Abstract
Obesity is a health condition that has increasingly gained world attention. It is a medical condition characterized by a high body fat, typically a BMI above 30. It is important to note that being overweight does not simply imply being obese. Notably, chronic diseases have been on the increase due to the changing lifestyle that many people have embraced in the world today. In fact, most people in the world today are suffering from lifestyle diseases, most of which are attributed to diet. This dissertation discusses obesity as a chronic disease that has increasingly become a major concern in most parts of the world. The paper is based on systematic review of scholarly articles to determine the description of obesity, symptoms, history of obesity, reasons for the rise of chronic cases and the prevention mechanics and control.
Obesity
Introduction
Lifestyles led by most people today pose several health risks. Changes in nutrition, technology and other modern facilities have led to the emergence of health challenges that are difficult to deal with. The types of foods and food chemicals that are consumed nowadays pose great health risks on most individuals. Most diseases that currently affect people are associated with poor nutrition and lifestyle. Some are curable while others can only be controlled (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2006). A disease that can only be controlled is commonly known as chronic or non-communicable diseases. Chronic diseases are illnesses that are very persistent and last for a long period, usually more than three months. They are caused by dietary factors like poor nutrition, behavioral factors like smoking and social factors as race, socioeconomic status and education level. These illnesses are a major cause of deaths globally as they constitute over 60% of all deaths annually. They also pose a major strain on the economy as there is a loss in productivity and more money being directed towards health care (Mayo Clinic, 2012). These chronic conditions include cancer, asthma, arthritis, HIV/AIDS, heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, mental, respiratory and kidney disorders. This paper seeks to study obesity, a chronic ailment that has great health risks. The study will include the disease description, its symptoms, the history of the disease, reasons for the rise in chronic cases and methods of control and prevention.
Description of the disease
Obesity is a chronic condition of abnormal and excessive accumulation of fats in the body. This results to unwanted weight gain leading to adverse health effects and reduced life expectancy. The body mass index (BMI) is used to measure the level of obesity (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2006). BMI is attained by getting the quotient of an individual’s weight and the square of height of that person. A normal weight person has a BMI of between 20 and 24.9. An obese person is one whose BMI is more than 30kg/m2.A BMI of over 30 comes about when the consumption of calories by a person is more than the energy that one burns. However, it is important to note that there is a difference between being obese and being overweight. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 indicates overweight (Dawn center, 2012). Recent researches have shown that obesity is more common among women than men. Moreover, it is widespread among the African Americans, the Hispanics, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians. Globally, obesity is rated as a second cause of deaths, after smoking. Several health conditions are linked with obesity (Ma, 2004). These include heart ailments, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep disorders, premature death and decreased quality of life. Obesity poses a great challenge to the general functioning of the body and strain to the economy as it raises the cost of health care.
Symptoms of Obesity
Having a BMI of over 30 indicates that there are more unhealthy fatty deposits in the body. The extra fat may be found around the hips, chest, buttocks and waist. Obesity is associated with a number of days, psychological and long term problems (Dawn center, 2012). These problems may result to the development of cardiovascular complications and may also sever relationship with friends and family.
Day to day problems include:
- Joint pains as result of stiffness of ankles and knees brought about by the extra weight gained by an individual
- Breathlessness due to the extra fat around the chest and neck slowing down the flow of air in and out of the lungs
- Snoring
- Increased sweating
- Sleep disorders
- Experiencing difficulties in performing daily activities and
- Feeling extremely tired
Long term problems include:
- High cholesterol levels
- Hypertension.
The psychological problems include:
- Feeling worthless
- Feeling lonely
Other symptoms include:
- Unbalanced facial features,
- Big abdomen,
- Saggy fat in upper arms and thighs
History of diabetes
Obesity is as old as humanity. Its existence can be traced even in the Stone Age periods. The earliest cases of obesity can be traced in the first modern human beings in Europe about 35,000 years ago (Dawn center, 2012). During those times, it was important to store up sufficient energy and fats in times of plenty to take someone through the times of lack.
One of the first cases to be discovered was the “Venus of Willndorf.” This was an 11-centimeter statuette of an obese female upper body found in Austria. Perhaps it was used in the rituals. Afterwards, there were several other cases of figurines of obese human in the abdominal regions with drooping breasts.
The era of New Stone age about 8000 to 55000 B.C marked the first times people began to poses property and wealth. Several figurines representing obese humans were very common especially in the modern Turkey (Smith, 2014). According to anthropological studies, most of the hunter-gatherers who lived in those times were lean and had very rear cases of obesity. Nevertheless, the several sculptures were designed that represented obese human in most parts of Europe. Perhaps, obesity was already in existence and the sculptures were made out of what had been observed in some humans that had existed in the ancient times.
In the ancient times, obesity was prevalent in most societies. Ancient Egyptian stone reliefs, Ancient Greece physicians Hippocrates already confirmed the existence of obesity among the people. In women for instance, the ancient medical reports showed that the obesity was associated with irregular menses and infertility in women. In fact, the Greece were the first to discover obesity as a medical disorder. It was first perceived as a disorder that comes with flawed characters such as glutton. According to Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, obesity led to infertility and deaths (Dawn center, 2012).
Around 1830s, Rev. Sylvester Graham became the first American to relate food choices to health. He criticized gluttony and recommended a bland, vegetarian diet as a remedy. He encouraged people to eat flat bread made from course whole wheat grain. Later on, more other doctors did research and recommended various ways of curing obesity. The attempt by Graham was not very successful (Dawn center, 2012). Body weight was later suggested as a better way to dealing with obesity. Arguments, however, intensified among medical specialist of the ways of curing obesity. They could not agree on the surest and clear-cut method.
Reasons for the rise in chronic cases
Obesity has increased in the modern society. Several factors explain the increased rates of obesity in the contemporary word. Some of the major reasons are discussed as follows:
- The problems of sensory and mental conditions in adult
Researchers have found that one-quarter of adults with disabilities is obese (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2006). In a community survey conducted between 1994 and 1995, most cases of obesity were realized among people with lower extremity of mobility complications. Adult with severe mental illness was found to be at higher risks of being obese.
- Low educational attainment
A research conducted on 665 overweight links low educational achievement with a higher BMI. The research was aimed at determining the link between psychosocial and behavioral variables with obesity or weight gain. The conclusion was that people with low educational levels do not value weight loss and are, therefore, more likely to be obese.
- Area of residence, resources, land use and environmental factors are associated with obesity
The researchers used different methods but arrived at the conclusion that there exists a direct relationship between environmental factors, land use, resources and area of residence with obesity. The environment may hinder or facilitate physical activity and, therefore, influences obesity. Activities such as long hours of daily television watching also has a significant association with obesity (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2006).
Methods of Preventing Obesity
Despite being a health disorder, health research have suggested the various ways of preventing obesity. According to Mayo Clinic Staff report, obesity can be prevented in a number of ways. In their report, they assert that unwanted weight gain can be prevented among the obese, those at risk of being obese, and even the overweight individuals. Some of the prevention mechanics include:
- Regular exercise-a 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week is essential in weight loss. Such activities include fast walking and swimming.
- Healthy diets- consumption of low calorie and the use of nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains is a good mechanic of preventing weight gain. Saturated fats should be avoided as well as sweets and alcohol.
- Avoiding foods that trigger the urge to eat-uncontrolled eating may lead to unplanned weight gain. It is important to keep track of what you consume at any given time. Unplanned or uncontrolled eating may lead to the consumption of foods that one is not certain about their nutritional value.
- Regular monitoring of weight is important in preventing the chances of being obese. Monitoring weight regularly helps in discovering in time the looming weight gain in order to take a proper action before it is late.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, obesity can be understood as a health condition characterized by high body fat. It mainly comes as a result of consumption of high fat content while doing very little on activities that may help in the burning of the fats.Most of these fats are accumulated around the waist, chest and hips. The historical analysis reveal that obesity is as old as humanity. The first cases were revealed by the figurines that were modeled in the ancient times. Its symptoms can be categorized into long term, day to day and psychological symptoms. The control measures and preventions revolve around healthy diet, body exercise and weight control. Nevertheless, more research are needed to help identify the relationships between obesity and other diseases such as diabetes.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, A. (2006). Research on Obesity and Overweight. New York: AHRQ Pub. No. 06-P012.
Dawn Centre . (2012, April). History od Obesity . Retrieved from Dawn Centre: http://www.dawn-centre.ie/index.php?page=Page&op=show&id=90
Ma, U. A. (2004). Prevention Methods of Obesity. AHRQ grant HS11313, 39:815-822,.
Mayo Clinic. (2012). Obesity: Disease and Conditions. Ameican Health Journal , 12-14. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/basics/prevention/con-20014834
Smith, J. (2014 , February 19). The History of Obesity in the World . Retrieved from Livestrong.com: http://www.livestrong.com/article/380479-the-history-of-obesity-in-the-world/
