Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980. In 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 600 million were obese. 39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2014, and 13% were obese. Most of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. 42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2013.
Obesity is preventable.
What are the causes of obesity?
- Consuming too many calories, particularly of fatty and sugary kind of foods. Some food habits like fructose – containing beverages interfere with lipid metabolism causing lipid accumulation (hypertriglyceridemia) and fatty liver which further leads to diabetes and obesity.
- Leading a sedentary lifestyle which does not promote to burn off the fats.
- Not sleeping enough; sleep deprivation leads to increase in appetite through elevating appetite stimulating hormones and suppressing the appetite hormones. This causes hormonal changes and thereby obesity.
What are the risk factors of obesity?
The risk factors can be categorised as
Community factors
- Ethnicity: Different ethnic groups have different physiological responses to fat deposition. Black Africans and Americans are at higher threat of developing obesity. South-Asian people develop central obesity compared to other ethnics due to their cultural habits of food.
- Work demands: Lesser the work demand more the sedentary life
- Socio-economic status: Low socio-economic status involves poor parent education and high poverty levels which influences the environment and the food habits the children or the adult grows.
- More access to recreation, food and restaurants
Family factors
- Genetics
- Home environmental status
- Nutritional knowledge: Knowledge regarding the healthy diet and the amount of food intake will have an impact on all the family members.
- Working activities: Lethargic working activities of elders in the family will influence and might become a habit for others thereafter
- Parental monitoring and modelling: Parent monitoring on the food choices and eating behaviour
- Parent weight status: The risk of obesity increase when both the parents are obese
Families share genetic and environmental habits to their children.
Childhood Obesity factors
- Physical activities
- Sedentary activities
- Nutritional habits
Apart from these, few other factors also contribute to obesity
- Age: advancing age result in changes in hormonal balance and less active life styles.
- Pregnancy
- Habit of quitting smoking.
- Hormonal disorders like hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency, Cushing syndrome, hypothalamic obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome, and hyperprolactinemia are the conditions that cause weight gain further developing obesity.
Community
Condition
