Preventing Obesity in Adult Population

Obesity presents a critical health concern worldwide owing to ever-changing lifestyles. I have chosen to discuss possible ways of preventing obesity in adults. According to the World Health Organization, the global level of obesity has almost tripled since 1975 (“Obesity and Overweight,” 2020). The primary question is “What are adults doing differently to promote the increase?” Indeed, approximately 13% of adults aged 18 years and above were obese, while 39% were overweight globally in 2016 (“Obesity and Overweight,” 2020). These figures demonstrate how obesity poses a significant health concern to the world population. Sadly, experts associate the disorder with various illnesses such as stroke, heart disease, osteoarthritis, liver cancer, and other health threats (Curry et al., 2018). I believe obesity prevention is essential because it is absurd to see significant numbers of people suffering from the condition, yet it is avoidable. Fundamentally, adults can offset the high prevalence of obesity by observing healthy diets, engaging in physical exercises, evading stress, and adopting social activities that do not expose them to health risks.

First, adults should adopt a balanced diet and healthy eating habits, including consuming many fruits and vegetables. I think the primary cause of obesity is eating junk food characterized by high-fat content. Individuals should focus on eating less sugary and fat-saturated foods. According to Krzysztoszek et al. (2019), preserved foodstuffs often contain high salt, sugar, and fat percentage, thus encouraging overeating among adults. Unfortunately, instead of eating foods served with fruits and vegetables, people mainly prefer processed foodstuffs. I think it is essential to ask ourselves whether a lack of awareness could be the major cause of embracing an unhealthy diet. I feel that adults have disregarded their traditional foods, which are composed of a low quantity of fat and a lot of fiber. Besides, it is vital to understand that polyunsaturated fats help reduce obesity by improving the body’s cholesterol levels. With the increasing numbers of obesity, people have to be cautious about the food they eat and adopt a balanced diet.

Additionally, adults must accept physical exercises as their lifestyles, including aerobic, walking, and running activities. I have seen people who have no time for exercising; instead, they spend every minute sitting on a chair. This behavior is common among working adults because they spend long hours in their offices. Curry et al. (2018) argue that adults should spend at least 150 minutes in moderate-intensity or a minimum of 75 minutes in vigorous-intensity physical activities every week. Physical exercises assist in burning excessive fats in the body, which contribute to obesity. I have witnessed obese adults enrolling in a weight management program in a gym, and ultimately, achieving a healthy body mass index. Consequently, I believe that managing weight is a personal commitment, and adults should ensure a logical balance between work and physical exercises to prevent obesity and its related diseases.

Avoiding stress is also an indispensable way of preventing obesity among adults. In my opinion, stressed people gain weight easily, primarily those with high body mass. Confirming my point of view, Krzysztoszek et al. (2019) argue that stress is an energetic and costly activity, contributing to increased visceral adiposity and weight gain. Essentially, elevated insulin levels evident in heavy adults are responsible for increased gain in weight. Could distress or stress also affect appetite and determine a person’s dietary preferences? While some people may lose appetite, others crave foods with high fat and sugar content, setting a stage for the development of obesity. I feel adults should not undermine the effects of stress on gaining weight because it devastates most individuals, leaving them helpless and relying on unhealthy feeding habits as their comfort. Therefore, stress adversely affects normal body functioning and adults’ ability to make rational consumption choices leading to obese and overweight people.

Finally, adults can prevent obesity by engaging in social activities, which strengthen healthy living practices. For example, individuals have the right to choose their friends and the types of leisure activities they practice. I have a friend who, having a standard body mass index, became obese in two months. I realized that he used to eat junk food while engaging in smoking, a behavior he learned from one of his peers. According to Curry et al. (2018), experts associate smoking with weight gain, which can qualify to cause obesity. Besides, unhealthy lifestyles such as alcohol abuse and nightclub dancing may lead to a lack of sufficient rest. Sleeping facilitates body metabolism and the coordination of hormones, which shape an individual’s appetite. In this regard, lack of sleep may contribute to changes in hormones’ functioning, compelling adults to consume foods containing high fat calories, thus contributing to weight gain and obesity. Consequently, individuals should practice social activities such as bicycle riding, which do not expose them to risk factors that cause obesity.

Adults must realize that managing weight is a personal obligation that requires self-discipline and commitment. Although lifestyles are ever-changing, individuals should make rational choices concerning the type of foods they eat and the behaviors they practice. It is recommended to also embrace the consumption of low-fat content foods and includes vegetables and fruits in their diets. Besides, they ought to develop practical stress-coping methods to avoid side effects such as a craving for sugary foods, which interrupt the body’s insulin absorption. Significantly, adults should incorporate physical exercises into their daily routine. In this way, they meet the recommended weekly time frame for exercising, thus burning the excessive fat calories, which cause obesity. Notably, the issue of obesity requires emphasis to lessen the increasing numbers of obese cases globally. Sadly, without people’s free will to adopt healthy lifestyles, the world faces a future with congested healthcare facilities owing to obesity-related illnesses, for example, high blood pressure and heart disease, among others.

References

Curry, S. J., Krist, A. H., Owens, D. K., Barry, M. J., Caughey, A. B., Davidson, K. W., Caughey, A. B., Davidson, K. W., Doubeni, C. A., Epling, J. W., Grossman, D. C., Kemper, A. R., Kubik, M., Landefeld, C. S., Mangione, C. M., Phipps, M. G., Silverstein, M., Simon, M. A., Tseng, C.-W., & Wong, J. B. (2018). Behavioral weight loss interventions to prevent obesity-related morbidity and mortality in adults: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA, 320(11), 1163–1171. Web.

Krzysztoszek, J., Laudańska-Krzemińska, I., & Bronikowski, M. (2019). Assessment of epidemiological obesity among adults in EU countries. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, 26(2), 341–349. Web.

Obesity and overweight. (2020). World Health Organization. Web.

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