GLOBAL OBESITY

Global Obesity

Global Obesity

Introduction

Global Obesity The world is getting fatter. Obesity has spread across the globe like a plague. It is fast becoming the developed world's biggest health problem. In a world where there are so many people dying by starvation, how can there be just as many people killing themselves by overeating? Obesity at its best is a social stigma. At its worst it leads to many debilitating chronic illnesses, including: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, depression, even certain forms of cancer. Its health consequences range from increased risk of premature death to serious chronic conditions that reduce the overall quality of life. Obesity was once thought of to be a problem of the Western population, mainly the United States, but it is quickly becoming a pandemic.

Background

Through observations on a recent trip to London, obesity wasn't prevalent or detected. Upon return to the United States and doing research on the matter, it was surprising to learn that the United Kingdom was ranked not far behind the United States in regard to their population being overweight. In the United States, 74.1% of the population is overweight, while in the United Kingdom, 63.8% of the population is overweight. Further research showed that obesity is a growing problem globally.

Rationale

This study highlights many issues related to “Global Obesity” and gives a broad analysis of “difference between cultures and the rates of obesity and what makes that difference”.

Research Question

Following are the aims and objectives of this study:

(1) How exactly did the world come to this?

(2) What is the difference between cultures and the rates of obesity and what makes that difference?

(3) What are the causes of obesity and more importantly, what can nurses do to help with reducing obesity and thereby diminishing the effects of this deadly malady?

Problem Statement

Obesity is one of the major causes of asthma, depression, acid reflux, hypertension, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol/lipids), heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and even cancer. Therefore this paper will be addressing the underline causes of Obesity and identify its harms on the health of people.

Significance of the Study

This study is significant in many contexts. The study identifies many aspects of “Global Obesity”.

Literature Review

It is estimated that approximately 1.700 million adults are overweight and at least 312 million clinically obese. An estimated 17.6 million children under 5 years in the world are overweight. This is equivalent to one in ten children. (Banegas, 2003)

More than half a billion people or about one in 10 adults are obese, leading one Australian academic to label the new statistics indicative of a pandemic. Three studies conducted by the World Health Organisation looked at risk factors that affect heart health. Heart disease is the biggest killer of people in developing countries, and billions of dollars are spent every year to treat it. According to a team from Imperial College London and Harvard, obesity is no longer concentrated in wealthy nations, but the same wealth has helped rich nations make big strides in cutting rates of ...