What Is Obesity Awareness And Prevention And Why It Matters

During the last few decades, obesity has become an epidemic – it is one of the most common health issues in the world. There is a great deal of research and evidence that obesity and overweight lead to serious health ailments like type II diabetes, various cancers, cardiovascular diseases and many others. The health care costs made due to problems with obesity are substantial, as well.

Therefore, it is clear that obesity awareness and prevention have to be the next big step in fighting this health condition. But the most important thing in this step is for people to truly understand why it is necessary for everybody to be aware of this problem and why prevention is the crucial factor in dealing with it.

Obesity awareness – how obesity can occur

We all need to be aware of the dangers present in our lifestyles that could lead to overweight or obesity. Obesity doesn’t happen overnight and many people who have problems with excess weight hadn’t had troubles with weight all of their lives. It’s simply something that happened to them while they “weren’t looking.” So, it’s necessary to know what little things that we frequently do can eventually lead us to obesity problems.

First of all, a sedentary lifestyle is one of the biggest causes of obesity. If you think about it, many of us work in offices at our computer desks, spending at least 8 hours sitting. Many countries have become industrialized, which means there is no need for physical activity at work. Not to mention the fact that we come home and sit in front of the TV to relax. Today, leisure time is understood as being able to lie down and take a long nap or to watch a film or a favorite TV show. Physical exercise during free time is not always seen as a way of relaxation. This is not a natural state of our bodies, so if you stick with this way of life, you could easily end up with excessive weight after a couple of months or even years without even realizing it.

Another culprit for obesity issues is our modern diet. Hectic lives we lead today made way to fat and added sugar in the food we eat on daily basis. We also eat more saturated fat from animal sources, more red meat and we completely forgot about the good stuff. In other words, we eat less fruit and vegetables, as well as complex carbohydrates and fiber. We need a lot of energy for our stressful jobs and so we eat a lot of energy-dense food in order to make it through the day.

The lack of time is the reason why we eat big amounts of food that’s not homemade but prepared outside. It’s easier to visit a fast food restaurant than spend an hour or two on making a homemade meal. Not to mention the fact that portion sizes today are much larger, and most of us tend to eat everything we have on our plate. We don’t stop to think if we are full before we eat it all.

Strict diets and alcohol also play a minor role here. Going on strict diets that last for two weeks or a month and forbid you to have balanced meals can disrupt your metabolism. Alcohol is available more than ever and indulging yourself whenever you feel like it can simply be too much for your overall health.

Obesity prevention – methods at different levels

Obesity prevention needs to exist on every level of society. Only then will it be effective to its full extent.

Starting from yourself is the first step. First of all, you need to know what is your body mass index (BMI) and how to calculate it. This is how you will know if you have gained a few extra pounds and how many you should lose. It’s much easier to get rid of a few extra pounds then 25 extra pounds later on. Serious obesity will require specific medical procedures like lap band surgery because you probably won’t be able to get rid of the excess weight on your own. Achieving, and then maintaining a healthy weight is the easiest and safest way to health. You also need to find some physical activity that suits you. Everybody has their own preferences, so make an effort and discover what activity gives you joy and stick to it. Being active at least for 45 minutes 3 times a week can make all the difference in the world. Whenever you can, choose a relaxing walk instead of watching TV or surfing the net.

Obesity prevention should also be present at the level of community. Modern lifestyle needs to be changed in some aspects so that there are fewer people in danger of developing obesity issues. The community needs to support healthy lifestyles, which include healthy eating and a lot of physical activity. This is something that children should be taught at an early age. Parents need to be aware of the consequences of childhood obesity but also to know what and how to teach their children to have a healthy lifestyle. The guidance, recommendations and actual steps should be present in public institutions like hospitals, schools, at the workplace and in and food service venues – anywhere where people eat or spend a lot of time.

Changing the lifestyle – what it means

Obesity awareness and obesity prevention will put in focus one thing in particular – leading a healthy lifestyle. People need to understand that there is no magic trick that could help them lose weight in a few weeks and then maintain new weight without making an effort. A healthy lifestyle means sticking to long-term dietary changes. Eating healthy food means doing that for the rest of your life – the solution isn’t a short-term, strict diet. Regular physical activity should be incorporated into our lives in such a way that it doesn’t disrupt other obligations but is also one of them. And what’s more, it should be an obligation that we enjoy doing. In short, every individual is responsible for themselves and you are the best weapon to fight obesity. You just need to be stirred in the right direction and aided by society and health institutions. By changing your state of mind and the attitude towards obesity issues, you will help your future self.

Final words

Countries all over the world have started realizing just how important it is to draw people’s attention to the ever-growing problem of obesity. Of course, people already suffering from obesity need to have methods to deal with that, which include help from medical experts like nutritionists, but also medical procedures to get rid of the excess weight. The rest of the people, who are not suffering from obesity issues (yet), need to understand that each one of us is in danger of gaining excess weight, which could significantly impact the standard of our lives. Obesity is a long process, which sometimes happens over the course of years, meaning it’s difficult to pinpoint the key period in our lives.

That’s why it’s the obligation of the country and its public institutions to draw attention to early signs of a lifestyle that leads to obesity. When people become aware that obesity is a problem that can happen to them, too, and are introduced to methods for preventing it, they will have far better chances of staying healthy. Awareness and prevention have always been the best aids in leading a long and healthy life.