It is surprising that with the interest and near obsession
Americans have with weight, the obesity rates seem to continue to climb or at
the very best remain constant. There are many ways to measure weight; Americans
regularly climb on their scales to measure their weight desperately hoping to
see a drop in the numbers. This is difficult to do without the necessary
lifestyle changes, but that will be addressed as we progress.
As prior mentioned there are many ways to measure weight,
but the most common and the way in which individuals are identified as
underweight, overweight and Obese is through BMI (Body Mass Index). According
to the CDC, BMI is the estimated measurement of an individual’s body fat based
on their weight divided by height in kilograms and meters (CDC.gov 2015). Is
based on the individual results of these measurements that the terms
underweight, overweight and obese come from.
Being underweight it characterized as having a BMI of 18.5
or less, and was responsible for high number of premature deaths. Now
developing and starving nations, being underweight is a rare natural
occurrence. In the U.S, most cases of underweight patients are the result of
eating disorders like Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Both disorders are
distinctively different, but can stem from the same phobia of gaining weight
(Sizer & Whitney 2013). These disorders are very dangerous and are becoming
a public health issue as more and more young individuals are affected by the
popular self-hating image of their weight and therefore are under a lot of
pressure to look a certain way (Anspaugh et al 2011). There are several health
implications with being underweight, as underweight people have no general
reserve of nutrients. They are at risk of death from starvation, if they are in
any situation in which they have to go without food for some time (Sizer &
Whitney 2013). Underweight women often become amenorrheic, meaning they stop
having a menstrual cycle and as such also experience infertility until they
gain some weight (Anspaugh et al 2011). The adipose fat cells in the body have
many benefits; they create insulation in the body and serve as a cushion to the
body’s organs to absorb shock. Underweight individuals are not privy to these
benefits, as they do not have sufficient adipose fat (Anspaught et al 2011).
This is an unhealthy image to present to young women.
Underweight individuals are encouraged to gain weight,
however the best treatment would be to prevent being underweight to begin with.
As prior mentioned in this nation, naturally being underweight it rare, most
occurrences are due to unhealthy body image and eating disorders. The
environment and family plays a big role in the way individuals see their
weight, especially young women. The obsession with being model thin is all over
the media, depicting an unhealthy and even dangerous body image to young
Americans, therefore parents, teachers and caregivers need to constantly
reinforce the beauty of a healthy body weight and encourage healthy eating and
physical behaviors. If more young people felt proud of their weight and the
skin they are in there would be a lot less underweight people (Sizer &
Whitney 2013).
The issues of overweight and obesity will be addressed
together as they are so closely related. As prior mentioned there are few
natural occurrences of underweightness, because most people are naturally
conditioned to gain weight. This of course is not to imply that we are by any
means slaves to our genetics, in fact in Ontario’s agrarian Amish society where
a good meal is usually followed by dessert, there men and women still maintain
a good body weight due their daily lives include a good amount of physical
activity (Gray 2010). The term
overweight is characterized by a BMI of 25.0 to 29.9, while obesity is defined
as over fatness characterizes by a BMI 0f 30.0 or higher (Anspaugh et al
2011). We have been discussion the
implications of having too much body fat in the weeks past. There societal
implications, as overweight and obese individuals are often discriminated
against. More important are the health implications of too much body fat and
their relation to many chronic diseases today. As BMI increases so does the risk of mortality and even slightly
higher than the risk of mortality to underweightness (there is a high risk
nonetheless) (Sizer & Whitney 2013). Overweightness is but a hop and skip
away from obesity, and because there are so many diseases associated with
obesity like heart diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis and metabolic syndrome
obesity truly pose a great public health risk (Anspaugh et al 2011).
The same preventative measure to underweightness applies to overweightness and obesity as well, the environment and home life play a big role in the eating habits, therefore healthy eating habits promoting healthy nutrition dense foods and portion control should be taught and encouraged. Physical activity is also an important life long habit that should be encouraged to aid a healthy body weight (Sizer & Whitney 2013).
Here is a link to the Mayo Clinics, helpful tips on Obesity prevention.
References:
Anspaugh, D. J., Hamrik, M. H., & Rosato, F. D. (2011). Wellness concepts and
applications. (8th ed.). New York: NY, McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2015). Assessing Your Weight. Retrieved from cdc.gov
Gray, K. (2010). The Complexity of Obesity. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 27(19), 15-17
Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
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