The Dangers of Obesity

Obesity has become an epidemic in this country. 67% of American adults are either overweight or obese, 34% being obese. This problem is also affecting our children; 11% of children ages 2-5 and 15% of children ages 6-11 are overweight. The trend continues to get worse with 18% of adolescents between the ages 12-19 being overweight. This is such huge problem because it leads to a myriad of health problems including: heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Furthermore, unhealthy weight gain is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year. The annual cost to society for obesity is estimated at nearly $100 billion (Facts for Families 2008). As you can see obesity affects more than just the health of those who are obese, it is also a drain on our society and our economy.
While the prevalence of obesity is increasing, the stigma associated with it still exists and has an effect on the mental health of the obese. The social stigma that exists with obesity is believed to cause shame, guilt, and feelings of body dissatisfaction (Brownwell 2002). The body dissatisfaction the obese feel may also lead them to engage in strict dieting and unhealthy eating and weight control practices (Buchholz et al. 2010). One such unhealthy weight control practice is dietary restraint, the conscious restriction of calories to control weight. It has been linked to the development and maintenance of eating disorders and binge eating (Polivy 1985).
A study conducted in Canada that was published in April of this year found further evidence of depression and body dissatisfaction being related to obesity. When compared with normal weight and overweight youth, obese youth had the lowest scores for body satisfaction and weight satisfaction and significantly higher scores for anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasurable emotions from normally pleasurable life events such as eating, exercise, social interaction or sexual activities, negative self-esteem, and overall depression (Buchholz et al. 2010).
Obesity has been shown to be detrimental to both one’s physical and mental health and has been shown to not only affect the person with the disease, but also our society and economy. We need to take action against this epidemic. We need to become more physically active and eat healthier. We need to start taking responsibility for our long term health and realize that our daily food choices greatly affect our lives.

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