Nursing Research Library: Obesity by Anup Shah
Over the past few decades, it cannot be denied that obesity has become a global epidemic that has been affecting not just adults but also children. It is a condition which affects different societies across major developing countries around the globe. It has been found the obesity rates in a country are correlated with the country’s recent developments in economy. With this problem, there has been numerous advancement and trials which include lifestyle modifications, medications and even bariatric surgery that were suggested to obese individuals. However, it was found the most patients cannot obtain their target weights. Even with decades of drug development, the growing problem of obesity still remained limited since these medications have been found to have side effects and has inadequate efficacy especially in maintaining the weight in a long term basis (Siraj, 2015, p. 82).
This research article that was written by Anup Shah about obesity addresses how the condition affects people in the world and writes about how the government can regulate the marketing of junk foods. The author believes that obesity is the result of over-eating and foods that are high in salts and sugars, which are the most common foods people eat in the modern world promotes obesity. The sedentary lifestyle of people because of the invention of technology, the development of a country with the invention of different transportation systems, people live a life where they could get anything they want just by sitting down in the comforts of their own home. The author argues that obesity is a global problem with researches from different health organizations about the matter and it has to be addressed.
In the United States alone, almost two-thirds of adults are either overweight or obese. This number is alarming considering the attention of the health professionals to the condition and the mass educational campaigns about the benefits of healthy living. The media even encourages healthier diets and different physical activities; still the prevalence of the condition is still apparent in the country. With the numerous benefits of maintaining a healthy weight and having an active lifestyle there are still many people who continue to consume larger portions of food per day.
On average, a sedentary adult in the United States consumer 500-800 calories more a day compared to the adequate amount to maintain a healthy weight. It was studied that at this rate, a person can gain a pound a week. In reality most especially in developing countries like America, food is available everywhere and the media including the internet bombard people with food advertisements. With the fast paced lifestyle, people are now too busy to look for a time to exercise. When people go home from work they would just relax and do not look for time to do more physical activities.
The economy of a country usually also affects the health choices of its people. Healthier foods like organic vegetables and fruits are much more expensive compared to fast foods. Junk foods are cheaper compared to salads which are prepared with natural ingredients, minimal amount of salt and fats and at the same time full of important nutrients for the body. This is also one of the main reasons why people would prefer fast foods compared to healthier choices. Aside from that, people living in the city experiences stress which is also one of the reasons why people eat even though they are not hungry (Marks, 2004, p.1).
With this information at hand, this research article is relevant in today’s global health issues. Different countries have been fighting obesity for decades now and people may not be dying of obesity, but obesity can lead to numerous diseases like heart ailments, diabetes and cancer. There is also a growing concern about the issue on child obesity. This is a growing concern most especially of the World Health Organization. Studies revealed that at least 20 million children at the age or 5 years old are overweight. This study was conducted back in 2005.
When children are exposed to unhealthy eating habits and unhealthy lifestyle, there is a higher chance that they would bring this attitude to adulthood and has a chance to developing serious diseased like cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at a younger age. What different health organizations are worrying about is that these obese children come from low to middle income countries. Obese children aged five years old and above usually live in the cities and 35 million of the total obese children are living in developing countries like the United States.
The research article focuses mainly on studies that were conducted by the World Health Organization. The health organization conducts unbiased surveys and studies most especially to developing countries aside from America. The studies and surveys conducted by the World Health Organization also include the representative from other countries and continents like Europe and Asia. These studies can be used by people as inspiration and motivation to help promote healthy lifestyle not just for them but also for other people considering that obesity is now considered as a global problem.
It is already known that aside from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, obesity can also cause several types of cancer and musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis. Obesity can also cause premature death and disability from stroke in children even at a younger age. The research article is straightforward in giving out the necessary information at hand from different reliable sources like health organizations. This information can help the reader asses how severe the problem on obesity is globally.
Aside from the lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating, the author of the research article also pointed out various causes of obesity. The British Medical Journal suggested that the cause of obesity can be complex and can be of inter-related causes that are fueled by factors like economic and psychosocial. The journal explained that there are three major causes of obesity and the first is the food systems. The major problem that causes obesity is the increased availability of high energy food in the market. Different food advertisements shown in television or internet persuades people most especially children to desire food that are high in saturated fats and salts.
The local environment can also cause obesity for certain individuals. The place where people live can make their lifestyle sedentary or inactive. Research suggests that obese individuals usually live in urban areas. This is because people places in the city are closely connected to one another that people need a little physical activity to go to one place. With the technology that people use today, everything that they need they could already buy online so they won't need to go out of the house to buy food or go shopping.
According to the journal, social conditions can also affect the health of an individual. Having not enough money to buy healthier food like vegetables can be a problem to poorer individuals because these foods can be expensive. Just like what the article claimed earlier, junk foods are cheaper and are faster to obtain than cooking own food at home that is why people who need to work a lot of hours in a day would rather eat fast foods than home cooked meals.
With the results of the researches of the World Health Organization and various health entities, the author tried to suggest in addressing the problem on the global, national and local levels. Being the key institution, the World Health Organization should focus on the developing food and agricultural policies so that people can have access to healthier food choices anywhere in the world. Feeding programs and other health programs should be implemented most especially in low income countries so that the number of obese children will also decrease.
In conclusion, the research article is complete in giving the necessary information about the issue. The author was able to point out different factors that could cause obesity and suggested different ways how to fight obesity on global, national and local scale. It is good that the numbers and the reports are straightforward and big words were rarely used, this means that even an ordinary person could understand it. Obesity is a problem that has to be addressed since it has been a global issue for many years now. With the results of the different studies and surveys conducted in this research article, people should be aware of the impacts and effects of unhealthy lifestyle in the body.
References
Marks, J. B. (2004). Obesity in America: It’s Getting Worse. Clinical Diabetes, 22(1), 1-2. doi:10.2337/diaclin.22.1.1
Shah, A. (2010, November 21). Global Issues: Obesity. Retrieved from www.globalissues.org/article/558/obesity
Siraj, E. S. (2015). Another Agent for Obesity — Will This Time Be Different? The New England Journal Of Medicine, (373), 82-83. doi:10.1056/NEJMe1506236
