Public Awareness and Human Diseases: Obesity

Public Awareness and Human Diseases: Obesity

Kristin Carothers

HCA/240

September 18, 2011

Public Awareness and Human Diseases: Obesity

Obesity is not just a sickness or disease, but a disease that can be life threatening and can cause a lot of health issues for individuals suffering from this disease. This essay will go into detail what obesity is, the ways to treat, prevent, and where you can go for help. Along with a proposal for a community based education and awareness program.

Obesity is an excess portion of total body fat. A person is considered obese when his or her weight is 20 percent or more above normal weight. The most common measure of obesity is the body mass index or BMI. A person is considered over weight if his or her BMI is between 25-29.9. A person is considered obese if his or her body mass index is over thirty. Morbid obesity means that a person is either 50-100 percent over normal weight, more than 100 pounds over normal weight, has a BMI or body mass index over 40 or higher, or is sufficiently overweight to severely interfere with health or normal function.

Obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories that he or she burns. Simply put for many people this comes down to eating way too much and exercising way to little. There are other factors that can also play a role, such as age; gender; genetics; environmental; physical activity; psychological; illness; medications.

Age can play a role in becoming obese. As a person gets older, their body’s ability to metabolize food slows down and they do not require as many calories to maintain their weight.

Another factor is gender. In this factor women tend to be more overweight than men. This is because men have a higher resting metabolic rate, meaning they burn more energy at rest, than women, so men require more calories to maintain their body weight. Additionally when women become post-menopausal their metabolic rate decreases. That is partly why women gain weight...