No less real are the social and emotional effects of obesity, including discrimination, lower wages, lower quality of life and a likely susceptibility to depression. Read more: health risks and why being overweight does not decrease mortality. It is a broad swath of harms that has a huge societal effect—on the economy, national productivity, and even national defense.
The health care costs of obesity in the U. This includes money spent directly on medical care and prescription drugs related to obesity. But obesity has other costs associated with it, too, among them, the cost of lost days of work, higher employer insurance premiums, and lower wages and incomes linked to obesity-related illnesses.
Countries with lower obesity rates than the U. Britain has the highest rate of obesity in Europe, part of a major global epidemic that has grown fourfold in twenty-five years. Almost one in five children is obese when they start primary school. By the time they leave, this has risen to one in three. Obese children are often bullied, and tend to become obese adults, so they may face a lifetime of low self-esteem and ill health.
The growth in childhood obesity reflects changes in society. Where, a generation ago, children might have spent hours riding their bikes in the street, now they may spend that time snacking in front of the TV or computer. There are no quick fixes when it comes to weight loss. But some relatively easy lifestyle changes do have proven benefits.
World Obesity Federation About obesity. Retrieved from www. Diabetes Digital Media Diabetes and obesity. BMI is not used to diagnose obesity because people who are very muscular can have a high BMI without much fat. But for most people, BMI is a useful indication of whether they're a healthy weight. A better measure of excess fat is waist size, which can be used as an additional measure in people who are overweight with a BMI of 25 to Generally, men with a waist size of 94cm or more and women with a waist size of 80cm or more are more likely to develop obesity-related health problems.
It's very important to take steps to tackle obesity because, as well as causing obvious physical changes, it can lead to a number of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions. Obesity can also affect your quality of life and lead to psychological problems, such as depression and low self-esteem.
Obesity is generally caused by consuming more calories, particularly those in fatty and sugary foods, than you burn off through physical activity. The excess energy is stored by the body as fat. Obesity is an increasingly common problem because for many people modern living involves eating excessive amounts of cheap high-calorie food and spending a lot of time sitting down at desks, on sofas or in cars.
Find out why sitting too much is bad for your health. There are also some underlying health conditions that can occasionally contribute to weight gain, such as an underactive thyroid gland hypothyroidism , although these types of conditions do not usually cause weight problems if they're effectively controlled with medicines.
The best way to treat obesity is to eat a healthy reduced-calorie diet and exercise regularly. The economic impact of obesity in the United States. Annual medical spending attributable to obesity: payer-and service-specific estimates. Health Aff Millwood. Indirect costs of obesity: a review of the current literature. Obes Rev. Mission: Readiness Council for a Strong America; Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation.
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. On This Page. To receive email updates about this topic, enter your email address. Email Address. What's this? Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. Related Topics.
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