The Problem Of Obesity
What is obese and overweight?
Overweight is the condition of having an excess amount of fat deposits, while obesity is considered the chronic disease of having an excess amount of fat deposits that eventually will cause health issues.
According to the World Health Organization, being overweight is considered having a BMI of 25 or more, and being obese is considered having a BMI of 30 or more.
What is obesity and overweight caused by?
Obesity and overweight are mainly caused by the difference between calories consumed and calories burned. If the calories consumed are greater than the calories burned, then the body stores a lot of these calories in the body as fat. As a result, an individual in this situation would quickly gain weight and end up being obese or overweight. This may be caused by the quality of food eaten by the individual, causing them to gain an excess amount of fat. This is because cheaper foods are lower in nutritional value, less filling, and more calorie dense. Due to the lack of nutrients inside food, their body wants to consume more in order to meet its nutritional needs.
The correlation between wealth and obesity
Individuals who live in poverty or don’t have enough money are more prone to obesity. Mentioned in the section above, cheaper foods have less nutrients that the body needs, requiring more food in order to feel full. However, this issue is extremely hard to fix as many people who rely on cheap food don’t have the money to spend on healthier, more sustainable food. As a result, poorer people are more likely to be obese in comparison to wealthier people. Another reason why less wealthy individuals tend to be obese more often is because they may overeat. Overeating is common among less fortunate people because they might not know when the next time they can eat is, leading to them eating a lot in one sitting.
These problems are not the fault of the individuals, but of the way society functions instead. If healthy food was easily accessible worldwide, obesity and overweight cases around the world would be dramatically reduced.
Health Issues
The World Health Organization found that obese and overweight people often suffered from noncommunicable diseases (diseases that can’t be spread) such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, neurological disorders, chronic respiratory diseases, and digestive disorders. Obesity and overweight in adolescence not only catalyzes the development of noncommunicable diseases, but also may cause mental health problems due to the possibility of getting bullied or not fitting in at school.
Prevalence of Obesity
Obesity is a common sight to see throughout the world. These are statistics recorded by the World Health Organization about obesity.
In 2022, 1 in 8 people in the world were obese (890 million).
Worldwide adult obesity has more than doubled since 1990, and adolescent obesity has quadrupled.
In 2022, 43% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight and 16% were living with obesity.
These are the projected obesity rates in 2035
Written by: Kevin