Obesity: Obesity and Mental Health Conditions Essay

Submitted By jessinghiem
Words: 451
Pages: 2

Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation, which can be distinguished by a body mass index of 30 or above using a simple measurement of weight to height ratio (WHO 2006a). According to Sassi, the country of the U.S., Canada and Ireland are still raising obesity rate but slowing pace. However, childhood obesity rates are slowing in the U.S., as well as in England, France and Korea (2013). Obesity increases the risk of many health conditions, including coronary heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cancers, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, osteoarthritis, reproductive health complications, and mental health conditions (CDC, 2011). The health prevention strategies address the five target areas identified by CDC for preventing and reducing obesity, which are to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, increase physical activity, increase breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity, decrease consumption of sugar drinks, decrease consumption of high-energy-dense foods, which are high in calories (CDC, 2011). There is a belief that low income households had the highest prevalence of obesity, suffering additional social stigma. They tend to consume more fast food due to it convenience, cheap, and time consuming. When dealing with Hispanic population, they see fat as a sign of healthy. I remember one of my Hispanic friend told me that is why Asian so skinny after she saw my lunch portion. However, my BMI is about 20 when it calculates from my height and weight. With the developing technology, business, entertainment and some daily activities can be deal with online such as, shopping, banking, trading, and playing game. It is almost everything people can get it from online instead of going to the store. This is why