Obesity is a Disease

Obesity is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Obesity is a chronic disease affecting more and more children, adolescents, and adults:

Obesity rates among children in the US have doubled since 1980 and have tripled for adolescents.

The US Surgeon General has declared that obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the US. Approximately:

• 15% of children aged six to 19 are considered overweight
• Over 60% of adults are considered overweight or obese
• 35% of women and 31% are considered seriously overweight

How obesity ranks compared with some other health challenges in the US:

• about 75 million adults in the US with high blood pressure
• 78 million adults in the US with high cholesterolare recommended medicine
• About 40% of all cancers diagnosed in the US have been associated with overweight and obesity.
• 13 cancers associated with excess weight and obesity (Thyroid, Breast, Liver, Upper Stomach, Gallbladder, Pancreatic, Colorectal, Uterine, Ovarian, Kidney, Multiple myeloma, Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, andmeningioma)

People with obesity in the US have higher health care costs than those of normal weight. With increased medical spending, obesity can become an economic burden on both public and private payers: 27% of physician visits and outpatient costs, 46% of inpatient costs, and 80% of spending on prescription drugs.

The causes of obesity are complex. There are many interrelated factors, such as:

• Genetics: Studies have shownthat you can inherit a tendency toward obesity
  • 25% increase inbeing overweight if one or both of your parents are obese
• Lifestyle: Overeating,in combination with a sedentary lifestyle, contributes to obesity; changing your behavior can affect these lifestyle choices.
• Metabolic: How you expend energy, or howyour body uses energy, differs from how someone else will; they are not the same for everyone.

Obesity has a far-ranging negative effect on health. Each year, obesity-related conditions cost over 150 billion dollars and cause an estimated 300,000 premature deaths in the US. The health effects associated with obesity include but are not limited to, the following: high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, joint problems (including osteoarthritis), sleep apnea and respiratory problems, cancer, metabolic syndrome, and psychosocial effects.

Treatment of obesity starts with setting goals. No two people are alike, so it’s important to create a weight-loss plan that works for you. Regardless of what treatment plan you follow, slowly losing weight will be more effective and healthier over the long term because quick weight loss often spurs weight regain. Dr. Carter or Beth Barber, MSN, APRN-CNP, NP-C, are available to evaluate and help treat obesity as needed.

Given the chronic diseases and conditions associated with obesity and the fact that obesity is difficult to treat, prevention is extremely important. A primary reason that prevention of obesity is so vital in children is because the likelihood of obese children becoming obese adults is thought to increase from about 20% at four years of age to 80% by adolescence.