There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the number of people suffering from obesity has been steadily increasing in recent decades. Many health organizations around the globe expressed their concerns regarding this issue, appealing for some measures to be taken in order to curb this trend.
The growing number of overweight people can be attributable to several factors connected to the most pervasive lifestyle patterns in developed countries. One of the main reasons behind the concerning statistics is low levels of physical activity. Technological advancement contributed to a decrease in demand for jobs requiring manual labor and an increase in white-collar jobs. Therefore, people, in general, are less active than before: they use either public transportation or private vehicles to reach their working place, and then they commonly spend most of the day sitting behind a desk. At the same time, busy working schedules and constant distractions induce high levels of anxiety, and food for many people becomes a consolation after a long stressful day at work. The food itself should also be taken into consideration: these days people are presented with a wide choice of products, and marketing is playing its part, making people want to consume more. Besides, there are a lot of high-calorie foods in the market, junk food in particular, which definitely contributes to the growing numbers of overweight people.
It is undoubtful that obesity can negatively affect a persons health increasing the risks of several illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Besides, it can make tasks that require physical labor much harder to perform and, therefore, limit the abilities of a person. Hence, the increasing obesity trends should be addressed, both on the individual and governmental levels. As individuals, people can be more aware of their caloric intake and increase the hours they devote to physical activity by introducing a preferred form of exercise. Governments, in turn, may invest in increasing the amount of time dedicated to physical education lessons in schools and raise taxes on junk food companies. In order to curb stress eating, healthier coping mechanisms should be promoted.
In recent years the increased attention has been paid to the growing obesity trends in connection to a possible negative influence on public health. Individuals, governments, and health organizations should contribute to the elimination of this danger by working on creating societies where an active lifestyle and healthy eating is gaining popularity.
Reference
Obesity. (2020). World Health Organization. Web.
Hruby, A., & Hu, F. B. (2015). The Epidemiology of Obesity: A Big Picture. PharmacoEconomics, 33(7), 673–689. Web.