Kaplan English 101

Generally, obesity is perceived as a sign of health problems in the community. According to the National Health Service (NHS), obesity can cause some problems including type two diabetes and heart disease (NHS CHOICES – 2010). The NHS defines obesity as when a person is carrying too much fat for their height and sex and has a body mass index of 30 or greater. This definition of obesity by the NHS is in line with that by the National Institute of Health which defines obesity as excessive amount of body fats which can lead to heart disease (“Understanding of Adult Obesity” - 2008).

There is evidence that breastfed babies are less likely to be overweight. Studies by the British Medical Journal (1999) found striking evidence that mothers who breastfeed their babies end up with far fewer overweight and obese children. In addition, the longer the breastfeeding period, the less likely it is to become obese, which in my opinion means that breastfeeding is not only of nutritional benefits to babies but can also protect them from becoming obese in later life, UNICEF (2008) states, breastfeeding support infant’s immune systems and helps protect from chronic conditions later in life such as obesity and diabetes.

In Africa where I come from, being overweight, which could lead to obesity, was/is perceived as a sign of wealth. Hence, parents saw/still see the need to overfeed their children. Tull (1991, Chapter 1, page 8) states that being overweight was considered desirable years ago, because it indicated that a person was wealthy but recently this view has changed. The change in view may not be matched by the change in ability to eat healthily and become active due to factors such as poverty. In addition, the growing numbers of fast food restaurants has made the society become reliant on take away food which can encourage weight gain. In case of poverty, family will have limited choices including the ability to provide appropriately for their children. According to...