Obesity is NOT a Disease

2376 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Is obesity a disease

The leading cause of emphysema is due to the smoking of cigarettes, just as the leading cause of HIV/AIDS is due to unprotected sex. Obesity contributes to heart disease as well as several other diseases. Unprotected sex, smoking, and obesity are not the disease; they are the cause of disease. Many public forums such as the news, health professionals, educational articles, and pharmaceutical companies have referred to obesity as a disease. There is a growing debate in America about whether or not obesity is a disease and if it is appropriate to call it a disease. Obesity has not been officially classified as a disease but many feel it is necessary. Obesity should not be classified as a disease - it does not fit the fefinition. Obesity is caused by unhealthy habits and it can be prevented. Classifying obesity as a disease would strain the health care system which is already bankrupt.

Obesity has been accepted in the American society as a norm. According to the U.S. office of the Surgeon General, in 1999, 6 in 10 American adults were classified as obese or overweight (McMurray, par. 5). In order for one to be classified as obese they’re body mass index (BMI) must be 30 or greater. The number of obese in America has continued to increase. It has been estimated by The World Health Organization that 300 million people will be obese by 2025 (Bailey 3). Since obesity comes with many health risks, many feel it should be treated as a disease.

Proponents of classifying obesity as a disease claim that it fits the definition of a disease. The American Heritage Dictionary defines disease as “a pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmen...

... middle of paper ...

...unter, William. “Obesity: A Growing Epidemic.” How Genetics and Environment Shape Us.

2005: 8-23. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCOhost. Hanley Lib., Bradford, PA

22 Nov. 2010.

Kramer, Otis, and Nancy Sprague. “Discrimination Against Obese People is Primarily Directed

Against Women.” 2009. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCOhost. Hanley Lib.,

Bradford, PA. 21 Nov. 2010.

McMurray, Coleen. “Lifestyle, Not Disease, Causes Obesity.” 10 Aug. 2004

Points of View Reference Center. EBSCOhost. Hanley Lib., Bradford, PA 21 Nov 2010.

Rich, Alex and Rosalyn Carson. “Obesity and Health Insurance.” 2009.

Points of View Reference Center. EBSCOhost. Hanley Lib., Bradford, PA 21 Nov. 2010.

Tucker, Mary, and Nancy Sprague. “Bottled Water is the Healthy Alternative.” 2009.

Points of View Reference Center. EBSCOhost. Hanley Lib., Bradford, PA 21 Nov. 2010

Show More
Related

  • A Study of Obesity in African-Americans

    2600 Words  | 6 Pages

    Obesity remains an extremely serious issue worldwide. Once considered a problem for wealthier counties, overweight and obesity are now dramatically increasing in low and middle income countries (WHO, 2011). In American, the rates of obesity continue to soar. CDC (2009) recognizes obesity as a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other health problems. According to NHANES over two-thirds of the US are overweight or obese, and over one-third are obese (CDC, 2009). Treatment for this illness varies; it may include the incorporation of diet, exercise, behavior modification, medication, and surgery. Since there is no single cause of all overweight and obesity, there is no single way to prevent or treat overweight and obesity that will help everyone (CDC, 2009).

    Read More

  • A Proposal to Reverse Obesity Rates

    1830 Words  | 4 Pages

    Obesity is a huge problem that needs to be resolved because it affects all people, unlike most issues. People of every gender, every age, and every race are at risk of being obese. Obesity rates in America have nearly doubled within the last twenty years. Something must be done not only to prevent obesity rates continuous rising, but also to dramatically increase the percentage of obese people in America altogether.

    Read More

  • Obesity and Gastric Bypass Surgery

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    Obese people account for thirty seven percent of the United States population, but obesity- related diseases such as diabetes and hypertension account for sixty one percent of healthcare costs in the United States every year. The costs increase to billions of dollars which puts a huge strain on not only the economy but healthcare also. Obesity is a big problem in America and everyone either knows someone who is overweight or they’re overweight themselves. Treatment for obesity is having an active lifestyle, weight loss medication, or weight loss surgery.

    Read More

  • Is the Government Doing Enough About Obesity

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    About 2.8 billion adults every year die of obesity (Diet). Rachel Epstein wrote the book “Eating Habits and Disorders” which talks about obesity being a disease. Obesity is a condition with extra body fat which often starts to form in childhood (Epstein 25). While obesity for some adults can be life-threatening (Epstein 25). It can also form psychosocial problems (Epstein 25). Being obese causes a risk in diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, kidney trouble and more (Epstein 25). Being obese during pregnancy can cause many problems for the mom, and for the baby (Epstein 25). Any of these things could cause many problems either in the future, or in the present (Epstein 25). The worse the eating habits, the harder it is to cure (Epstein 25). The government needs to do more about obesity because obesity rates are rising, many kids are being victims of obesity and they don’t even know it, also Medical Care is taking a big part with the growing obesity rates.

    Read More

  • Obesity : Obesity And Obesity

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    Amongst one of the bigger health issues in United States children is obesity. Obesity is a condition in which a person has accumulated an excess amount of body fat that it has become detrimental to their health. To track this health professionals use the term “obese” when a person has a body mass index (BMI) of over 30. Although BMI should not be the only determining factor of whether or not you child is obese as it only takes into account of height and weight, it is one of the better known systems of telling whether or not a person is overweight or obese (Nichols). Obesity comes with a range of other health conditions that can include but are not limited to cancer, diabetes, and depression. Not only do children and teens who suffer from obesity acquire many health diseases, they also tend to get failing grades and are bullied amongst peers. Most Americans correlate being obese with having an unhealthy lifestyle, but according to a 2006 Fox News article there may be other factors that attribute to obesity that include smoking, medicine, pollution, technology and lack of sleep. (“10 Causes of Obesity Other Than Overeating”). One part that does although indeed play a role in to child obesity rates is economics.

    Read More

  • Rethinking Weight By Amanda Spake Summary

    465 Words  | 1 Pages

    Maria is not the only person who experiences these problems. Maria, her sister, her daughter Jordan, along with 64 percent of Americans are fighting to take control of their weight before something dangerous to their health happens. The most important aspect of the obesity situation is whether or not to identify obesity as a disease in the line of cancer or heart disease, diseases that can be caused by obesity. This issue is very important because those

    Read More

  • The Obesity Epidemic in America

    2913 Words  | 6 Pages

    Since the 1960?s obesity in America has more than tripled regardless of sex or race. Today 30.5 percent, or 69 million, American Adults are considered obese (?AOA Fact Sheets? np). In addition, 13 percent of children aged 6-11 years old are considered overweight, and well on their way to becoming obese. Obesity causes over 300,000 deaths a year and costs the country $117 billion dollars, prompting health care providers and the government to label it an epidemic (?Overweight and Obesity?? np).

    Read More

  • Socio-cultural Issues in Early Childhood in the Case for Obesity

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is obesity? According to the World Health Organization (WHO,) for a fact, the basic answer is excessive body fat. Sometimes this is even considered as abnormal (Byington and et al., 2008.) The usual clinical method of case assessment is to interlink the weight of a child or young adult with obesity to severe outcomes, such as heart attacks and diabetes in adulthood....

    Read More

  • General Mills Case Study

    1818 Words  | 4 Pages

    Recently, obesity has become a growing concern in America. Obesity rates have risen, reaching pandemic proportions (Tomer, n.d). This statistics is worrying to most, as it is widely known that obesity creates a host of problems. People who are obese are susceptible to health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes. Needless to say, people who are obese incur higher medical expenses than those who are not obese due to the increased healthcare needed for obesity related diseases.

    Read More

  • Obesity is NOT a Disease

    1863 Words  | 4 Pages

    Obesity is a physiological condition characterised by an excessive accumulation of body fat, specifically the build-up of adipose tissue beneath the skin. In recent years, the number of people diagnosed with clinical obesity has increased dramatically, with governments desperately trying to tackle the obesity epidemic and its associated consequences (McLannahan and Clifton, 2008). Studies have found that the prevalence of obesity once stood at an estimated 9.8% (Kelly, Yang, Chen, Reynolds & He, 2008), a considerable figure representing almost 400 million individuals worldwide. Even though obesity has now been recognised as a major problem the number of people affected is increasing rapidly, with almost 300,000 deaths attributable to obesity in the USA each year (Allison, Fontaine, Manson, Stevens, & VanItallie, 1999). Excessive amounts of fat can prove dangerous as the condition has a very high comorbidity rate with other long term health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and cancer (Pi-Sunyer, 1993). Numerous examples of media, medical journals and educational literature concerning obesity refer to the condition as a disease, with an increasing use of the word ‘Epidemic’ to describe the somewhat recent surge of obesity cases in western societies (Boero, 2007), however there is little material available that offers evidence for obesity meeting specification for disease. Instead it has been proposed that obesity is alternatively a risk factor for developing other potentially harmful diseases, influenced by a variety of other factors i.e. genetics, cultural ideals and biological impairments.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Is Obesity A Disease?

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    Obesity is an ongoing problem in the world. After researching more on the topic, it has become not only a health problem but a controversial issue. Proponents believe that obesity is a disease. The definition of disease, the lifespan effects of obesity, and the genetics of obesity support the claim. Opponents believe that it is not a disease because it is just a result of eating too much and little activity. They believe because the obesity is centered around abnormalities. Obesity should not be considered a disease with support from health factors, statistics, and characteristics of other diseases. After my research, I know obesity can be argued in both directions.

    Read More

  • Is Obesity a Disease?

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    Obesity is a serious condition that has generated a discussion on whether or not to be classified as a disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity is the body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, which is calculated based on the person’s height and weight. For years, our society has been facing the obesity challenge, which can be extremely costly once it leads to several diseases. Thus, because of the constant increase of percentage of people with obesity, the American Medical Association (AMA) proposed in June 18, 2013 to classify obesity as a disease. Their argument was that obesity increases the risks of countless health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension etc. Moreover, it increases morbidity and mortality. By considering obesity as a disease, their aim was to maximize researches and funding, which will focus on obesity from different medical and health approach levels. Their idea of classifying obesity as a disease was in accordance with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s declaration of 1995. The institute declared, “ Obesity is a complex multifactorial chronic disease developing from multiple interactive influences of numerous factors.” In 2012, the CDC data showed 34.9% of adults obese and 17% of obese children. These numbers are very alarming especially since the struggle to deter certain factors contributing into this condition is still a challenge. Among the struggles, there are the people’s rights versus health regulations to keep them as healthy as possible like the former mayor Bloomberg regulation on soft drinks size cut. During CNN’s show GPS of Sunday 2, 2014, the host Zacharia...

    Read More

  • Dangers Of Adulthood Obesity

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    The table above points out, in detail, many of the known risk factors that are associated with obesity. This long list of health issues that result from obesity is very tragic to witness. When a person becomes obese they experience a great amount of health issues, health issues that can lower the peaceful value of one's life. The scariest thing about this is that the American people still choose to mistreat their bodies and become obese despite the consequences. David Allison expresses, "Obesity is not like running through a minefield, which kills you all at once or lets you run through it unscathed” (Mann). Obesity is a disease where it is not certain when it could take the life of a person. It could happen quickly or slow as ever. This affects many people because many don't realize the amount of danger they are in by being obese until it is too late. This is a very scary idea to think of because there are several people who don't take being obese seriously. Then people are putting themselves in danger for other health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, etc. Because of this obesity needs to be taken a lot more seriously because without awareness of its mysterious affects people and their loved ones could fall victim to its threat. Obesity within Adults is slowly increasing in the United States and will become a danger to America's citizens if it continues to

    Read More

  • Childhood Obesity Research Paper

    489 Words  | 1 Pages

    Obesity is when someone’s weight is far above their ideal body weight and this has become a major problem in the United States. This condition is an issue that needs to be addressed because it can cause health problems such as heart attacks and diabetes. Obesity is a serious, growing problem and it needs to be resolved soon.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of People Should Not Eat Fast Food

    1705 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to the article "Obesity Fits any Reasonable Definition of Disease," the author names Kahan Scott mentioned that " [o]besity is usually dismissed as the result of unhealthy

    Read More

More about Obesity is NOT a Disease

Open Document