Impact of Obesity on Health

Obesity causes several serious physical and mental health complications. The abnormal formation of fatty cells leads to diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, hypertension, low back pain, problems and difficulties in physical movements. Psychologically, it can cause mental instability, emotionally insecurity, low self-esteem, problems in sleep etc. The problems become lethal when mental instability implicates suicidal thoughts and tendencies especially in teenagers with obesity. In addition, the fatty cells along with intra-abdominal fat put pressure on thorax which leads to reduction in respiratory capacity, this in turn, may lead to 'pickwickian syndrome' ( rapid and deep breathing, increased carbon dioxide in blood and somnolence).

For intervention to obesity people could be advised to incorporate changes in lifestyles like change in undesirable habits, reduce exposure to and refraining from tempting food, minimizing oily and non-fibrous foods, accelerate energy expenditure through physical exercises, spacing meals throughout the day, beware of binge eating, increase water intake, separate eating during engagement with other activities.  

Some other psychosocial factors of obesity: Sociologically, it has been observed that people with obesity often have blaming attitude and look for an object to blame for their own problems, and, consequently fast food corners are easily targeted. But, the real cause lies in ourselves which seems to be invisible. In fact, we have become more greedy and always want to have more than what we already have sufficiently. It appears intelligible in a way that the more abundance we have in life, we become greedier. This is considered a kind of vicious circle refraining us from stopping or controlling obesity also. Secondly, People with obesity often don't or are rarely attempt to pay attention to other individuals who are overweight or fat in their surrounding because of two reasons: Primarily, they perceive obesity and its related health complications as common problems in populace, and are unwilling to know about it; or/ they have an ‘optimistic bias' that their own obesity won't cause any problem of suffering to them. In addition, the people who have bad or undesirable behaviours, are also very risky towards obesity and related health problem of overweight. For example, people with substance abuse like alcoholism, smoking; sleep disorders etc.

People's prefer to consume frozen and junk foods carrying high amount of calories with saturated fats, sugar, carbohydrates, oil and other ingredients which not only enhance number of fat cells rather their size also. Unfortunately, the fast food corners are mushrooming everywhere in large number encouraging people for overeating, which in turn, increase the risk of obesity. In fact, presence of such food corners is so common that people easily get inclined to them to replace their healthy and hygienic foods. Such people are comparatively less likely to give preference to fibres in their meal and eat fruits, vegetables, milk and other similar healthy products. The luxurious and sedentary lifestyles give rise to accumulation of fats towards obesity. Research investigations have found that even a small quantity of delicious junk food can easily increase intake of people for calories every day. People like such foods in fast-track life with intention to prevent hassles of food preparation and familial responsibilities and comfort. This is why the rate of obesity has raised from 12 per cent to 18 per cent in last several years especially in the USA where more than 60% people are overweight, reported by the World Health Organisation.