Being Overweight

We all know that obesity and being overweight contribute to an ever-increasing list of chronic illnesses. According to some studies, obesity and being overweight is quickly catching up to smoking as the number one cause of preventable chronic illnesses. It causes diabetes in young children and leads to lethargic lifestyles. Obesity and being overweight is overwhelming our health care budget. Some see it as a personal issue while others blame social and environmental factors. Any way you look at it, obesity and being overweight has become a focal point for concern.

But what if it’s not that big of a deal?

Take the case of Mary Anne Ferguson, a 58-year-old grandma. Today, she’s lifting weights at the YMCA, hoping to buy herself another 25 years.

“I want to live well into my 80′s or longer,” said the high-spirited grandma.

But Mary Anne stands only 5 foot 6 inches and weighs 186 pounds.

According to doctors’ charts, Mary Anne is actually just a smidgen away from suffering from clinically obesity and is certainly overweight. In addition, her cholesterol is high and her doctor is worried. Mary Anne is worried. But recent studies have claimed that we may worry too much. Take for instance these headlines in Newsweek and Globe and Mail, respectively, “You can be fat and healthy at the same time” or “Get Fat, Live Longer.”

Excuse me? Doesn’t this goes against all the common assumptions of obesity and being overweight.

According to David Feeney at the Kaiser Center for Health Research in Portland, “One of the things that happens as many people age, is that they start to lose weight and they are at risk of becoming very frail.”

He conducted a 12 year study on 11,000 Canadians and found that people who were overweight lived the longest, especially those over 60. So it’s actually riskier to be underweight in old age. You don’t want to be skin and bones when you get older, focusing on just mortality and disease statistics neglects several obvious downsides of being old and underweight. Frailty is a major issue and resilience seems to falter with weight as well.

This doesn’t mean you should sell your treadmill and relegate yourself to the couch during off-hours. Exercise in curbing complications associated with obesity and being overweight is still the best route to go, even if you don’t seem to be making any progress with your weight. In fact, studies show that compared to a normal weight couch potato, someone suffering from obesity or is overweight and walks for 150 minutes a week has a 50% lower risk of death. Exercise is truly a super-drug.

The following are some common complications associated with obesity and being overweight and all of them can be curbed with a steady work out routine.

1. Heart Disease – The most common and devastating side effect of obesity or being overweight.
2. Diabetes – Associated with the poor diet habits that cause obesity or one being overweight.
3. Sleep Apnea – A condition where you stop breathing, causing you to wake up suddenly
4. Respiratory problems – Similar to reasons for heart disease, the lungs are overworked in order to provide more oxygen where it needs to be faster. Plus, conditions such as high cholesterol in the arteries can make it harder for oxygen to move freely through your system.
5. Arthritis – A condition common to obesity and being overweight because of the added stress on joints.

Fighting Obesity

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health. It is often the result of excessive calorie intake, lack of physical activity, and genetic predispositions.

The primary treatment for obesity is dieting and physical exercise. If this fails, anti-obesity drugs may be taken to reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption. In extreme cases, surgery is performed or an intra-gastric balloon is placed to reduce stomach reduce stomach volume or bowel length. This leads to earlier satiation and the reduced ability to absorb nutrients from food.

Obesity is associated with an array of diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, respiratory diseases, sleep apnea, arthritis, and cancer. It is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide and health officials consider it as one of the most serious public health problems in the 21st century.

BMI is the leading indicator of obesity and is categorized thus:

1) < 18.5 BMI = Underweight
2) 18.5-24.9 = Normal weight
3) 25.0-29.9 = Overweight
4) 30.0-34.9 = Class I obesity
5) 35.0-39.9 = Class II obesity
6) > 40.0 = Class III obesity

In addition, some revised definitions include the following:

1) A BMI of 40.0-49.9 = Morbid Obesity
2) A BMI > 50 = Super Obesity

However, it is worth noting that BMI is highly subjective when considering people such as bodybuilders whose weight and height may classify them as overweight or obese, but they are actually mostly lean mass.

One of the focal points of the battle against obesity has been childhood obesity. Treatments used for childhood obesity mainly focus on lifestyle interventions and behavioral techniques. Surgery and medication is not FDA approved in this age group but has been used in some very extreme cases. It makes sense to begin with childhood obesity simply because they are the highest-risk group to become obese adults.

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the 21st century in both developed and developing worlds. In the United States, depending on the age group, rates of childhood obesity have double and tripled.

Rising childhood obesity has been blamed on everything from self-propelled transportation, lack of school physical education, and a drop in organized sports. However, the overwhelming majority of experts agree that when it comes to childhood obesity, genetics accounts for a minute proportion, but lifestyle habits is the number one cause of childhood obesity.

Childhood obesity often persists into adulthood, studies show that 70% of obese children go on to become obese adults and 80% suffering from childhood obesity go on to become obese adults if either or both parents are obese.

The following are the leading 5 ways to battle obesity:

1) The main treatment course is diet and exercise. Not only does this produce weight loss, but also lessens the chances of developing the many chronic illnesses associated with obesity.

2) Weight loss programs are a great way to find support to promote lifestyle changes. They have shown modest results in weight loss, but can go a long way in changing the mental state of someone suffering from obesity.

3) FDA approved obesity medication is available in two forms: orlistat, or Xenical, reduces intestinal fat absorption and sibutramine (Meridia) is a neuro-inhibitor which curbs your appetite.

4) Surgery generally takes the form of a band placed around the stomach or bowel shortening surgery. These options are reserved for those suffering from severe or morbid obesity.

Children's Weight

Results of a American College of Gastroenterology’s 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando revealed that many parents do not accurately perceive their children as overweight or at risk for adult obesity. Obesity is often accompanied by an increased risk for a wide array of diseases stemming either from being overweight, or lifestyle habits that brought about being overweight.

In the study, 46 parents of children ages 5 to 9 with a BMI in the 70th percentile or higher (95th and higher is overweight and 85th and above is at-risk) were chosen for the study. Child height and weight were measured during a routine pediatric visit. Parents were then mailed a series of questionnaires which included questions on their perception of their child’s current weight, and whether they perceived that their child was at risk for developing obesity as an adult.

Despite the elevated BMI of their children, less than 13% of the parents of overweight children reported their child as currently overweight. Fewer than one-third perceived that their child’s risk for adult obesity was above average or very high.

This misconception is despite the fact that 17% of children in the U.S. between the ages of 2 and 19 are diagnosed with obesity. An even more startling fact is that children in within that age range who are currently suffering from childhood obesity have a 70% likelihood of growing into adult obesity. This number is bumped an additional 10% if they have a parent, or both, with obesity or overweight problems.

Since parents are probably the most influential factor in laying the foundation for a child’s weight problems, it’s obvious something need to be done to curb the parental disillusionment with childhood obesity and overweight and, in turn, the obesity-overweight epidemic across the world.

In another study, in the U.K., only 1.9% of parents with children at risk for overweight or obesity accurately identified as being at risk for or being overweight. Only 17.1 percent of parents with overweight children accurately identified their child as being at risk for or being overweight.

In New York, the parents who had concern for their children’s’ overweight, 76% thought it was a concern similar to those about sunburn, while 67% found that concerns about overweight and obesity were similar to prolonged television watching.

Although the numbers only say so much, underlying, yet common, quirks identified by researchers were that a parent’s inability to recognize their child’s risk for obesity was especially pronounced if the parents themselves were suffering from obesity or overweight. This is despite the jaw dropping 80% chance a overweight or obese child has of adult obesity if they have one or more parents who are overweight or obese. Cultural influences also may have played a factor. More black women reported being satisfied with their larger size and overweight than white women.

Childhood Obesity Epidemic

There is an obesity epidemic in the United States. This means that the number of people suffering from obesity has increased steadily in recent years. The root of this problem is often blamed on childhood obesity. According to recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics, approximately one child of every five in the U.S. suffers from obesity.

First, let’s cover what it means to be overweight.

You may think that you can look at someone and tell if they’re overweight, but this is not always true. In fact, obesity is not diagnosed simply by looking at someone, but by taking into account our individual body shape and then measuring our body mass index (BMI), which is calculated using a person’s weight and height. BMI gives an estimate of the amount of body fat relative to lean body mass.

What causes childhood obesity?

There is evidence that ties obesity to genetic factors, but personal behavior and dietary habits are probably the most important factors. Childhood obesity is often the result of children gorging themselves with an increasing amount of calories, especially calories from fat, than they need a day.

What are the complications of childhood obesity?

Besides the social difficulties, and the emotional issues that arise from thus, childhood obesity puts children at risk of health problems such as orthopedic problems, sleep disturbances, menstruation problems and diabetes. Some researchers have also suggested at a link between childhood obesity and asthma. In addition, children who suffer from childhood obesity are also more likely to suffer develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, arthritis, and certain kinds of cancers as adults.

Childhood obesity can also increase chances of being bullied and lead to a life of obesity. The obesity epidemic has extensive personal consequences and, inevitably, significant financial implications as well.

What can be done?

If you suspect your child suffers from childhood obesity, contact their pediatrician. Your child’s BMI will be compared with national growth charts to decide if he will be diagnosed with obesity. Your doctor will then suggest a target weight for your child.

Next, it’s time to sit down together as a family and make a plan. The whole family must be involved, especially if parents or siblings also suffer from obesity. Remember, the child does not make decisions regarding family meals and activities. In addition, refrain from approaching the problem with a “you are fat and need to lose weight” approach, but attempt to convey the idea that “we all need to eat right and be active so that we can be healthy.”

In addition to any changes made at home, be sure that the fight against obesity does not end the minute your child steps into school.

Schools have a responsibility to help students avoid obesity by encouraging them to become more active and eat better. The following are reasons why schools are having such a tough time battling obesity:
1. Soda and snack machines along with snack bars boast impressive financial incentives from their  suppliers.
2. School districts “in the red” are hard pressed for resources to create quality phys-ed programs
3. Increasing demand for higher academic achievement in core subjects

The rate of childhood obesity has skyrocketed since the 1980′s. While the immediate impacts are worrisome, the long-term effects on sustainable health care, general well-being and quality of life are profound. Obesity is a full-blown epidemic and it needs attention now.