Obesity is a growing problem around the world, particularly
among children. In 2010, more than one third of children
and adolescents were overweight
or obese. It is particularly prevalent in the United Arab Emirates, with it
recently becoming the fifth most obese country in the world. However, all responsibility can be placed on every person
for their decisions. In other words, obesity is a nutritional choice, not
a disease. This conclusion, reached after extensive research, is based on the
facts that obesity is mainly caused by excessive
calorific intake, which, ethically, is completely voluntary. Obesity's social stigma, though significant, does
not eliminate the onus on the obese person and any hereditary factors that may
be claimed to cause obesity play no
significant role in the development of obesity. Obesity's main cause is
an excessive and unhealthy diet.
A diet that is out-of-balance and contains too much of one
food group or nutrient is one cause of many
health problems, from heart disease to scurvy to diabetes. One of the key
symptoms of this diet is obesity, officially defined as a “Body Mass Index greater than 30”. Obesity is usually obvious
through certain visual cues, such as a large waistline and excess fat
pockets, such as a double chin and a protruding belly. All of these symptoms can
be directly linked back to excessive and unhealthy diet, which is clearly a
nutritional choice. Some may argue that even
though it is a choice, people may not have healthier food available, or they may simply not know any
better. Although at first dietary
guidelines were unclear or difficult to access, awareness has increased dramatically in recent years. This has
been achieved through initiatives like the USA's Food Pyramid and popular
documentaries like Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me.
By 2011, BMC Pediatrics was able to report that “most adolescents(92.4%) are aware of
the Food Guide Pyramid”. Therefore, any further consumption (or over-consumption)
of foods, particularly unhealthy ones, is completely
voluntary and has nothing to do with misinformation or the lack thereof. Modern
government is based on the principle that educated, intelligent people have
the ability and responsibility to protect themselves from harm. Nobody
wants a “nanny state”. Because people are fully educated about the
risks of an unhealthy, healthier food is readily available (at least in
developed countries like the USA and the UAE), any
choice to consume food or drinks that have an obvious deleterious effect
is completely voluntary.
Ethically, at least, there is no longer any
justification for people not to make the right choices and to avoid
unhealthy food. Socially, the issue of
obesity is more complicated, though any effects do not play a large role
in a person developing obesity. First of all, there is now a large stigma attached to obese people. Critics
attack this stigma as discrimination, merely redirected to easy targets.
This is particularly evident with regards to bullying in schools, as many
students are bullied because of their
weight. A study by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital found
that 34% of obese children had been bullied. On the other hand, a stereotype of
an obese bully, venting his lack of self-esteem on others, has entered popular culture. Both of these
unfortunate situations, however, can be eliminated completely simply by reducing
your weight.
As described above and below, there is no reason
why somebody who has made a commitment to
losing weight cannot achieve his or her goal. Therefore, social factors such as
bullying, though they play a role in the development and retention of obesity,
do not affect a person to such an extent that they cannot, through a healthy diet and exercise, eliminate obesity. Many
obese people try to excuse or explain their obesity through having a“slow
metabolism” or being “big-boned”. However, these causes do not play a significant part in determining a person being
obese or not. One study by PLOS Medicine surveyed over 20 000 people who
were obese, many of whom claimed that their
obesity was genetic. It found that their “geneticpredisposition to
obesity can be reduced by approximately 40% by having a physically active lifestyle”. This, along with a cohort of other studies,
have conclusively found that genetic predispositions play no significant
role in the development of obesity. Therefore,
any genetic predispositions or family history
play no part in obesity. Once genetic predispositions have been shown to
play no significant effect in obesity, and
social concerns have been eliminated as a cause, the fact remains that obesity
is not disease.
After also seeing that most people
are thoroughly informed and educated about obesity and a healthy
diet, the only conclusion that can be drawn
is that it is every person's right and responsibility
to prevent themselves from falling into the trap of obesity. Obesity is
therefore not a disease. Rather, it is a clear nutritional choice.