Solution For Obesity: February 2008

Friday, February 29, 2008

Understanding the Obesity and Cancer Risk

There are plenty of health issues that are prominent in the world today, however some are considered as being more urgent than others, namely those which are increasing at a dramatic rate.

The obesity and cancer risk is now higher than ever, and so it has never been more important and in fact necessary for you to learn about the seriousness of this obesity and cancer risk as well as everything else that goes along with it.

About the Obesity and Cancer Risk

During the last two decades in particular, the percentage of overweight people in the world has increased dramatically, and in fact, nearly one-third of all adults are now classified as being obese. In addition to this, the percentage of children who are overweight continues to increase, and among children and teens who are aged 6-19, 15 percent are overweight.

The Causes of Obesity

There are a number of different causes that are considered as being responsible for obesity, however overall experts have come to the conclusion that the most chief causes of obesity are a sedentary lifestyle and an overconsumption of high-calorie food. In simpler terms, people in the world today eat more and more unhealthily than they should, and do not get enough physical activity.

How Obesity is Connected to Cancer

Obesity is connected to cancer more than almost any other factor in the world, and this is why the obesity and cancer risk is such an important issue to take into consideration. Studies have been conducted which show that cancer is much more common among overweight people, and so there is now proof that can be used to back up this argument.

The results from these studies showed that for most cancers, the higher your body mass index was the higher your risk of obesity and cancer risk. The soaring obesity is then only expected to bring numerous more cases of obesity, and so obviously then there needs to be some sort of solution brought about to address this very serious problem.

Finding Solutions

The only real way that any proper and effective solutions can be brought about on this issue is through research and time, and so we really need to make sure that not only do we as people begin changing our lifestyles for the better, including eating healthier and getting more exercise, but also that we contribute what we can towards funds and programs that are going to help obesity and cancer causes.

posted by Oliver @ 9:37 PM 0 comments

Obesity Discrimination: Some Scary Statistics

Obesity discrimination has been called the last acceptable form of prejudice. Although eight out of ten Americans are overweight and 43 million are either obese or morbidly obese, people continue to make fat jokes, wear offensive t-shirts (“No Fat Chicks!”), and worse, discriminate against obese people in public, in healthcare, and on the job.

Public Obesity Discrimination

Obesity discrimination and sex discrimination often go hand in hand. Not too many people shout rude things at very large men, probably because they’ve discovered that it can be hazardous to their health. But let an obese woman walk by a group of men, and all too often they’ll start making comments about the shape and size of the woman’s body. Several women have reported being “rated” on a scale of one to ten as they walked past fraternity houses or construction sites.

Another subtle form of obesity discrimination is public scolding. Although it’s never well-mannered to correct a stranger’s behavior in public (unless the stranger is behaving illegally, in which case it’s best to leave the correction to the police), it’s especially offensive to tell someone how many calories or in a food or whether or not the food is good for them. I once had a woman tell me, “You’d have such a pretty face if you could just lose a few pounds.” I considered saying, “And you’d have such a great personality if you’d only keep your mouth shut,” but self control won out. Darn it.

Both male and female children report obesity discrimination in schools often starting as early as kindergarten. As one of my friends’ kids explained to me, one of the worst insults you can offer a classmate is to tease them about being in love with the fattest kid of the opposite sex.

Healthcare Obesity Discrimination

Obesity can put you at risk for other conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, etc. Certainly, doctors have an obligation to discuss risk factors for serious diseases with their patients. However, considering that 90 to 95% of dieters gain back all the weight they lose and more, how responsible is it for physicians to suggest patients go on a diet?

To put it another way, how would you feel if your doctor gave you an expensive pill that you knew would cause nasty side effects and then mentioned the pill had only a 5% success rate?

Additionally, most private insurance companies refuse to offer insurance to obese patients.

Employment Obesity Discrimination

Obesity discrimination is probably worse on the job than it is anywhere else. The American Obesity Association cited the following, alarming, statistics:

All other factors among candidates being equal, employers overwhelmingly described fat job applicatns in negative terms such as “socially inept” or “emotionally impaired.”

In another study, researchers found that weight played a greater part than any other factor—including age, sex, or race—in deciding whether or not a candidate would get a job.

Finally, asked to rate a list of potential employees, employers rated fat candidates more negatively than they rated mental patients or ex-felons.

And while there are laws to protect people who experience job discrimination based on sex, age, race, religion, and increasingly, sexual orientation, there are no laws in place to protect people who suffer obesity discrimination.

Whatever your weight, why not stop and make a promise now? Obesity discrimination ends with me. See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?

posted by Oliver @ 9:36 PM 0 comments