Public Approach To Obesity 1

PUBLIC APPROACH TO OBESITY

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Public Approach To Obesity 2

Public Approach to Obesity

Obesity is a health crisis that is rising at a significant rate and needs to be addressed.
Most individuals get obese at a young age, which gives them health problems in the future. There
is a great need to address obesity as a public issue rather than an individual thing. Ideally, this is
because obesity is persisting in our society today, and there is a need to teach the public the
problems related to obesity.
Obesity should be addressed as a public issue rather than an individual issue because of
several reasons. One of the reasons is that people living in a community have almost the same
behaviors and livelihood. Their way of life and the of doing things is almost the same. The types
of foods and drinks that they consume are similar; thus, the problem is likely to hit across
society. Ostensibly, the issue cuts across everyone, and for a reason, it should be addressed as a
public crisis. Everyone can be obese or overweight.
Unless significant adjustments are made to the current environment, obesity will continue
to rise. Obesity has traditionally been seen as a disease of the individual, and however,
prevention utilizing a public health paradigm is vital for achieving population-level
improvement. It's great to see that communities around the nation are recognizing the multiple
causes of obesity and adopting outstanding improvements to enhance their health and that of
their children. When it comes to combating infectious and chronic illnesses, public policy
reforms have been employed for a long time, and they will be crucial in the fight against obesity.
There has been an upsurge in a study on possible policy levers to prevent and manage
obesity due to its stratospheric ascent as a public health priority over the previous decade. 1
Researcher, on the other hand, have voiced concerns about the lack of evidence for action and
redirected their emphasis to finding best practices in obesity prevention because of the urgent
need to implement policies in the face of scientific ambiguity. While some researchers argue that
best practices imply evidence-based practice, others argue that promising approaches should be
included, which may or may not be founded only on empirical data. Health and Human Services
define a best practice as one that has at least preliminary evidence of efficacy in small-scale
interventions, or that has the potential to yield data helpful in making judgments about scaling
the intervention up." There is no doubt about that. Many of the most popular obesity initiatives
have sparked criticisms about the "nanny state" in addition to worries about the quality of
evidence. 1,3 Others are worried that initiatives focused toward the whole public rather than
specific groups most at risk may deepen inequality.
This article has a three-pronged goal. Several policy methods have been implemented to
combat the obesity pandemic among adults, including those focused on lowering obesity in
underserved areas. Further analysis will be done to determine whether or not this method is
adequately supported by the current evidence base, which will be compiled from data gleaned
through policy development or policy-related research. To wrap off, our team will look at obesity
policies' possible influence on liberty and health fairness in terms of their ethical aspects. The
outcome is a multi-dimensional framework that policymakers can use to evaluate the advantages
and disadvantages of various policy options for tackling the obesity pandemic.
Public Approach To Obesity 3

Obesity and obesity-related inequalities may be exacerbated or even caused by a lack of

inexpensive and readily available nutritious food alternatives, known as "food deserts." The
USDA defines a food desert as a location more than a mile from a big grocery shop with no or
limited means of transportation to the closest grocery store. As a result, those who live in areas
lacking supermarkets are more likely to be obese. This correlation does not identify the direction
of causation since it has not been proven for smaller corner shops or access to community
gardens or greenmarkets (i.e., the lack of availability may be due to lack of demand). It seems
that the availability of major supermarkets in low-income areas hasn't diminished, as some recent
research suggests.
Several states and local communities have begun experimenting with various types of
policy initiatives aimed at eliminating geographic disparities in access to fresh fruits and
vegetables, including the use of zoning laws to create a healthier food environment, to address
this evidence and the gap in access to less expensive large food retail chains. Eleven states and
the federal government are now considering legislation to reduce food deserts, and in certain
cases, they are related to new zoning rules. The federal government and 13 states have also
introduced legislation to improve access to locally produced food via community gardens and
farmers' markets.
Diet plays a key influence in the obesity crisis in the United States, but it's also
complicated. Consumers are bombarded with conflicting advice on what to eat and how much to
eat. When it comes to fast food, drive-thru suppers, and enormous servings of processed
packaged food that are marketed as "American classics," it's hard to argue with the sentiment. In
contrast, Americans spend over $20 billion a year on weight reduction plans, from diet books
and medicines to last-ditch operations like lap-bands or liposuction. Quick meals and fast weight
reduction solutions are no surprise since we spend more time at work and less at home than our
parents. The irony of it all is that sometimes you can only pack a piece of pizza and a SlimFast
for lunch since time is short.
The other reason why obesity should be addressed as a public issue is a community's
livelihood and the food they eat. In terms of marketing, this schizophrenic connection with food
is simple to understand. Because of the obesity epidemic brought on by decades of soda use and
televised meals, the diet business in the United States has expanded rapidly. Like Arch Deluxe or
McRib, there has been an abundance of popular nutrition advice and diet fads that have risen and
fallen just as rapidly. As far back as the 1990s, obesity was our worst adversary. Low-fat and fat-
free items were flying off the shelves at supermarkets. A decade or two ago, we finally realized
that it's a scam if something is fat-free and flavorful.
Instead of using animal fats in their low-fat goods, many food manufacturers substituted
hydrogenated oils and sugar. It is important to know that hydrogenated oils are vegetable oils
that have been rebuilt to include high quantities of trans-fats, a nasty sort of fat that may raise
your bad cholesterol, reduce your good cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease,
stroke, and diabetes—although being less harmful, adding sugar might still hurt a person's diet.
Consuming large amounts of sugar, even if they are technically low in calories, may lead to
weight gain and diabetes because of their effect on our metabolism.
Public Approach To Obesity 4

A lack of physical activity also causes obesity. Most Americans haven't worked in the
fields or factories in decades, and now we spend most of our days sitting at our desks. This
entails a reduced amount of physical activity each day. As a result of research, just 20% of
today's employment involves some physical exercise, compared to 50% in 1960. More recent
studies have shown that Americans consume 120 to 140 fewer calories per day than 50 years
ago. We've got the ideal formula for weight gain when we combine this with the increased
calorie intake.
There is more to lethargy than the office. What we do after work and how we get there
are also factors. Compared with those in other industrialized countries, Americans are less likely
to walk than those in other developed nations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 80 percent of Americans do not get enough exercise.
Other variables, like smoking in the womb and abnormal weight growth during
pregnancy, are also considered part of the obesity pandemic. In addition to a child's long-term
obesity risk, poor sleep, stress, and reduced breastfeeding rates are also likely to contribute.
Although these elements are not the only causes of obesity, they are valid markers of systemic
healthcare failures contributing to the current issue.
It's important not to lose sight of the broader picture; though many individuals have
blamed red meat, dairy products, grains, fats, and sugars for their obesity, the issue is much
simpler. When it comes to weight growth or reduction, genetics and age play an important role.
Still, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out, it's all about total
calories ingested divided by total calories utilized.
Despite being nearly eight years old, the World Watch Institute's numbers are still
valuable for context. Globally in 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) provided a
variety of obesity facts, among them: About 1.6 billion persons (aged 15 and older) were
classified as overweight or obese. 400 million persons were considered overweight or obese at
some point in time
Globally, in 2005, at least 20 million children under the age of 5 were overweight.
Additionally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2.3 billion persons will be
overweight, and 700 million will be obese in 2015. Children's obesity has been a growing issue
for the World Health Organization (WHO). More and more low- and middle-income nations,
especially in metropolitan areas, are being affected by the issue of childhood obesity. Over 42
million children under the age of five are expected to be overweight worldwide in 2010, and
there are around 35 million of these people residing in underdeveloped nations.
If overweight, children have a higher risk of developing non-communicable illnesses,
including diabetes and heart disease in adulthood. The World Health Organization's website on
childhood obesity was visited on August 22, 2010. The number of people who are overweight or
obese has risen dramatically in recent years. The World Health Organization (WHO) publishes
Public Approach To Obesity 5

figures demonstrating how the frequency of overweight and obese adults has risen between 2002
and 2010. Obesity in men 2002–2010 Obesity in women 2002–2010 Obesity in men 2002–2010
Between 2002 and 2010, the number of men worldwide who are obese has risen. Weight
and obesity prevalence in boys over 15 years of age, 2002-2010, WHO International
Comparisons, last viewed November 19, 2010. According to the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention in the United States (CDC), from 1985 to 2008, obesity among adults in the United
States drastically rose.
Obese (BMI > 30) adults in the United States in 1985. Percentage of U.S. Adults Obese
(BMI 30) in 1985. The slide show will begin at the bottom of this page. Obesity Trends in the
United States 1985–2009, CDC. However, I haven't been able to find anything like this for other
nations yet. A BMI more than or equal to 25 is considered overweight or obese by the World
Health Organization (WHO). Obesity rates are only included in the CDC's data for the United
States.
Surgeon General: Obesity Affects Rich and Poor. According to the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO), obesity affects the poor due to the marketing of unhealthy foods. Poor
individuals are malnourished because they don't have enough food to consume, and they're fat
because they eat badly, resulting in an energy imbalance. Cheap, mass-produced, and processed
foods are sometimes the only options available to low-income families.
It has been estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) that many poor and
middle-income nations are presently dealing with two major epidemics: A significant rise in
chronic illness risk factors like obesity and overweight puts a strain on their ability to cope with
infectious disease and under-nutrition simultaneously. Obesity and malnutrition can coexist in
the same nation, neighborhood, or even family. Inadequate prenatal, baby, and early child
nutrition is a major contributor to this problem, as is high-fat, high-energy, low-micronutrient
meals and a general lack of physical exercise.
In conclusion, obesity should be a public issue rather than an individual issue. As seen in
this article, there are many reasons why this should be considered, and lack of physical activity
and many other reasons cause obesity.
Public Approach To Obesity 6

References

Azevedo, S. M., & Vartanian, L. R. (2016, September 4). Ethical issues for public health

approaches to obesity. PubMed.

Foxx, A. M. (2018, December 16). Best practices in policy approaches to obesity prevention.

PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4282160/

Novak, N. L., & Brownell, K. D. (2018, August 17). PubMed.

Shah, A. (2017, November 10). Obesity. Global Issues : social, political, economic and

environmental issues that affect us all — Global

Issues. https://www.globalissues.org/article/558/obesity

Wendy, D. B. (2017, July 16). Controlling the global obesity epidemic. WHO | World Health

Organization. https://www.who.int/activities/controlling-the-global-obesity-epidemic