The Scale of the Problem

Are you struggling with excess weight? You’re not alone! According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 1 billion people worldwide are dealing with obesity, and this number keeps growing. By 2025, around 167 million individuals, both adults and children, could face health issues due to being overweight or obese. To break it down, 13% of adults globally are obese, with 39% being overweight. Shockingly, one in five children and adolescents globally carries excess weight. Many of us think about extra kilos in terms of how we would look in a suit or dress but being overweight goes beyond that; it is more than a matter of appearance.

The Rise of Obesity

The prevalence of obesity has surged in recent decades, leading to what some call an “obesity epidemic.” But is it truly an epidemic? An epidemic is a wide spread outbreak of and infectious disease. While not infectious, obesity now affects more people worldwide than many other health crises in history’s population. Throughout human history, epidemics have devastated population. The influenza epidemic in 1918, the ebola outbreak in 1976, the coronna virus, HIV/AIDS and many more. Now we are faced with what has been called as the “obesity epidemic.” According the the WHO, at least 300 million of people carry enough body fat to be classified as obese. This means that overweight and obesity affects people around the world more than influenza and the rest and even more than the AIDS.

What is the cause of the obesity epidemic?

So, what’s causing this obesity epidemic? The simple answer: we’re eating more and moving less. The calories consumed in food are used by the body to keep us alive and moving. When we eat the same number of calories we use, we are in the energy balance and our weight stays the same. When we eat more calories than we need, our bodies store the extra, mainly as fats and we gain weight; we are in the positive energy (energy intake). Our modern food environment offers an abundance of high-calorie, tasty options available 24/7. Factors like sight, taste, emotions, and social events also influence our eating habits.

Why are we eating more?

Today, we’re eating more than ever before, and here’s why:

Abundance of Tempting Options: Our food supply has evolved since the late 1900s, offering an array of tasty, high-calorie choices.

Food Variety: We now have more food options than ever, leading to increased consumption.

Convenience 24/7: Palatable and affordable food is readily accessible round the clock in supermarkets, fast-food joints, and convenience stores.

Appetite Triggers: Various factors influence our appetite, including the sight and taste of food, emotions, time of day, and cultural events.

Changing Lifestyles: Busy schedules, single-parent households, and dual-working parents mean less time for home-cooked meals, making prepackaged and fast foods more common.

Growing Portions: Larger serving sizes encourage us to eat more, with fast-food portions now two to five times their original sizes. Restaurants use this strategy to boost profits.These factors contribute to a culture of overeating causing overweight.

The Sedentary Shift

Additionally, cultural and technological shifts have led to a decrease in physical activity. Fewer jobs require physical labor, and we’re more inclined to drive and take elevators instead of walking or biking. Long work hours and commutes leave little time for exercise, and sedentary activities like TV, video games, and phones have taken over leisure time. Schools have cut back on physical education, and children are spending less time playing outdoors, contributing to the energy imbalance that fuels obesity.

Conclusion

Our propensity to consume more food today is the result of a multifaceted transformation in our food environment and lifestyles. While we enjoy a wide variety of food choices and the convenience of round-the-clock access, we must remain mindful of these factors to maintain a healthy diet. Also, the modern era has witnessed a significant shift in our daily routines, contributing to a growing concern over sedentary lifestyles and obesity. As technological and cultural changes make it easier to consume more calories, they also make it increasingly challenging for individuals to expend those calories through physical activity. The global obesity crisis is reaching alarming proportions. With over a billion people affected and numbers continuing to rise, it’s crucial to understand the causes and consequences. This issue touches every corner of the world, and addressing it requires a multifaceted approach, from healthier eating habits to promoting increased physical activity.