Obesity is an illness?

Obesity in America is a very hot topic. The question is what makes someone obese? The medical community is constantly challenging the number of misguided assumptions about obesity and other misguided facts that have come from old wives tales. Chocolate, coffee, and beer are many things that have been known as unhealthy treats but now all confirmed to be healthy treats with major health benefits. Society learns more about the true nutrition values and health benefits of foods as science and studies evolve.

In process of science the BMI chart was made. Now the picture below is an image found from Google Image and may not be the best and most updated graph.

Mr. Adolphe Quetelet was pioneer in the field of polymath and helped the concept of Body Mass Index (BMI) move forward in society. This concept is not based on how much fat an individual really has but instead the BMI is a measurement of the body fat based on the height and weight of an adult man or woman. “BMI calculator does not actually show the percentage of body fat that you have but it is just a mere proxy of your obesity”  (1). Quetelet was a Belgian scientist that found an easy way to find out how healthy an adult is in their current health state.

Now obesity is a, “chronic, relapsing, neurochemical disease with a genetic basis” (4). The theory of eating less and exercising more is ineffective because for many people it is a life long challenge. With long-term calorie reduction and exercise enhancement it is not necessary for adequate weight loss because there are biological and environmental reasons that we overlook. Diet and exercise are obviously key elements to a better lifestyle change and plan against obesity, but there is so much more. Obesity patients that have chronic conditions will require lifelong treatment and interventions, which will be from many lifelong components such as diabetes and hypertension. Obesity deserves serious treatment and it is hard for many people because of financial costs. To be healthy and thin in today’s society is hard because healthier foods cost more. The image below, “I can’t afford to be skinny,” talks about how being skinny is looked at as one being poor. This was considered a negative in the 1960s and this ad talks about how you can talk to your doctor about your bad eat habits.

Now how do we know someone is suffering from obesity? Many may think this is a funny question because everyone knows what an overweight “fat” person looks like. But if we look more in depth on things like their behaviors and less on their attributes it becomes a little bit harder to describe. Someone who eats larger unhealthy meals and sits around all day is the common unscholarly definition. But when reviewing studies I found that Obesity has a relationship with stress and eating behaviors, “Stress appears to alter overall food intake in two ways, resulting in under- or overeating, which may be influenced by stressor severity. Chronic life stress seems to be associated with a greater preference for energy- and nutrient-dense foods, namely those that are high in sugar and fat. Evidence from longitudinal studies suggests that chronic life stress may be causally linked to weight gain, with a greater effect seen in men. Stress-induced eating may be one factor contributing to the development of obesity”(5).  Many studies have been examined in animals and humans on how stress influences eating behaviors. The relationship between stress and eating behaviors gives the conclusion that it can influences ones chances of being diagnosed with obesity.

Many doctors are worried that people will use the diagnosis of obesity a way out. By having a diagnosis many people believe that there will be this magical pill that will make them lose weight. Unfortunately it isn’t that easy because every individual is different. A pill may work for certain people who have other underlying conditions but exercise and eating behavior will be needed.  

The major players of the decision making is not the “lazy” individual but as an article describes, “that human overeating is  not just a passive response to salient environmental triggers and powerful physiological drives; it is also about making choices” (6).  Most articles covered that an obese individual hasn’t made the right choices health wise but they also factor in what kind of lifestyles these individuals lead. Why is there a diagnosis if it is just a simple lifestyle change? For a doctor to diagnose a patient with obesity they will usually take these steps: take the health history, check for other health problems (tumors, etc.), calculate your BMI, measure the waist, and run a blood test. When doctors measure the waist they are looking to see how much fat storage is held in that area of the body.  The fat stored around the waist is called visceral fat or abdominal fat. This fat may further increase the risk for diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

There are many parties that gain from the diagnosis of obesity and there are many that lose. Obesity is a topic with lots of detail because everyone is different.  The label of obesity is heartbreaking to many individuals and empowering to others. In society we believe that individuals should be thin and in shape. Women are fed the stigma of being thin and there are many groups that support eating disorders to help them succeed. Below are images I found from a group that supports eating disorders and being the ultimate thin. 

Thinspiration - inspiration for a thinner society

It is also not young females that are sucked into being thin but even men. The photo below is an image of a young male trying to fit society’s image. Also an image of a young boy making the change from skinny, healthy, and ending with being obese(look at his face in the image to the right).

 

Where is society’s line of healthy and fat? The media plays a big role in what men and woman should look like. The advertisements are everywhere and now are focused on children. It is more common for a child to watch TV in their spare time and with the increase in ads it begins this slow drip of what an individual should be instead of seeing and loving who they are. Parents are already worried about TV’s influences on their children behaviors. Many groups have come together to help fight childhood obesity, but is childhood obesity a disease? The video below covers the topic of childhood obesity and the ad’s that are being used in the state of Georgia.

The underlying social constructions of obesity are based on this image of the person being a poor/middle class individual who is usually female. If it is an obese woman than she will be called “the cat lady” meaning she is living alone with multiple cats(her friends since society befriends the obese),  in which she has multiple allergies (breathing problems, infections, etc.), constantly goes to the doctor for Rx, uses a motorized wheelchair, and upset/bitter individual (because she has either been enabled or lonely). Many people have the perception that they are overweight but not obese. Obesity is an illness but it is also a perception in many ways.  The label that is placed on the individual is proof that it is their fault that they are like this. “Fat people are considered less worthy human beings than thin people are. They receive less of the good things that life has to offer, and more of the bad” (8). The simple fact that the media covers the head of any image of an obese person is society’s way of showing how it is shameful to be overweight.  But there is too much research against society’s perception that every individual just needs to exercise more and eat less. The weight loss companies like weight watcher and food companies “ORGANIC” are making a huge profit off this simple perception that being obese is a “social disgrace”  (8).

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Citations:

1.       "Calculate Your Body Mass Index." Calculate Your BMI. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/>.

2.      Discovery Health. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/weight-loss/bmi3.htm>.

3.      "Bmi Calculator “ How Does It Work." Bmi Calculator €“ an Estimate of Your Obesity.” Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://weightlosscalculatorfree.net/bmi-calculator-an-estimate-of-your-obesity>.

4.      "Obesity: Character Flaw or Neurochemical Disease?" The Huffington Post. Web. <https://lms.wsu.edu/section/content/default.asp?WCI=pgDisplay&WCU=CRSCNT&ENTRY_ID=1E37BB054E3C46C2A62E056B3753C45D>.

5.      "Relationship between Stress, Eating Behavior, and Obesity." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17869482>.

6.      “Decision-Making Deficits and Overeating: A Risk Model for Obesity." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v12/n6/full/oby2004113a.html>.

7.      Grinberg, Emanuella. "Georgia's Child Obesity Ads Aim to Create Movement out of Controversy - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 07 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/07/health/atlanta-child-obesity-ads/index.html>.

8.      Erich Goode, “The Stigme of Obesity,” Social Deviance. Boston, 1996