesity remain consistent wherever the child is (McNeely & Blanchard, n.d.).
Another solution that can help in curbing obesity cases is taxing of unhealthy food products. This could lead to decreased intake of junk food considering the extra costs added just to buy unhealthy food. With the introduction of the "fat tax" (Caraher & Cowburn, 2005), it is much hoped that there will be more awareness about obesity and being overweight, especially not that society has become more tolerant about obesity in general. Although there are some sectors that oppose this move, taxing unhealthy foods far outweighs the disadvantages of doing so. For instance, apart from raising awareness about the health problems that obesity presents, foods that make people sick and fat are also being highlighted, resulting to people becoming more conscious not only about what they eat, but of their bodies as well. Even better is how people become more selective of foods to buy as they become mindful of their spending habits such as an increase in buying snack foods. Next step is to identify what really comprises healthy food is order to ensure the success of the program (Caraher & Cowburn, 2005).
With the availability of processed foods, including foods served in restaurants and fast food centers, the more it becomes imperative to choose foods wisely. Given the choice between healthy food and food items that will answer a craving, people must go for healthy foods to ensure that one lives longer and free and from illnesses and diseases. One thing that must not be forgotten is consuming healthy food must go hand in hand with a good exercise program to ensure that food that enters the body are not converted or stored as fats. This way, obesity can be prevented, including the development of obesity-related illnesses.
References
Caraher, M., & Cowburn G. (2005). Taxing food: Implications for public health nutrition. Retrieved from http://journalfair.cepiec.com.cn/pdf/PHN0081242.pdf
Cruz-Neto, A., & Bozinovic, F. (2004). The relationship between diet quality and basal metabolic rate in endotherms: Insights from intraspecific analysis. Retrieved from http://www.bio.puc.cl/caseb/pdf/prog1/BMR_PBZ.pdf
Faires, M. (n.d.) Understanding metabolism: What determines your BMR. Retrieved from http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/understanding-metabolism-what-determines-your-bmr.html
Gaines, K. (2012). Health care and obesity: Can we really have our cake and eat it, too. Urologic Nursing, 32(4), 178-202
Harvard School of Public Health [HSPH] (2011). Harvard's new guide to healthy eating. Retrieved from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/
Hendrick, B. (n.d.). Percentage of overweight, obese Americans swell. WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20100210/percentage-of-overweight-obese-americans-swells
McNeely, C., & Blanchard, J. (n.d.). Obesity: Nutrition and exercise. Retrieved from http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-for-adolescent-health/_includes/Obesity_Standalone.pdf
National Health & Medical Research Council. (2003). Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents, a guide for general practitioners. Retrieved from http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/CF511C5633F62237CA256F190003BC2F/$File/children_gp.pdf
