Obesity, a growing problem?

[thetruepichu]

So, is obesity a growing problem in our society?

In todays life, obesity is a result of major advancments in technology, allowing less effort to be put in everyday action and giving reasons for lazyness; increased fastfood products and restaurants along with more unhealthy junk food and such; lastly increased prices on concurrent healthy produce. All of these are the reasons why.

personally, i do think its a problem, but i have no control over this so i'm not too concerned.

so, lets debate! Ftr: i know not all continents have an obesity problem. there are just as many hunger problems out there. this relates to areas with obese issues.

[Amiちゃん]

Well it is and then it isn't. It is because obesity does have it's problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems etc but at the same time, people who are at a healthy weight can get those problems as well.

[ForeverFlame]

Fast food is way too cheap. It's so tempting to go out and buy some extremely filling McDoubles instead of cooking.

[ChedWick]

Well it is and then it isn't. It is because obesity does have it's problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems etc but at the same time, people who are at a healthy weight can get those problems as well.

No, it simply is a problem.

When I'm out in public and I have to make an effort to spot the non-chubby kids, there's a problem.

[ansem the wise]

my best friend is huge (and he's not very tall).
and we just sit inside and play video games all day.
so yeah if that coninues there will be a bigger chance that i'll outlast him.

[Chrysaries]

I think it's sad, but understandable. As soon as the west world gets too fat to do anything China will take over and become the worlds centre. If kids were just taught how important it is to exercise and that you force them to do some exercise every week, and also stop using cars all the time (walk or ride a bike instead, how hard could it be?)

[Amiちゃん]

No, it simply is a problem.

When I'm out in public and I have to make an effort to spot the non-chubby kids, there's a problem.

It's a problem for the most part but you cannot simply force someone to fix it. They either want to lose weight or they don't and this is coming from someone who is trying to do the same thing.

(also not all weight problems happen by eating too much food, there is also thyroid issues as well)

[OldManJenkins]

It's a problem for the most part but you cannot simply force someone to fix it. They either want to lose weight or they don't and this is coming from someone who is trying to do the same thing.

(also not all weight problems happen by eating too much food, there is also thyroid issues as well)

Truth^^^

Im not big but I feel for fat people. Fat people get enough of being told that they are lazy and no good. A lot of times they cant help it. Some people are bigger than others, outlawing trans fats and large sodas isnt going to "cure" obesity.

[Pesky Persian]

I think the "obesity epidemic" is more of a media-driven hate campaign than anything else. That's not to say that obesity doesn't pose problems. It certainly does, but the way people look at obesity and obese people conveys such negativity that it's actually counterproductive. There are so many problems with media-driven obesity information.

Most obesity statistics go by BMI, which is not an all-around indicator of health. In fact, no measurement of body dimensions (BMI, WC, ABSI) is indicative of all-around health because health is so different for each individual and is dependent on more than simply body dimensions. You can be overweight or obese by BMI standards and yet still be in good health and most people know the limitations of BMI at least (not accounting for muscle mass, fitness level, nutrition, metabolism, and other factors). Body dimension analyses are tools, not the end-all-be-all of health that the media like to portray them as, especially when it comes to statistics. The media likes to use unfavorable portrayal of overweight individuals to perpetuate this idea that all obese people are lazy and have no self-control. While this may attribute to some of America's weight problem, it doesn't look at other factors outside of individual lifestyles.

Nutrition and activity can and do have impacts on obesity and they're often the only factors discussed in the media. However, there are a number of other factors involved in obesity. Genetic predisposition, family health history, and metabolism all play roles. Environmental factors can play a large role in obesity as well- Advertising/food manufacturers, food availability, education, socioeconomic status, and exposure to environmental chemicals (especially in utero) all play a part. It's a mutlifaceted problem that doesn't have one quick fix. There have been studies that even link certain bacterial and viral infections to adipogenesis. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (of which we have an abundance in our society) have also been linked to obesity. Certain disease conditions (such as PCOS just to give one example) can also make it easy to gain weight and difficult to lose it but not making overall health impossible. Meaning, someone with a disease like PCOS can have all the indicators of good health (good BP, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, etc.) yet still be considered overweight. Studies have also found that metabolic health has a larger impact on cardiovascular health than weight alone.

I don't have a problem with people being concerned with obesity and community health. However, I do have a problem with the way many people (and the media especially) go about it. Media-driven campaigns have often been more about body shaming than health promotion and disease prevention. People are often so quick to judge others on looks alone rather than any knowledge about that individual's health. You can't exactly look at someone and, going on your own personal perception of what is "fat" and not, decide if they are unhealthy, especially considering most of the people who do this are not medical professionals. Instead of promoting body-shaming and blaming obese people when you ("you" being mostly the media and those who blindly follow it's instruction rather than any kind of medical literature/study) don't know anything about their health or their life, we need to focus less on the individual and take a broader approach (er... no pun intended). People who are shamed for their body size are often more likely to be emotional eaters, avoid getting health screenings for fear of being judged, and are less likely to join physical activity groups to improve overall fitness. Focusing more on education (with actually studies), health promotion/disease prevention, testing to find the root of the problem for each individual, etc. would do much better in the way of combating obesity and it's related illnesses. It's just getting people to stop blaming and start educating that's the problem. It seems that in our society, if you're not fat-shaming, you're accused of "promoting" obesity, which to be honest is just a bullshit excuse to continue with discriminatory attitudes.

[thetruepichu]

I think the "obesity epidemic" is more of a media-driven hate campaign than anything else. That's not to say that obesity doesn't pose problems. It certainly does, but the way people look at obesity and obese people conveys such negativity that it's actually counterproductive. There are so many problems with media-driven obesity information.

Most obesity statistics go by BMI, which is not an all-around indicator of health. In fact, no measurement of body dimensions (BMI, WC, ABSI) is indicative of all-around health because health is so different for each individual and is dependent on more than simply body dimensions. You can be overweight or obese by BMI standards and yet still be in good health and most people know the limitations of BMI at least (not accounting for muscle mass, fitness level, nutrition, metabolism, and other factors). Body dimension analyses are tools, not the end-all-be-all of health that the media like to portray them as, especially when it comes to statistics. The media likes to use unfavorable portrayal of overweight individuals to perpetuate this idea that all obese people are lazy and have no self-control. While this may attribute to some of America's weight problem, it doesn't look at other factors outside of individual lifestyles.

Nutrition and activity can and do have impacts on obesity and they're often the only factors discussed in the media. However, there are a number of other factors involved in obesity. Genetic predisposition, family health history, and metabolism all play roles. Environmental factors can play a large role in obesity as well- Advertising/food manufacturers, food availability, education, socioeconomic status, and exposure to environmental chemicals (especially in utero) all play a part. It's a mutlifaceted problem that doesn't have one quick fix. There have been studies that even link certain bacterial and viral infections to adipogenesis. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (of which we have an abundance in our society) have also been linked to obesity. Certain disease conditions (such as PCOS just to give one example) can also make it easy to gain weight and difficult to lose it but not making overall health impossible. Meaning, someone with a disease like PCOS can have all the indicators of good health (good BP, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, etc.) yet still be considered overweight. Studies have also found that metabolic health has a larger impact on cardiovascular health than weight alone.

I don't have a problem with people being concerned with obesity and community health. However, I do have a problem with the way many people (and the media especially) go about it. Media-driven campaigns have often been more about body shaming than health promotion and disease prevention. People are often so quick to judge others on looks alone rather than any knowledge about that individual's health. You can't exactly look at someone and, going on your own personal perception of what is "fat" and not, decide if they are unhealthy, especially considering most of the people who do this are not medical professionals. Instead of promoting body-shaming and blaming obese people when you ("you" being mostly the media and those who blindly follow it's instruction rather than any kind of medical literature/study) don't know anything about their health or their life, we need to focus less on the individual and take a broader approach (er... no pun intended). People who are shamed for their body size are often more likely to be emotional eaters, avoid getting health screenings for fear of being judged, and are less likely to join physical activity groups to improve overall fitness. Focusing more on education (with actually studies), health promotion/disease prevention, testing to find the root of the problem for each individual, etc. would do much better in the way of combating obesity and it's related illnesses. It's just getting people to stop blaming and start educating that's the problem. It seems that in our society, if you're not fat-shaming, you're accused of "promoting" obesity, which to be honest is just a bullshit excuse to continue with discriminatory attitudes.

I waited all day for a post like this. thankyou

[Amiちゃん]

That reminds me of a segment on saw on HLN about a fat acceptance group and they were arguing back and forth with a health expert (who was thin and beautiful by the way) and I wanted to say "not everyone needs to be a size two to be healthy". I mean there are some people who are genuinely happy with being overweight and I applaud them for that because let's face it, with todays media and culture, not alot of us are happy with the way we look, especially if we get treated like **** because of it. I know that health is important but please do not force it on the public. If people want to eat until they go into a diabetic coma, then let them. Like smoking and drinking all we can do is educate people on the subject.

EDIT: now that we are on the subject of obesity, what about this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUOpqd0rQSo

[Pesky Persian]

That reminds me of a segment on saw on HLN about a fat acceptance group and they were arguing back and forth with a health expert (who was thin and beautiful by the way) and I wanted to say "not everyone needs to be a size two to be healthy". I mean there are some people who are genuinely happy with being overweight and I applaud them for that because let's face it, with todays media and culture, not alot of us are happy with the way we look, especially if we get treated like **** because of it. I know that health is important but please do not force it on the public. If people want to eat until they go into a diabetic coma, then let them. Like smoking and drinking all we can do is educate people on the subject.

I think the problem with the bolded statement is that it still perpetuates this idea that people of a certain body size are lazy and just don't care about their health. Obesity is a disease, one which has various etiologies that need to be considered on an individual basis. The idea that all we can do is educate is also a bit off and a bit of a cop-out really, especially when most people's ideas of "education" on obesity equates to "Put down the fork, fatty, and go for a run!" which doesn't help at all. While it could be argued that some people are motivated by negative reactions from people, studies show that body-shaming primarily causes decreased motivation to care about their health and want to improve it. Putting a stop to body-shaming may be the hardest part of this whole thing, but if it could happen, I think it could be a major step in the right direction when it comes to combating obesity.

[ansem the wise]

my best friend (mentioned above)
is very big but he is very active and...tries...to eat healthy but i eat no better than him and i' about half his size...so i think that he has a thyroid problem, so maybe it is something that he cant control, but still people look at him weird and insult him. it made me so mad one time that i almost punched the guy in the face! and it doesnt help that i am dangerously underweight (which is about as bad btw) and people think i am the superior one.

[Amiちゃん]

I think the problem with the bolded statement is that it still perpetuates this idea that people of a certain body size are lazy and just don't care about their health. Obesity is a disease, one which has various etiologies that need to be considered on an individual basis. The idea that all we can do is educate is also a bit off and a bit of a cop-out really, especially when most people's ideas of "education" on obesity equates to "Put down the fork, fatty, and go for a run!" which doesn't help at all. While it could be argued that some people are motivated by negative reactions from people, studies show that body-shaming primarily causes decreased motivation to care about their health and want to improve it. Putting a stop to body-shaming may be the hardest part of this whole thing, but if it could happen, I think it could be a major step in the right direction when it comes to combating obesity.

No I was saying that if people want to do something no one should force them not to. I wasn't saying that anyone was lazy. I do want to say that yeah some people are motivated by negative reactions from people. Like from my experience, I've kinda been motivated by negative reactions to my appearance. And now, I've noticed that ever since I lost the majority of the weight, people in real life are actually.... nicer to me. Guys are actually looking at me and I feel confident. I'm not saying negativity is the key to motivation but when you think about it... it helps for a few cases.

[Pesky Persian]

No I was saying that if people want to do something no one should force them not to. I wasn't saying that anyone was lazy. I do want to say that yeah some people are motivated by negative reactions from people. Like from my experience, I've kinda been motivated by negative reactions to my appearance. And now, I've noticed that ever since I lost the majority of the weight, people in real life are actually.... nicer to me. Guys are actually looking at me and I feel confident. I'm not saying negativity is the key to motivation but when you think about it... it helps for a few cases.

No one can force a particular health decision on anyone, that's true. But saying that in a thread like this runs the risk of getting the response that obesity is a major healthcare cost.

The fact that negativity helps in a few cases doesn't mean it should be the overall tactic for combating obesity. The research suggests the opposite for most people. Focusing more on weight rather than overall health is a big problem in and of itself considering it perpetuates eating disorders, crash diets, and the like. It's great to make healthier choices and feel confidant and while I would personally consider other people's criticism to not be the best motivation, this thread isn't about that so I'll keep my thoughts on that to myself. I had an opposite experience- I was completely unhappy when trying to change myself to please others. It wasn't until I gained confidence in myself and then decided to make better lifestyle choices for me that I saw any lasting progress. But anecdotal evidence isn't really the source for something like this.

[Celestial Moth]

I'd like to reference the mighty sumo wrestlers of japan. They eat a very large amount of healthy foods and still live happy and respectable lifes.
Though in western culture, because theirs a type of "human graph" trying to be implicated onto all of society that which isn't the norm is portrayed
as wrong or disgraceful.

I think the problem isnt obesity i think the problem is the view that people take on obesity.

[Psychic]

Pretty much everything Pesky Persian said. I hope more posts in this thread will be similar.

Obesity is an...interesting topic, especially for non-Americans. It's the country with the highest obesity ratings - most other countries aren't anywhere close to it, and a huge part of it is simply the culture, especially with regards to food. Not only is unhealthy food cheap and plentiful, but actual eating habits tend to be pretty atrocious. A huge part of eating healthy isn't just about eating healthy foods, but it's also about one's relationship with food. Controlling how often we eat, how big our portions are, why we eat and so on are vital to eating healthy, but a lot of people simply aren't aware of that. And unfortunately, someone without that knowledge can pass on those unhealthy habits to others, mainly family. Other countries simply tend to have a different relationship with food.

I also want to emphasize the idiocy of the BMI scale. Not only was it never actually intended to measure health, but it focuses on all the wrong data. For instance, because it calculates based on weight alone, it doesn't take into account that muscles weighs more than fat, so you can get perfectly healthy athletes who are "obese" according to the BMI scale. There are far better indicators of health.

Lastly, this is just an observation, but has anyone noticed the make-you-fat-make-you-lose-fat culture? Food corporations want as much of their products consumed as possible. They spend ridiculous amounts of money to convince people to eat. But those people live within a culture that shames fat. So you have beauty and health companies who swear they'll help eliminate that fat, because to them, far =/= beautiful. It's much more profitable for such companies to make you feel awful about yourself so you'll buy their products, and who is it easy to make feel awful about themselves? Fat people.

I know that health is important but please do not force it on the public. If people want to eat until they go into a diabetic coma, then let them. Like smoking and drinking all we can do is educate people on the subject.

It is actually one of the moral duties of doctors to ensure patients are in the best possible health. No doctor wants their patient to "eat until they go into a coma" - it's irresponsible on both their parts. And there are consequences to eating in excess without any consideration. (After all, who wants to pay hospital bills or buy a wheelchair on an extra seat on a plane?)

Also, your drinking and smoking analogies make me uncomfortable. Of course people can do what they want, but doing either of those in excess is dangerous not only for the individual, but also for others. But that's a whole other story.


~Psychic

[Cosmical El Amarna]

I'm looking at an issue of Time from 2011 and right here its telling me that 67% of the US population is overweight or obese, and that 17% of that includes people aged between 6 and 19 years old. Yeah its a problem, but idk what could be done about it in the US. Of course education and encouragement is necessary to say the least.

[Vatti]

Yeah it's a problem since a lot of people are being lazy and overeating causing lots of problems even for people who arn't in that situation. I hate it when people call it a disease tho. Disease-a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment. Since nutrional imbalance and deficiency could make obesity qualifyas a disease (not really since its not genetic or a development error. Just some fat parents don't watch their kids eating habits or get them active in physical stuff) when people say it they act like Obese people can't help it or it's not their fault. Thats bull. Sure some people really can't help it, however if your severely overweight it ain't no thyroid problem. I just get mad when i hear people say stuff like that.

[Pesky Persian]

Yeah it's a problem since a lot of people are being lazy and overeating causing lots of problems even for people who arn't in that situation. I hate it when people call it a disease tho. Disease-a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment. Since nutrional imbalance and deficiency could make obesity qualifyas a disease (not really since its not genetic or a development error. Just some fat parents don't watch their kids eating habits or get them active in physical stuff) when people say it they act like Obese people can't help it or it's not their fault. Thats bull. Sure some people really can't help it, however if your severely overweight it ain't no thyroid problem. I just get mad when i hear people say stuff like that.

Please do a little research. I covered a lot of things that can contribute to obesity in my first post in this thread (genetics can play a role in some people, by the way). All of that information comes from doing research on MedScape (plus a few other sources via my school's library), which features full-text research articles. It's free to sign up for anyone who is interested in that kind of thing. Obesity is in fact a disease whether or not you agree. Not to mention overeating would be considered a "nutritional imbalance" which is right in the definition you gave...