Obesity is debilitating for individuals, and it is a major health problem in the United States. It has many negative impacts on the individual and society. It has negative health consequences, causing high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, some cancer, asthma, gout, Osteoarthritis, fatty liver disease, and sleep apnea. It also causes emotional distress and social isolation as obesity is stigmatized (Landsberg et al.). Hence, obesity affects an individual emotionally, socially, and physically. It must be taken seriously and must be minimized in American society.
Obesity is a major problem for children, adolescents, and adults alike in American Society. It limits the individual, taking away their freedom to enjoy their life. It stigmatizes the individual with obesity (Puhl and Heuer). In a society where smart, thin, and tall are the trends, obesity distresses people. It makes a person an outcast. Due to obesity, a person becomes depressed and isolates oneself from society and groups, which negatively affects emotional health. Moreover, a child with obesity becomes the target of bullying at school, which negatively affects the child’s social life and emotional life. It eliminates a child from social events as the child becomes self-aware and less confident. It contributes to inactivity and fitness in children as well as adolescents, causing lifelong disorders and making the child disable to function optimally (Ogden et al.).
It affects the physical health of individuals. Obesity affects the normal function of the body, making it susceptible to diseases such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, kidney diseases, and several other problems. It affects around 12.7 million children and adolescents in the US (CDC). It creates health problems such as asthma, type 2 diabetes, and heart diseases that were not considered children’s health problems in the US previously. It takes childhood and adolescence, giving them the burden of caring for their body. They become patients whom teachers and nurses alike despise. According to research, 28 percent of teachers and 24 percent of nurses said that obesity was “worst” and they were “repulsed” by it (Puhl and Brownell). Consequently, their education, as well as treatment, are affected in a society that is biased towards obese people. Moreover, it shortens their lifespans as heart disease and strokes increase in obese people.
Obese children and adolescents are more likely to become obese in their adulthood with high risks of high blood pressure, high risks of heart disease and stroke, and the lifelong condition of type 2 diabetes (Landsberg et al.). The body weight of obese people makes them susceptible to osteoarthritis, which restricts physical movement in obese people. Consequently, one problem engenders another problem and makes it difficult for the individual to cope normally with life. (Ogden et al.) They are more likely to die early due to health problems.
Additionally, they face discrimination in the society. It negatively affects people’s professional and personal lives. The employers seem to have a bias towards obese people, and they seem to drop the candidates who are obese in the interviews. They are not easily promoted but terminated due to their obesity, as they are perceived as lazy and inactive (Puhl and Brownell).
Hence, obesity is the major problem facing youth as well as adults in the US, debilitating their lives. Therefore, it must be considered seriously, and an adequate response to the problem must be provided. It is prevalent and affects all aspects of one’s life. It affects the well-being of a person and a society as a whole, therefore, necessary steps must be taken to control weight gain in individuals. Parents, schools, and health organizations must take active steps to control and maintain a healthy Body Mass Index.
Works Cited
CDC. “Childhood Obesity Facts | Overweight & Obesity | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017, https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html.
Landsberg, Lewis, et al. “Obesity‐related Hypertension: Pathogenesis, Cardiovascular Risk, and Treatment—A Position Paper of The Obesity Society and the American Society of Hypertension.” Obesity, vol. 21, no. 1, 2013, pp. 8–24.
Ogden, Cynthia L., et al. “Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012.” JAMA, vol. 311, no. 8, Feb. 2014, pp. 806–14. jamanetwork.com, doi:10.1001/jama.2014.732.
Puhl, Rebecca, and Kelly D. Brownell. “Bias, Discrimination, and Obesity.” Obesity, vol. 9, no. 12, 2001, pp. 788–805.
Puhl, Rebecca M., and Chelsea A. Heuer. “The Stigma of Obesity: A Review and Update.” Obesity, vol. 17, no. 5, 2009, pp. 941–64.
