Obesity the National Media Reports

Obesity

The national media reports that obesity is epidemic, not only in the United States but in other developed countries as well. For example, in mainland China, 16.7% of male participants were considered to be overweight according to a Body Mass Index (BMI between 25 and 29.9. Additionally, another 2.4% were felt to be obese based on a BMI greater than or equal to 30 (International Obesity Task Force, 2007). Culture has been seen to play a significant role in perception of obesity across all ethnicities. In a study by Davidson and Knafl (2006), women were found to base ideal weight on cultural criteria. Obesity is sometimes defined in a positive manner by ethnic groups, relating it to physical attractiveness, sexual desirability, physical strength, fecundity, self-esteem or prosperity. In this population, obesity does not always mean negative body image and decreased self-esteem as is often seen in Caucasian populations. Health issues associated with obesity do not appear to be of significant concern.

The actual meaning of the term "obese" refers to an excess amount of weight attributed to fat. Generally, women have more fat then men. Obesity occurs when an individual eats more calories than he or she burns. This moves the energy balance toward weight gain. We all know people who can eat many calories in the day and never gain a pound, while others can restrict calories to starvation levels and find it hard to lose a pound. Rather than a matter of simple gluttony, obesity occurs from a combination of genetic, environmental and intake factors.

The fact that obese children are more likely to be from obese parents suggests a genetic cause, but one must also consider that these families also share diet and lifestyle habits which themselves may contribute to obesity. Additionally, several studies tend to show that the data does not support a role for defects in resting metabolic rate, substrate metabolism and the energy cost of physical activity which can be related to genetic causes. Critics of the genetic theory also point to the fact that the human genotype has not changed in the past thirty years, yet in the same time frame there has been an increase in rates of obesity.

Why are so many more people obese today than fifty or even twenty years ago?

Lifestyle and behaviors equate to reduced physical activity. More Americans tend to eat out, often times large portions of high fat meals, more convenient to consume. We are also less physically active. On the whole, Americans tend to consume 1000 calories more each year.

There is a school of thought which states that poverty and lack of education on healthy food choices contribute to obesity. Processed convenience foods are relatively inexpensive and contain more calories and fat than fresh vegetables, fruits and lean cuts of meat. This association between education, socioeconomic level and obesity has not yet been fully explored, and may be false, since rates of obesity are increasing in high and middle income groups as well.