Public Health Essay: Obesity Epidemic

Obesity refers to a medical condition whereby excess fat in the body has accumulated to the extent that it may start causing negative health impacts on an individual. Obesity is mostly as a result of excessive eating, lack of physical activity and genetic susceptibility. Obesity should be considered as a disability under the Americans with Disability Act. A disability under the Act is deemed to be a mental or physical impairment that limits an individual from major life activities such as hearing, seeing, walking, standing, sleeping or eating. It can also include some of the body functions such as the respiratory system, digestive system, brain and the immune system (United States, 1992). Hence the condition should be regarded as a disability since when a person is suffering from the condition his life activities such as bending, walking, his/her weight impacts digestion, breathing and the growth of various body cells.

Laws limiting the consumption of sugary drinks by the public should not be enacted since this will could result in the violation of the citizens rights regarding freedom and social life modalities. It would also result to the stigmatization of individuals who are suffering from obesity (Grodin, Tarantola, Annas, & Gruskin, 2013).

One solution to the obesity epidemic is educating people on the complex nature of obesity, its consequences and also causes. It will help people understand why they need to eat healthy foods as they will be made aware of the negative impact of having excess weight on their health hence people will fear to fall victims of the effects such as being diabetic, orthopedic problems and cardiovascular disease. This proposal is advantageous since it will help the public be more aware and have detailed information regarding obesity. It will help them to be in a position of making informed decisions about their lifestyle and also be in a position to seek evidence-based treatment when suffering from obesity. The reason as to why I choose this proposal is because educating the public can be done using different languages to enhance various individuals to understand the information being conveyed. The disadvantage of this proposal as a form of dealing with obesity epidemic is that it is expensive to carry out the awareness campaigns as they will require advertisements as well to reach a large number of people (Silverstone, 2005).

In conclusion, obesity is a condition of having too much fat in the body. The weight of the individual is considered to exceed what could be regarded as healthy resulting to a person not being physically active. It could be caused by the genetic makeup of a person, overeating or not being physically active.

References

Grodin, M., Tarantola, D., Annas, G., & Gruskin, S. (2013). Health and Human Rights in a Changing World. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.

Silverstone, T. (2005). Eating disorders and obesity: How drugs can help. Amsterdam: IOS Press.

United States. (1992).The Americans with Disabilities Act. Washington, D.C.: The Office.