Obesity Causes and Prevention 1

OBESITY CAUSES AND PREVENTION

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Obesity Causes and Prevention

Obesity is currently one of the most and most significant health issues in the world.

According to the World Health Organization, at least 1.9 billion adults aged 18 years and older

were overweight in 2016, with 650 million of them being obese (WHO 2020). It means that 39%

of the global population was overweight in 2016, and 13% was obese. The bad news is that

obesity is still on the increase globally, and it is often associated with chronic diseases such as

diabetes, cancers, heart disease, and many others (Metcalf, T., & Metcalf, G. 2018, p.12). The

good news is that obesity is preventable, but it is essential to understand its causes before

focusing on preventing it. For this reason, the focus of the analysis is to assess why and how

people become obese and the approaches to adopt to overcome obesity.

Genetics

The first significant cause of obesity is genetics. Genes have a direct influence on obesity

in disorders such as Prader-Willi syndrome (Gunnars, K. 2018). Children of obese parents are at

increased risk of becoming obese than children of slim parents. It means that genes play a

significant role in an individual's probability of gaining weight. Studies conducted on identical

twins prove that genetic components affect a person’s vulnerability to gaining weight (Gunnars,

K. 2018). That is the reason some people live active lifestyles and use healthy diets but are still

plus-size. However, scientists argue that outside factors such as little physical activity and plenty

of junk food intake may be needed to add weight.

Poor Diet

Obesity is a series of events and cannot happen overnight. It often develops slowly over

time due to poor lifestyle choices and poor diet. For instance, frequent consumption of plenty of

fast food or processed food high in sugar and fat leads to overweight and obesity. Second, the

consumption of plenty of alcohol may also cause overweight. Xu and Xue (2016) mention that
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alcohol usually has plenty of calories meaning that individuals who engage in heavy drinking

take in more calories than the body requires. The outcome is gaining a few more pounds and

increasing the risk of becoming obese.

Additionally, drinking many sugary drinks, including fruit juice and soft drinks, increases the

likelihood of becoming obese because these drinks contain a lot of calories (In Bagchi, D. 2019,

p.53). At the same time, consuming a lot of food that includes desserts, starters, and several other

foods besides the main meals may lead to overweight because most desserts contain fats and

sugars. Lastly, comfort eating caused by low self-esteem or depression may lead to uncontrolled

eating. It is important to note that unhealthy eating habits often run in families. Children learn

bad eating habits from their parents and continue with the same habits when they become adults.

Sedentary Lifestyle

A sedentary lifestyle simply means living an inactive lifestyle. It means that lack of

physical activity and spending most of the time behind screens – television, smartphones, and

computers – contributes to putting in more weight. According to the report released by CDC in

2008 that provided guidelines for physical activities for Americans, adults need to engage in at

least 150 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity every week (Wang, Y. 2017). At the

same time, the Sedentary Behavioral Research Network (SBRN) defined sedentary behavior as

any action that involves reclining, sitting, or lying down with minimal energy expenditure

(Gunnars, K. 2018). Spending more than five hours every day watching television amounts to a

sedentary lifestyle. Most people engage in this kind of lifestyle where they watch movies and

television programs with lots of episodes that require them to spend close to or even more than

ten hours a day watching. To make matters worse, most people watch while they take snacks and

beverage drinks full of calories.

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Similarly, spending more than six hours in front of a computer in the office amounts to a

sedentary lifestyle, especially if one drives home after work instead of walking. The same

includes those individuals whose hobby is sleeping. They spend more than six hours sleeping

during the day when they should be engaging in other activities. Such kinds of lifestyle that

involves lying, sitting, and reclining for long hours during the day hugely contribute to obesity.

Unfortunately, research shows that only 21% of adults in the US meet the physical guidelines

provided by the US government and less than 5% undertake 30 minutes or so of physical activity

every day (Gunnars, K. 2018). Therefore, there is a need to focus on solutions that can help

overcome obesity.

Overcoming Obesity

Overcoming obesity is about lifestyle changes. The only thing that cannot be controlled is

the genetic factor, but the rest can be altered through lifestyle changes. In other words, obesity

can be prevented by doing the opposite of the factors mentioned above. First, one should choose

healthier foods and beverages and practice healthy diets (In Bagchi, D. 2019, p75). Healthier

foods include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, protein sources, and healthy fats. It is

important for individuals to identify foods that offer healthy fats and proteins to integrate them

into their menus to replace junk foods. As Kazaks and Stern (2013) mention, eating healthier

foods and drinking plenty of water alone can lead to tremendous gains in terms of weight loss

over time. Second, individuals at risk of overweight and obese should limit unhealthy foods and

beverages at all costs. Unhealthy foods include refined grains, potatoes, sweets, processed meat,

and red meat. Unhealthy beverages are those that contain a lot of sugar or simply sugary drinks.

Therefore, one must be ready to change their eating habits to embrace healthier eating to

overcome obesity.
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Besides, individuals at risk of overweight and obesity must increase physical activity and

embrace more outdoor activities instead of spending a lot of time indoors. Physical activity

means going for a walk or sometimes opting to walk to school or work instead of using a car,

cycling, exercising and frequently visiting the gym, and engaging in active sports where one

must train to be fit, among other activities (Kazaks, A., & Stern, J. 2013, p.112). For example,

one can join the neighborhood’s soccer team to train with them and become fit. One can also

play volleyball, engage in athletic activities, tennis, basketball, swimming classes or

competitions, gymnastics, and several other sporting activities that can keep them busy training

to be fit to compete. Other strategies for overcoming obesity include engaging in-home workouts

through the help of YouTube clips or mobile applications, limiting screen time and other 'sit

time,' improving sleep and sleep patterns, and reducing stress.

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Reference List

Wang, Y 2017, ‘Potential mechanisms in childhood obesity: causes and prevention.’ I Romieu, L

Dossus & WC Willett (eds).

Xu, S & Xue, Y 2016, 'Pediatric obesity: Causes, symptoms, prevention and treatment,'

Experimental and therapeutic medicine, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 15–20.

Robinson, E, Boyland, E, Chisholm, A, Harrold, J, Maloney, NG, Marty, L, Mead, BR, Noonan,

R & Hardman, CA 2021, ‘Obesity, eating behavior and physical activity during COVID-

19 lockdown: A study of UK adults’, Appetite, vol. 156.

Kazaks, A., & Stern, J. S. 2013. Nutrition and obesity: Assessment, management, and

prevention. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Metcalf, T., & Metcalf, G. 2018. Obesity. Detroit: Thomson/ Gale.

In Bagchi, D. 2019. Global perspectives on childhood obesity: Current status, consequences,

and prevention. London: Academic Press.

Gunnars, K. May 4, 2018. 10 Leading Causes of Weight Gain and Obesity. Healthline. Retrieved

from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-causes-of-weight-gain

World Health Organization. April 1, 2020. Obesity and Overweight. Retrieved from

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight