Obesity is a disease or not?

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.

Evidence-Based Practice for Individuals with ID

Interveners of weight management are recommended to implement evidence-based practice (EBP) because EBP is more valid and reliable to see the significantly positive outcomes of intended purposes. Hamilton and other researchers (2007) have proposed clinical EBP for weight interventions of individuals with ID, including the following components:

Behavioral intervention

• Teaching self-control techniques such as self-monitoring of daily weigh and food intake.
• Promoting health behaviors such as eating habit and hygiene.

Health promotion intervention

• A group based learning for in-home preventative healthcare programmes such as diet and exercise.
• An individual support from a healthy living coordinator, who regularly visits at-risk overweight/obese persons with ID.

 Physical activity intervention

• Combined exercise including aerobic and resistance training.
• 30 minute moderate physical activity intensity per day to limit health risks. 
• 60-90 minute moderate exercise intensity to maintain weight loss per day. 

Carer involvement

• Family involvement integrated into weight control treatment.

                      (Walk Your Way to Fitness: Routines for people who have Intellectual Disabilities)

Reference

Hamilton, S., Hankey, C. R., Miller, S., Boyle, S., & Melville, C. A. (2007). A review of weight loss interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities. Obesity Reviews, 8(4), 339-345. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2006.00307.x

Obesity and Related Secondary Conditions

Obesity is a public health concern in both general and ID populations. The prevalence of obesity in adolescents with ID is approximately 36% higher than general populations in boys and girls (Stewart el a., 2009). Another study by Rimmer and his colleagues (2014) investigated the obesity and its related secondary conditions among adolescents with intellectual/developmental disabilities, as follows.

²  High blood pressure,

²  High blood cholesterol,

²  Diabetes,

²  Depression,

²  Fatigue,

²  Liver or gallbladder problems,

²  Low self-esteem,

²  Preoccupation with weight,

²  Early maturation

²  Pressure sores.

Regarding the obesity of health problems in children and adolescents in ID, Lin and his researchers (2005) reported that the top five health concerns in this sample were neurological disorders (including epilepsy; 11%), others (11%), Cardiovascular problems (7%), skin diseases (6%), gastrointestinal illness (5%), and respiratory illness (5%). In addition, there were 26% of study sample having regular medication history. With increase age, the weight status of obesity/overweight conditions has been apparent in ID population. It draws an attention to the fact that early interventions and strategies for the problem of obesity in children and adolescents with ID are needed to ensure the quality of life.  

External reading: Obesity Impacting More With Disabilities

            (By TastyCakes [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

References

Lin, J.-D., Yen, C.-F., Li, C.-W., & Wu, J.-L. (2005). Patterns of obesity among children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 18(2), 123-129. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-3148.2005.00241.x

 Rimmer, J. H., Yamaki, K., Lowry, B. M. D., Wang, E., & Vogel, L. C. (2010). Obesity and obesity-related secondary conditions in adolescents with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(Part 9), 787-794.

Stewart, L., Van De Ven, L., Katsarou, V., Rentziou, E., Doran, M., Jackson, P., . . . Wilson, D. (2009). High prevalence of obesity in ambulatory children and adolescents with intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 53(10), 882-886. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2009.01200.x

Why Obesity?

                                                 (See: External Reading )

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, some 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.

In terms of obesity in the states, the United States has borne the brunt of obesity related diseases, and what concerns both authorities and researchers is the prevalence rate of obese or overweight being at approximately 50% among 2-19 year olds in the U.S. (Ogden, Carroll, & Flegal, 2008). Further, 66% of all adults are overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese is also affected by education as a mediator. For example, nearly 47% of students in families did not graduate high school were overweight, compared with 37.5% of those whose level of education went beyond high school (Adams et al., 2008).

Thus, for a health educator or healthcare provider, to increase the awareness of the obesity problems in public health is still an important characteristic of a healthy lifestyle. I believe that it is necessary to pay more than the usual attention to obesity prevention and health professionals move forward to create feasible plans for everyone.

External Reading: Deaths From Obesity Almost Quadruple What Was Thought

                                        (Visual analysis on causes and consequences of obesity )

Reference

Adams, M., Carter, T., Barnett-Lammon, C., Hicks-Judd, A., Leeper, J., & Wheat, J. (2008). Obesity and blood pressure trends in rural adolescents over a decade. Pediatric Nursing, 34(5), 381-394.

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.

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.

Odgen, C. L., Carroll, M. D., & Flegal, K. M. (2008). High body mass index for age among US children and adolescents, 2003-2006. Journal of the American Medical Association, 299(20), 2401-2405.