reflective essay on obesity

Essay on Obesity

Introduction

Obesity is a health condition that frequently develops when an individual’s weight is out of proportion to their height and age. It is critical to help obese individuals with their lifestyle choices, as they are frequently abused and ignored emotionally and physically by family members and friends. Additionally, obesity rates are increasing, and obesity can frequently obstruct individuals’ growth and even result in significant psychological issues resulting from continual criticism and rejection (Psalios, 2020). Obesity has long been a source of contention among psychologists, sociologists, and dietitians worldwide. Numerous factors have been and continue to be studied from a practical and theoretical standpoint, including race, heredity, behavior, environment, gender, and other socioeconomic circumstances. Nevertheless, obesity remains a hot subject nowadays, and in some situations, the causes and consequences of obesity are complex and difficult to decipher.

Risk of health problems related to obesity

People have not been sufficiently informed about the high addictiveness of food and associated health risks. Individuals increasingly lack knowledge about their condition, critical lifestyle changes, and critical self-management skills. In any event, it should be noted that obesity is a significant issue, which impacts the individual and the community, and society as a whole. However, when individuals are obese, they might jeopardize the future of every person involved.

Obesity is a result of an individual’s genetics, upbringing, and socioeconomic situation and may dramatically influence individuals’ general health and wellness. It is commonly defined by a 30percent excess of body fat over an individual’s optimum age and height. However, there are numerous factors, which contribute to an individual being overweight. One of the primary reasons an individual may struggle with their weight is that they are genetically prone and at a higher risk of being overweight or having other severe illnesses and diseases due to a biological family member carrying the gene. Genetic factors and human hormones contribute significantly to the genesis of obesity (Qasim et al., 2018).

Individuals assume they can prevent or reverse obesity before it causes health concerns. The fact is that most individuals would be unable to overcome obesity, and nearly half may die as a result of obesity-related diseases. Most obese individuals are unaware that obesity also causes difficulty in breathing, early symptoms of cardiac disease, disturbed sleep patterns, surgical complications, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and type II diabetes. Obesity may also cause high blood pressure. Individuals who are overweight are more likely to get high blood pressure. The cause is high blood fat content (triglycerides) and low HDL good cholesterol in the blood of obese persons. Triglycerides can cause blood vessels to clog quickly. When the space of the blood vessels has narrowed, then the pressure in them will increase.

Obese people have a higher risk of various types of cancer, such as endometrial cancer, namely cancer of the lining of the colon, uterus, kidney, prostate, gall bladder, and post-menopausal and breast cancer. In addition, for every 2-pound increase in weight, the risk of developing arthritis is increased by 9 to 13%. Knowing that arthritis can be increased with weight loss is prevalent for the betterment of the individual.

Obesity can harm the knees and hips because the extra weight puts strain on the joints. While joint replacement surgery is commonly performed on injured joints, the artificial joint has a higher risk of slackening and causing more damage. The effects of Obesity could also raise the risk of vitamin deficiencies (vitamin B12) that can lead to bone and joint issues (like sliding bow legs and femoral epiphysis) and other mental illnesses like low self-esteem and depression (Thomas-Valdés et al., 2017).

Obesity can also contribute to poor mental well-being, social discrimination, unfavorable peer/adult relationships, high-risk behavior (use of alcohol/drug), decreased hopes for a promising future, and being misinterpreted by relatives. A person who is obese also impacts unstable emotions and often considers himself unattractive, lacks self-confidence, and suffers from depression or stress due to not being able to face a normal and active life like other individuals. Most obese people generally lack self-confidence due to their physical appearance. They continuously compare themselves against individuals with healthier figures, negatively affecting their daily lives, work performance, and social interactions.

Considering obesity impacts every organ system in the body, it may reduce life span by 2 to 5 years (Wilhelmi de Toledo et al., 2020).In addition, obesity also affects mental health. These mental effects have not been extensively studied as side effects of physical obesity. Nevertheless, evidence shows that negative obesity can also affect mental health. Feelings of inferiority are common among people whose obesity persists. Rates of depression and anxiety are more alarming because a study in Sweden found that individuals who are severely obese are three to four times more likely to exhibit signs of depression and anxiety than those with an ideal weight.

During pregnancy, obesity is connected with a higher death risk in both the mother and the baby and an increase in the risk of maternal high blood pressure (Catalano & Shankar, 2017). Women who are obese during pregnancy are likely to develop gestational diabetes and issues with labor and delivery, among other concerns. Obesity and overweight are linked to an increased risk of gallbladder disease, surgical risk, incontinence, and depression. Obesity can reduce a person’s quality of life by limiting mobility and physical strength through social, academic, and work discrimination. Also, they are obese, barriers to the quality of life, and emotional consequences seen in this disease. All these negative attributes of such disease are reduced if they were to occur to better the person.

Obesity is sometimes misunderstood as a personal issue. Even though many aspects overlap, experts appear to concur that obesity is a highly complex issue. In addition to knowing the causes of obesity, it is critical to consider ways to avoid obesity and how the community could support and assist in rehabilitating those who have such a condition. In order to combat obesity, society should employ a combination of prevention, intervention, and suppression methods. In order to be efficient, obesity prevention efforts should involve not just a healthy diet, regular exercise, and instilling good habits in everyone, but also a wide range of management tools, possible medicines, and other therapies.

Psalios, S. (2020). Collateral Damage of the ‘War on Obesity’: The Australian Anti-Obesity Campaign: From Fat Stigma to Eating Disorders (Doctoral dissertation, La Trobe).

Qasim, A., Turcotte, M., De Souza, R. J., Samaan, M. C., Champredon, D., Dushoff, J., … & Meyre, D. (2018). On the origin of obesity: identifying the biological, environmental and cultural drivers of genetic risk among human populations. Obesity reviews , 19 (2), 121-149.

Thomas-Valdés, S., Tostes, M. D. G. V., Anunciação, P. C., da Silva, B. P., & Sant’Ana, H. M. P. (2017). Association between vitamin deficiency and metabolic disorders related to obesity. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition , 57 (15), 3332-3343.

Wilhelmi de Toledo, F., Grundler, F., Sirtori, C. R., & Ruscica, M. (2020). Unravelling the health effects of fasting: a long road from obesity treatment to healthy life span increase and improved cognition. Annals of Medicine , 52 (5), 147-161.

Essay on Obesity

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