Obesity has unfortunately become a global problem affecting the existence of millions of people, according to the World Health Organization. It is an accelerating social problem in many countries of the world, especially those more affluent.
Obesity is very often defined as an eating disorder. However, it is not just a case of eating too much. Health experts write that obesity is a serious disease prevalent in our society.
As the “obesity epidemic” gains momentum, so does the number of people who suffer from it.
Many hundreds of thousands of adult deaths in the United States alone yearly can be attributed to poor dietary habits and lack of exercise or obesity. In the United States alone, almost a third of the adult population is obese. In Europe, the figures are much the same. However, an astonishing 58% of the United Kingdom's adult population is considered to be overweight or obese, according to a recently published report.
Obesity is not just an issue about health. It is also considered as a socio-economic issue that costs hundreds of billions in the United States each year. In the UK this problem costs over two billion pounds in National Health services and indirect losses to the British economy. No less than 18 million sick days a year are reported to be attribute to obesity, and the increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and stroke lessens the life expectancy of sufferers by up to nine years.
When it comes to explaining this growing problem many scientific articles refer to a combination of junk foods, increasing car ownership and a much less active lifestyle with the advent of televisions, computers and computer games.
Some recent studies have found that the increase in obesity among children is directly related to the many hours spent watching television or playing computer or video games, but other studies have failed to establish a correlation.
More fundamentally, these studies fail to address the many other driving forces behind the changes in our diets and lifestyles today,including high pressure advertising, the mega profit food and entertainment conglomerates, along with the increased pressures of excessive working hours and the declining standard of living for a large portion of the working public.
Lower life expectancy is another downside for those suffering from obesity. In addition to this, obese and chronically over-weight people are much more susceptible to a number of diseases directly related to obesity. These diseases can include, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, some cancers and osteoarthritis and sleep apnoea.
The growing obesity problem is one which requires immense study funding. Funding to find the real reasons, real causes, and finally the real answers to solving this world wide disease.
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