Write a 3-4 paragraph Initial Post introducing your self to the class and identifying your position–Do you believe that obesity should be classified as a disease? Why or why not? Please refer to at least 3 course materials in your Initial Post or find 3 materials of your own. Make sure to respond to two other student’s posts.
Student 1: Hello everyone, my name is Ben. I’m a music major entering my 3rd year in the fall. My hobbies are tea and music. I’m taking this class to catch up on what I missed last year.
In the New York Times article, the author writes, “To some extent, the question of whether obesity is a disease or not is a semantic one, since there is not even a universally agreed upon definition of what constitutes a disease.”[2] I also had a difficult time finding a good definition in a Google search. Obesity has no visible or obvious symptoms (unless you count athletic impairment), and neither does HIV or AIDS. So I can’t say that obesity is a disease as an absolute truth. However, I do think that it was a good idea to label it as such, because it brings to light the importance of being a healthy size, and signals to people that their lives have potential to improve. There are many invisible ailments related to obesity: “Obesity is associated with a slew of medical ailments, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.”[3] Obesity can also be a risk factor for depression, and a catalyst for workplace discrimination. [1]
In the US, they say bigger is better but in this case maybe not. Serving sizes are smaller in different countries, and there is a tendency for Americans to buy more food for less. This nation’s food culture (does it have one?) prioritizes convenience and low cost, and is centered around using food/drink as a social activity.
Sources:
[1]“The Emotional Toll of Obesity.” HealthyChildren.org, www.healthychildren.org/english/health-issues/conditions/obesity/pages/the-emotional-toll-of-obesity.aspx.
[2]Pollack, Andrew. “A.M.A. Recognizes Obesity as a Disease.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 June 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/business/ama-recognizes-obesity-as-a-disease.html
[3]“Pounding Away At Americas Obesity Epidemic.” NPR, NPR, 14 May 2012, www.npr.org/2012/05/14/152667325/pounding-away-at-americas-obesity-epidemic.
Student 2: My name is Vanessa and I am a health sciences: pre-nursing student. I am a transfer student from Michigan and I have worked in the healthcare field for a few years. I have spent time working in a fast-paced Emergency Department hospital setting as well as a slower AFC setting. Due to all the things I have seen working in healthcare and what I have learned so far regarding diseases, I believe that obesity is a disease. We commonly know a disease to be a disorder that produces specific symptoms that is not due to physical injury, such as CVD or cancer. I believe that obesity can also fit these guidelines.
One reason that I believe that obesity is a disease is because according to The State of Obesity, negative obesity related health conditions follow along. These health conditions include diabetes, hypertension and physical inactivity which can all be detrimental to health (1). Having further negative health conditions occur due to obesity proves that it is a disease that can manifest in many different ways.
Another huge reason I believe that obesity is a disease is because of how fast it is spreading and rates are increasing. It has become an epidemic, one that I’m sure everyone hears about in their day at least once. The obesity epidemic is not only spreading in the US, it is spreading all over the world (2). Since obesity is multi-faceted, one important piece of information is the fact that African American and Mexican American women have a much higher prevalence of obesity than any other ethnic background (2). This shows how a disease can progress in certain ways, given certain circumstances. There must be some reason, scientific or other, that explains why certain ethnic groups have a higher rate of a disease than others. To me, this further solidifies that obesity is in fact a disease.
An important part of a disease (in my opinion) is progressing and encouraging other illnesses to accompany it. This is just what obesity does on a major scale with mental health. Aside from the physical conditions that come along with obesity, there is an emotional stigma that follows as well. This stigma can be very negative for some adolescents and can lead to further low self-esteem issues that can start as early as 6 years old (3). These poor self esteem issues can further lead to diseases such as depression and eating disorders that lead children to emotional eating, furthering their disease of obesity. This can be a vicious cycle for some to break, especially when you don’t have enough money for nutritious foods everyday. Living in poverty also greatly increases your chances of developing obesity and limits to how you are able to change your lifestyle.
References:
1. The State of Obesity. (2019). Obesity Rates & Trend Data. [online] Available at: https://www.stateofobesity.org/data/ [Accessed 1 Jul. 2019]. 2. Mitchell, N., Catenacci, V., Wyatt, H. and Hill, J. (2019). Obesity: Overview of an Epidemic. [online] NCBI. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3228640/ [Accessed 1 Jul. 2019]. 3. HealthyChildren.org. (2019). The Emotional Toll of Obesity. [online] Available at: https://www.healthychildren.org/english/health-issues/conditions/obesity/pages/the-emotional-toll-of-obesity.aspx [Accessed 1 Jul. 2019].
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