Factors Leading to Increased Levels of Obesity - Essay Example

Rising levels of obesity Rising Levels of Obesity Introduction In the last two decades, trends of increase of obesity have been very prominent, both in developing and developed countries. With the increasingly growing technology and globalization, people can quickly access tasty but unhealthy meals and drinks, have reduced physical activities, and causing a higher caloric intake than expenditure. Although genetic factors have a role in the predisposition of an individual, environmental and behavioural factors are the ultimate causes of obesity. Obesity increases the chance of an individual developing joint and orthopaedic complications, respiratory and cardiac issues, hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, depression, and more importantly cancer. These effects are long term. Consequently, the rise in obesity rates has not only detrimental health impacts, but also economic and social effects both at the state and international levels. With the mandate of the government to provide efficient health care, and promote the welfare of the people, every government has a role to play in curbing the increasing rates of obesity across the world. The government is best positioned to implement prevention strategies through regulation of foods and drinks production, education on best dietary and physical activity practices, as well as treatment. This paper focuses on how governments can intervene appropriately to curb the proliferation of obesity in its population citing South African and Mexican governments as examples. The main factors leading to increased levels of obesity include; increased energy intake, increasingly sedentary lifestyles, and changes in family and social perceptions and structures (Astudio, 2013). Increased energy consumption is as a result of the rise in energy dense drinks and foods, large serving sizes, lack of enough time to prepare meals at home leading most meals eaten away with high energy and fats. Besides, computer games and televisions have displaced the old active recreational activities such as riding bikes. Advanced technology and infrastructure have reduced transport-related activities such cycling and walking. Therefore, the government ought to target these aspects to implementing intervention programs to curb obesity. The government can effectively prevent and treat obesity and overweight conditions through well-funded programs, political support, education, inter-sectorial collaboration, evidence-based planning, as well as participatory community initiatives (Astudio, 2013). Regulation through policies The government ought to formulate and implement policies against tobacco, alcohol as well as other drugs that increase prevalence to obesity. The government can control the conditions of production and sale of such products through regulation of advertising and marketing, direct restrictions, increasing their prices by imposing higher tax, as well as advocating of healthy alternatives for unhealthy products. The government can also establish funds to support educational programs on healthy eating as well as warning about health risks associated with high energy foods and inactivity (Eckel, 2003). The government can use similar funds to provide direct subsidies for healthy alternatives in the market to promote their production and consumption. Accountability and funding Obesity is typically a public health problem, and thus the government is responsible for addressing it. Tackling this epidemic calls for combined efforts by the medical institutions, the government and its agencies, and the people at a personal level. For national strategies to be enforced effectively, there has to be a thriving partnership between the local health agencies, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and the government. In particular the national government has the primary role in developing and overseeing implementation of intervention programs. To facilitate healthy diets, the government could also develop policies to promote food manufacturer to provide nutrition information on the food labels, or in other settings that provide foods and drinks and related services. This is particularly beneficial to consumers as they are able to make informed decisions when given adequate information (Wolin & Petrelli, 2009). For instance, the government of Mexico regulations require front-of-pack labelling for all food products and drinks. Mexico Mexico has experienced a high level of obesity and is among the most obese countries in the world. With child obesity also relatively high, the government has embarked on using schools as a long term measure to implement multiple interventions. For many schools in Mexico, there are factors promoting prevalence to obesity among children. For instance, many lack basic sports infrastructure like playgrounds. Street vendors sell food to children without meeting the nutrition regulations. The schools also rarely implement the requirement to have physical education classes twice in a week (Rtveladze, et al. 2013). The Mexican government has put efforts and designed a national policy to prevent and manage obesity. In 2008, the ministry of health adopted the National Agreement for healthy nutrition. The agreement brought together different sectors aimed at regulating unhealthy dietary practices in the community. Critical approaches to the Mexican government to curb obesity in the long term include enforcement of front-of-pack labelling, control of beverage and food marketing to school children, improvement of healthy feeding in public schools, and taxation of sugar-sweetened drinks. Consequently, the Mexican government adopted several intervention actions so as to promote healthy feeding behaviour among the population. They include: i. The school guidelines for healthy foods and beverages ii. The Front of Pack system iii. The multi-sectoral prevention and management strategy founded on ANSA. recommendations iv. The marketing regulation of foods and beverages to children and adolescents v. The national beverage guidelines School food and beverage guidelines One of the primary results of the Agreement was the establishment of guidelines on public schools foods and beverages by the ministry of education. The guidelines aim at promoting healthy food and drink intake in schools such as vegetables, fruits, water, whole milk, while banning sodas, restricting access to sugar-sweetened beverages, sweet snacks, and desserts. The program would also oversee the elimination of foods and beverages that do not meet the nutritional standards from the schools. The enforcement process began in 2011. Front of Pack Labelling system The front of pack labelling system is critical in promoting informed dietary decisions to consumers regardless of their levels of education. Internationally, this is a significant tool in fighting diet related conditions. However, the initial implementation phase was marred with misleading information being disseminated to consumers. In response, the Mexican government established an independent agency to regulate the system. Controlling marketing of beverages and foods to adolescents and children The Agreement identified marketing practices specifically among children of food and drinks producers as a primary factor that leads to unhealthy nutritional habits. The government has established a collaboration effort with a task force from Pan American Health Organization in regulating the marketing of such products to adolescents and children. The team has developed a guideline on the best practices the government ought to adopt so as to protect children from making unhealthy decisions that could compromise their health. Soda taxation initiative Notably, Mexico is the leading nation in consuming sugar-sweetened beverages with consumption of 165 litres per person annually. The initiative aims at reducing the consumption and generating revenue that will be used in implementing other health intervention strategies. Through the program, the government provides portable water in poor communities and schools in regions where water is not readily available. South Africa The South African government uses a more individualised system in promoting healthy feeding behaviour in the country, targeting individuals. The government aims at influencing the behaviour of healthy eating at a personal and family levels. The South African population has a wide cultural diversity that impacts body image perceptions. Most South Africans perceive the overweight body as a positive image associating it with a negative HIV status, happiness, affluence, health, and beauty. Jamison (2006) argues that homes are also a crucial setting that the government could target to curb alarming obesity trends. The parents have the direct influence of the social and physical environment, attitudes and behaviours as well as the eating habits of their children. The Mexican government have embarked on a strategy targeting the families based on five primary approaches. The approach focuses on family behaviours, providing support for physical activities, parenting strategies, modelling of healthy eating behaviours, and as well minimizing the barriers to healthy eating. These barriers include poor nutritional knowledge, permissive eating styles, and lack of sufficient time to prepare meals. This strategy has worked well particularly because Mexico has collectivism and families as key cultural values. These values play a critical role in influencing the feeding habits (Brewis, 2011). These interventions combining programs targeting parenting and schools offers an efficient community approach in combating obesity. The primary objectives of the approach are to reduce intake of nutrient-poor and energy dense foods, sugar-sweetened beverages and promote intake of fibre-rich meals, vegetables and fruits as well as promoting engagement in vigorous physical activities. The school-based intervention has had a positive impact in creating a positive eating environment and healthy eating habits among children. According to Brewis (2011), excessive weight gain has a direct correlation with high levels of stress. People who experience depression frequently are likely to overeat so as to minimize the activity in particularly in chronic stress. Researchers have revealed that the stress associated with rapid urbanization in South Africa could lead to higher incidence of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, overweight, cancer, and diabetes. The South African government aims at creating a conducive environment for prevention and management of obesity and overweight conditions. The government has consequently established national food and dietary guidelines through the Ministry of Health. The ministry has also launched programs targeting specific populations to curb obesity. The government has also begun taxing sugar-sweetened drinks such as sodas more than other types of foods and drinks. The South African government also controls the sale of such drinks in public schools. The government ought to educate the people about the healthy eating habits, the importance of physical activity, as well as their correlation with obesity. Conclusion Although the government may not have a direct impact on an individual’s choice of foods and drinks, it has the responsibility and capacity to regulate factors leading to unhealthy decisions. The successful implementation of such programs in Mexico and South Africa are evidence that government intervention in collaboration with the private sector and the non-governmental organizations is essential in combating the obesity epidemic. References Astudio, O. (2013, November 18). Mexico’s growing obesity problem. Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2(1), pp. 15-16. Available at: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(13)70160-8/abstract Brewis, A. A. (2011). Obesity: Cultural and biocultural perspectives. New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press. Eckel, R. H. (2003). Obesity: Mechanisms and clinical management. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Jamison, D. T. (2006). Disease and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank. https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=2u8m7pPQ_WwC&pg=PA253&dq=obesity+in+south+africa&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0IxAVavsN_Kp7AajyIGwAw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=obesity%20in%20south%20africa&f=false Rtveladze K, Marsh T, Barquera S, Sanchez L, Levy D, Melendez M. (2013). Obesity prevalence in Mexico: impact on health and economic burden. Public Health Nutrition; 1(4) 1–7. Wolin, K. Y., & Petrelli, J. M. (2009). Obesity. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood Press. Read More