Obesity is a disease, by definition,
which is related to abnormal endocrine and metabolic malfunction (Bays et al.,
2008; DeClercq, Taylor, & Zahradka, 2008). Some organizations, such as
American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, American Medical
Association and The Obesity Society, have also proposed that obesity is labeled
as a new disease, indicating that obesity involves some medical criteria of a
disease related to impairing body functions. However, such descriptions of
definition of obesity raise several arguments. For example, the measurement of
body mass index (BMI) has its bias between races and body statures. A professional
athletes may be overweight (higher BMI/low body fat) than the normal
populations. Also, BMI involves only the measurement of height and weight
rather than body fat levels.
Other discussion about obesity centers
on the question that obesity is the consequence of health outcomes due to
inactivity and poor diet habit. Psychologically, overweight/obese persons may
not perceive being sick and uncomfortable instead of the thought of changing
current lifestyles. Therefore, to reach a consensus of treating obesity as a
disease may be hard. As we know, obesity is an epidemic and growing public
health issue. According to Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (2014,
Aug 13), an increase of childhood obesity (aged 6-11 years) rate between 7% in
1980 and 18% in 2010 in the states has shown the weight problems. Recently,
there is still controversial about the obesity is a disease or not, which may
change the strategies of how researchers prevent from the threat to the public
health.
For a health educator or healthcare
providers, to increase the awareness of the obesity problems in public health
issues is still an important characteristic of a healthy lifestyle and
continuously needed to pay more attention and move forward to create feasible
plans for everyone.
References
Bays, H.,
González-Campoy, J., Henry, R., Bergman, D., Kitabchi, A., Schorr, A., &
Rodbard, H. (2008). Is adiposopathy (sick fat) an endocrine disease?. International Journal Of Clinical
Practice, 62(10), 1474-1483.
Centers
for Diseases Control and Prevention (2014, Aug 13). Childhood obesity facts.
Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
DeClercq, V., Taylor, C., & Zahradka, P. (2008). Adipose
tissue: The link between obesity and cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular & Haematological
Disorders - Drug Targets, 8(3), 228-237.
