Lecture 3701-lecture 31
22 November 2010
Persons who are overweight (BMI of 25-29.9) may be included in this
category though obesity is excessive weight
BMI of 30 and above
More than 20 % above ideal weight
Energy balance favours caloric intake versus expenditure
-excess calories
-thrifty genes
Genetics
- obese parents tend to have obese children
- adoptees are not similarly affected
Hormonal
-leptin still being explored but injections of leptin have given disappointing results
Socioeconomic
-some controversial suggestions in the literature that the poorer, the less educated, the less prestigious the job the greater the chances of obesity-
Psychosocial
-perception of the person about the signals that society sends
Personal
Type II diabetes
Elevated blood pressure
Atherosclerosis
Stroke
End stage renal disease
Lost enjoyment in the face of societal pressure
Increased health costs-also a societal cost here
Lost productivity-also a societal cost here
The affected person
-the person must take responsibility for themselves
-setting goals
-keeping records
-planning a diet for weight loss and maintenance
Medical community
-drugs
-surgery
-herbal products
Parents
-educating themselves and their children about the dangers of obesity
Government
-policy initiatives directed at eating and physical activity pattern changes
Schools
-policy initiatives directed at eating and physical activity pattern changes
Corporate world
-changing their advertising and product lines to encourage more healthy eating
Research world
-looking for mechanisms of chemically offsetting the impact of fast and convenience foods
-looking at ways of changing behaviours
-looking at ways of modifying the fast food supply
Society coordinating the efforts of:
The affected person
Parents
Government
Schools
Corporate world
Research world
A view of the person as being of the incorrect weight- this may mean that they view themselves as being too heavy and need to lose weight to meet their acceptable standard(standard may be driven by health considerations or a societal pre-occupation with thinness or thinness as equating with beauty)
It can also mean that one believes that one is unduly thin and that one must gain weight to meet an acceptable standard (either health standard or personal standard(personal standard may be overweight or obese)
Causes of disturbed body image:
Government
-lack of adequate policies and enforcement offsetting the impact of fast and convenience foods
Schools
-lack of adequate policies and enforcement offsetting the impact of fast and convenience foods
Corporate world
-promoting the image of thinness being a good idea
-promoting the concept of the attractiveness of fast or convenience foods
Societal pressures
-to look like the idealised person
-to eat the wrong foods
Parental pressure
-to look like the idealised person
-to eat the wrong foods
Peer pressures
-to look like the idealised person
-to eat the wrong foods
Psychiatric –anorexia nervosa
-bulimia nervosa
-either eating disorder looks can result from a self-perception that one does not look like the idealised person or that one is eating the wrong foods
Society coordinating the efforts of:
The affected person
Parents
Government
Schools
Corporate world
Research world
Obese persons may make unhealthy choices to the extent that obese persons’ choices affect their body image
Obese persons may choose to become and stay obese because they simply accept themselves as being more suited to being obese perhaps because they feel that society is becoming more accepting of those who are obese or because they feel that they will be more attractive to certain persons if they will become, are and/or remain obese
Conversely, obese persons may intensely dislike themselves and try to loose huge amounts of weight to fit an image they find acceptable- such acceptability may be in the eyes of the obese person driven by a concern for their own health (weight to a healthy BMI) or a acceptance by the obese person of the correctness of a societal pre-occupation with thinness (weight to an unhealthy BMI