LITERATURE REVIEW

Literature Review



Literature Review

Medical Authorities have recognized a strong link between diet, health and physical activity worldwide (World Health Organization WHO, 1995; US Department of Health and Human Services, 1996). The primary causes of ill-health as found by the health ministry of the countries are unhealthy diet and Inactive lifestyle (Murphy and Bloom, 2004; Martins, Robertson and Morgan, 2008), which is increasing worldwide.

Physical inactivity and sedentary life style become more prevalent around the world, global statistics indicate that the percentage of sedentary or nearly sedentary adults ranges from 60 percent to 85 percent worldwide (WHO, 2006).

Recently, studies have shown that physical activity is one of the ten leading causes of disability and death through out the world, and increases the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke (WHO 2006; Berlin & Colditz, 1990; Powell et al., 1987).

Unhealthy diet for example diets comprising of excessive consumptions of fats (especially saturated), cholesterol and salt, an insufficient consumption of fibre and potassium are associated with hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemic.

Several chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and overweight, abnormal blood lipids, heart disease and cancer are associated with malnutrition.

In addition, an unhealthy diet is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with 2.7 million deaths per year associated with a diet containing insufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables. Globally, an unhealthy diet accounts for 19 percent of gastrointestinal cancers, 31 percent of coronary heart disease, and 11 percent of strokes.

A healthy balanced diet contains an adequate intake of essential nutrients (fats, proteins and carbohydrates) and plenty of water. People should eat at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits per day (Advisory Committee on Diet, 1996). Proportionate servings of vegetables and fruits every day plays an important for maintaining a body weight and staying healthy.

According to a research by Agudo, et al., the risk of dying from inveterate diseases like cancer, heart diseases and diabetes reduced by a quarter among people who ate the most fruit and vegetables (Agudo, A., et al.,2007).

Unhealthy diet and Inactive lifestyle is thought to be primary causes of obesity (Murphy and Bloom, 2004; Martins, Robertson and Morgan, 2008), which has been increasing worldwide.

Obesity is a risk factor for several chronic diseases such as hypertension, hyper-lipidemia, and diabetes, patients dependent on insulin, cancer and heart diseases (Prentice and Jebb, 1995; Seidell, 1995).

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. According to WHO, obesity worldwide has doubled since 1980, and in 2008, 1.5 million adults over age 20 are overweight. Of these, more than 200 million men and women, nearly 300 million were obese.

Diseases such as obesity and being overweight are considered to be the major risk of death; at least 2.6 million people die annually as a result of being overweight or obese. In addition, obesity and overweight are responsible for 44% of the burden of diabetes, 23% of the burden of coronary heart disease and from 7 percent to 41 percent of the load of some cancers.

Behavioural changes by individual towards unhealthy food and sedentary life ...