Discrimination or stereotyping based on an individual’s weight is known as weight stigma and is an increasing problem in society today (Thomas, S., Hyde, J., Karunaratne, A., Herbert, D., and Komesaroff, P., 2008). Individuals with weight problems are constantly ridiculed and stigmatised in a number of locations and social settings around the globe. This constant humiliation appears to be encouraged within society and negatively affects the victims of the stigma (Wang, S., Brownell, K. and Wadden T., 2004). When weight stigma appears in the media, it can form inaccurate stereotypes, sensationalise issues through unwarranted references to obesity and use demeaning languages to represent individuals in these groups that are stigmatised. The obesity ‘epidemic’ is becoming of major concern and until recently there were very little studies designed to focus on weightism and anti-fat attitudes.
We will now look into some of the ongoing types of research aimed to decrease the problem of childhood obesity. Dr. Adshead, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England’s Department of health has spent many years researching childhood obesity. She notes that research has shown that lower socioeconomic families have a higher percentage of obese children then higher income families. She also notes that in urban areas children were more likely to become obese than in rural areas. Obese children also obtain lower academic grades as well.
One of the most common types of eating disorder is anorexia nervosa, where the person suffering from it lives in fear of becoming overweight, and therefore starves themselves despite being dramatically underweight. The biological explanation of anorexia nervosa proposes that such a disorder is caused by physical
In the present paper, overweight and obesity is being investigated. It has been hypothesized that overweight and obesity stems from eating behavior, environment and socio economic status. Research has shown that these factors come
Obesity in the United States has reached epidemic proportions over the years. Every year more studies regarding the risks of obesity related illness are released and for every study released, there seems to be yet another weight loss technique introduced. There are a number of options for people wanting to lose weight…lifestyle modification, commercial weight loss programs, medications and even weight loss surgery are all seemingly viable and popular ways to manage weight. It seems, however, Americans are getting heavier and heavier. According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 35% of the country is currently obese.
The question at hand is how did this happen and what can be done about it? It is widely accepted that there are two major factors that controlling the rising numbers of obesity, they are genetics and environment. There are several health consequences that tie into the obesity epidemic. It can be said that if you are not genetically predisposed to obesity, excessive weight gain would not occur or could be easily lost. Researchers have said due to the rising numbers of people who are obese, there is also going to be a following epidemic of obese people who will be also diagnosed with type II diabetes, and it is very important that we can understand, the processes that lead to people becoming or staying obese.
All studies identified were manually searched to determine relevance for inclusion in review. Studies were searched regardless of study design and method of study. What is obesity? Obesity and overweight are defined as a chronic condition due to an abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health (World Health Organisation, 2006). Obesity is caused by an imbalance of caloric intake and energy expenditure.
Uda Widanapathirana Obesity is the accumulation of excessive body fat to the extent that it may impair health. Affected persons are predisposed to illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, high blood, pressure, and disturb the management of chronic disorders. The cost of treatment and healthcare of obesity related disease and other indirect costs are of concern due to rising obesity rates. To accommodate for these increasing costs, a fat tax has been suggested to discourage an excess unhealthy food intake through taxing foods with high sugar or fat content. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of height vs. weight; a BMI of 25 kg/m2 and 30kg/m2 defines an individual as overweight or obese respectively.
Chrystal Halbert Eve Tongdaeng Larry Mitchell Research Introduction Political Inquiry and Analyses Dr. Bernick Childhood Obesity: Policy Effectiveness and Overview The topic we have chosen to research is policy effectiveness in regards to childhood obesity. Obesity in children is becoming an increasingly alarming subject due to the sheer number of American children affected by the disease. The medical community has brought attention to the issue and many are eager to find the root causes and ways to circumvent the consequences. Research on the issue has pointed to numerous possible causes such as the relation to sugary drinks for example. There are also several publications outlining a number of negative health effects related to the subject.
Abstract It has been documented that individuals who are overweight and have negative feelings about their body suffer from having a low self-esteem. Their self-esteem is related to their sexual attractiveness, weight concern and their physical condition. This study will attempt to determine if individuals who suffer from obesity experience low self-esteem related issues; it will also seek to identify if body weight has a greater impact on the self-esteem of females than it does on males. Does Obesity Have an Effect on an Individual’s Self-Esteem Introduction There is a growing body of literature that has evolved over the past few years that indicate a relationship among self-esteem and body weight. This study is being done to