Essay Example on The selected issue within my area is Obesity

There are many individuals in my area who are obese The problem is ranked first in top five current health issues affecting the area Obesity is where a person has too much body fat Normally the fat accumulates in the body of an individual thereby exposing a person to some negative effects Khalife et al 425 When the body weight of a person is twenty percent higher compared to normal body weight then the person is termed as obese A number of adults and children in the area are having body mass index that is ranging 30 and above This is a range for obesity The history of obesity can be traced to the 1980s and 1990s Ogden et al 831 Around this period there was an increase in the consumption of sugar and fat due to attempts to reduce cases of malnutrition by the provision of a low cost source of calories Since that time cases of obesity have been on the rise This health issue has been selected because it deserves more attention It is among the top contributors to diseases death loss of productivity and it costs health systems Cases of obesity have doubled worldwide 25 percent of children as well as 60 percent of adults are obese or overweight Malik Willett Hu 20 

Moreover one in every ten premature deaths in adults aged between 20 and 64 years is directly linked to obesity Obesity increases the risk of many diseases among them are certain types of cancer arthritis stroke heart disease and diabetes Surely this is a clear indication that this health issue is causing much havoc in the society A lot of cash is spent when it comes to eradicating and treating obesity For instance the Australian government spent approximately 58 2 billion in 2015 in dealing with obesity cases The message about this health issue is directed to everyone in the society This is because obesity affects both children and adults All people are at risk when it comes to obesity For instance in 2014 41 million children aged 5 years and below were obese or overweight while 1 9 adults aged 18 years and above were overweight or obese Obesity has many risk factors Certain risk factors of obesity can be changed while there are others that cannot be altered Below are some of the risk factor Unhealthy environments the risk of obesity and overweight is increased by a number of environmental factors among them exposure to chemicals chemicals change hormones and this increases fatty tissues in the body built environment factors such as limited access to recreational facilities and easy access to unhealthy fast food and social factors such as low socioeconomic status Sex In U S the prevalence of obesity is evident in black and Hispanic women compared to Black and Hispanic men Sex may have an impact in the way the body stores fat For instance a small amount of unhealthy fat is stored in the abdomen in women compared to men High cases of obesity have been established in women who have polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS Polycystic ovary syndrome is an endocrine condition which prevents proper ovulation and causes large ovaries that can reduce fertility Ethnicity and race 

Many cases of obesity in the United States is seen among the Blacks After the Blacks there is the Hispanic then the Whites Asian men and women have few issue when it comes to unhealthy body mass index The Samoans are groups that are at high risk of having obesity because they have DNA which is associated with an increase in Body Mass Index Unhealthy behavior high amount of stress not enough sleep lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating behaviors increase the risk of obesity Age there is high chance of one gaining more weight as he or she ages In the area obesity among children is a serious problem There is also the case where some people start to gain more weight when they reach young adulthood This is a trend evident also in other parts of the world The weight gain continues until 60 to 65 years where one starts losing weight Everyone should take steps to prevent the gain of unhealthy weight as well as health related problems Steps that are meant to prevent weight gain as the same steps that help in losing weight The following are some of these steps exercising regularly being consistent adhering to a healthy eating plan having knowledge and avoiding the food traps which causes one to eat and checking weight regularly In conclusion obesity is a health problem which can be easily prevented This is because its risk factors are well known For the risk factors that can be changed people should always try to control them properly so as to prevent this health problem