How Do You Prevent Obesity?
Written by Diksha Kudlamath
Edited by Priya Ram
Jan 23rd 2022
Edited by Priya Ram
Jan 23rd 2022
You have probably heard about obesity being on the rise, but is there a way to prevent obesity? Obesity is not only a concern in adults but is now also affecting children. It is also increasing steadily in other countries, causing a global epidemic. This is concerning because it may lead to several other health issues and complications. However, there may be certain prevention strategies that can be implemented such as diet and exercise that could drastically improve one’s quality of life (Bray et al., 2018).
Obesity is defined as having excess body fat. This specifically refers to having a BMI of 30 kg/m² or greater while a BMI of 25.0 to 29.9 kg/m² refers to people who are overweight. There are several factors that can affect someone’s chance of developing obesity. These factors include genetic, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices. Obesity can also be associated with certain diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, certain types of cancers, and many more. In order to decrease the likelihood of getting these diseases, it is important to find ways to prevent obesity, especially in children. Childhood obesity can lead to adulthood obesity. Several lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise can be difficult to implement later on (Bray et al., 2018).
Some strategies that are used to prevent obesity in children are through incorporating healthier food and drink options at school as well as educating students on topics pertaining to nutrition and healthy eating. Another common strategy used in schools is to increase physical activity as part of the school curriculum. Encouraging children to adopt healthy eating and physical activity at a young age increases their chance of practicing these habits later in life (Bray et al., 2018).
A strategy that is aimed at helping the whole population is to make healthy food options more available. Another method is to create an environment that encourages more physical activity such as walking or biking rather than using cars or public transportation. For example, some cities create additional sidewalks and bike lanes to promote more physical exercise. All these activities help mediate weight loss and help people manage their weight. Nutrition is another important factor for weight loss. In order to lose weight, people need to burn more calories than they consume. That is why consuming lower-calorie foods and increasing physical activity are effective ways to prevent obesity (Bray et al., 2018).
Although obesity is becoming more common within our population, there are ways to combat and even prevent the rise of this disease. Adopting certain lifestyle changes can be very effective at helping people lose excess fat and also provide them with a better quality of life (Bray et al., 2018).
References
1. Bray, G. A., Heisel, W. E., Afshin, A., Jensen, M. D., Dietz, W. H., Long, M., Kushner, R. F., Daniels, S. R., Wadden, T. A., Tsai, A. G., Hu, F. B., Jakicic, J. M., Ryan, D. H., Wolfe, B. M., & Inge, T. H. (2018). The Science of Obesity Management: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement. Endocrine reviews, 39(2), 79–132. https://doi.org/10.1210/er.2017-00253