Obesity and being overweight
Obesity and being overweight
Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, and at least 300 million of them suffer from obesity. Both have reached epidemic proportions worldwide and both are major contributors to the global burden of chronic diseases and disabilities.
Obesity rates have skyrocketed since the 1980′s, up to three-fold in certain areas of the U.S. along with other industrialized nations, but it is also increasing exponentially in developing nations.
Why is driving the obesity and overweight epidemic?
The obesity epidemic reflects profound changes in society and in the behavioral patterns of society over recent decades. While genes are important in determining the proclivity of weight gain, it is dictated mostly by the energy balance between calorie intake and physical activity. Economic growth, modernization, urbanization, and globalization of the food industry is a major driving force behind the overweight and obesity epidemic. At the same time, there has been a movement towards less physically demanding work complemented by the use of automated transportation, time-consuming telecommunications technology in the home, and the pursuit of more leisurely past times. All of the above are factors in combating obesity and being overweight.
How bad is the problem?
Currently, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults. 300 million of them are clinically obese. Obesity levels range from below 5% in China, Japan, and some African nations, to over 75% in urban Samoa. But even in the lower spectrum of obesity, such as China, some cities boast obesity rates of over 20%.
Childhood obesity is also a driving factor. Worldwide, up to 22 million children under five are overweight. In the USA, according to the Surgeon General, the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has tripled since 1980.
Obesity accounts for 2-6% of total health care costs in several developed countries. The true costs are probably much greater as not all obesity-related conditions are calculated.
What can we do about it?
Prevention, weight loss and weight maintenance are the most important long-term strategies for fighting obesity. Other key elements include:
1. Creating a supportive environment through public policies and personal goals that promote the intake of a variety of low-fat, high-fiber foods, and opportunities for physical activity. (No more sitting on the bench for an entire phys-ed class.)
2. Promoting healthy behaviors to encourage, motivate, and enable individuals to lose weight, namely, through a better diet.
3. Mounting a clinical response to the existing burden of obesity and associated conditions by lawmakers and health care providers to ensure effective support and prevention for those most prone to becoming overweight.