How Does Obesity Impact the Future of a Nation's Health and Economy?

Published on: 19th September 2024
Medically reviewed by: Dr Huda Hassan Khan

Having excessive body fat can lead to obesity in both adults and children. The condition causes chronic diseases and affects overall well-being. However, you can manage your weight and take prescribed medicines to reduce the flab in your body and live an improved life. In this blog, we will discuss obesity symptoms, types, causes, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and more.

Understanding Obesity: What You Need to Know

While fat is an important portion of your body, if it goes over a limit, then you may encounter several health problems. To understand if you are obese or not, the doctor can advise checking your Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI takes into account several factors to measure the apt average body weight in favor of your height. A BMI of 30 or higher defines obesity in adults.

BMI as an Indicator of Body Fat

If your BMI score is high, you don’t need to be obese. For instance, athletes and bodybuilders have more muscle on them and a higher BMI score. However, the fat levels in their body could be low.
On the flip side, even those with optimal BMI scores may have a higher fat percentage in their body with a prevalence of obesity and related diseases.
Some even consider waist circumference (more than 40 inches in males and 35 inches in females), as a measure of being overweight.

Types of Obesity

The severity of being overweight classifies obesity types, for which BMI is the major measurement. A BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 kg/m² means you have excessive body weight. Here are the three categories defined by healthcare professionals:

BMI 30 to <35 kg/m² defines Class I obesity
BMI 35 to <40 kg/m² translates into Class II obesity
BMI 40+ kg/m² means morbid obesity or Class III obesity

Childhood Obesity: A Growing Concern

Learn more about obesity during childhood:

The term ‘childhood obesity’ is complex to define. It is determined as when a child has a weight more than what is considered a healthy weight for their height, age, and gender at birth.
The weight assessment is done using special growth charts as children’s bodyweight comparison differs from adults.
The BMI measure is also different for kids as compared to adults. Thus, childhood obesity is when a kid has a BMI at or above the 95th percentile of gender at birth and age (2 years of age or more) of children.
Apart from food habits, lifestyle, and other shaping factors for a child’s growth, their weight is also influenced by genetic expression. For instance, if the mother has gestational diabetes, then the infant may grow to be overweight if preventive measures are not taken.

The Leading Causes of Obesity

Here are some of the common and serious causes of obesity to know:

Regular consumption of food low in fiber and high in sugar and fat.
A sedentary lifestyle with a lack of physical activity and exercise.
Certain chronic diseases related to the immune system, metabolism, heart, liver, blood, joints, etc. affect the mobility and health of the person.
Medicines for diabetes, depression, seizures, and diabetes, along with steroids and beta-blockers.
Disability as it poses physical limitations in body movements, thus, limiting the scope of regular workouts.
Other causes of obesity include fatigue, hormonal imbalance, stress, food-eating disorders, etc.

Obesity Symptoms and Risk Factors

Your body may undergo noticeable changes if you are overweight. Let us study more about obesity symptoms and warning signs:

If your metabolism slows down, then the body burns fat slowly as well. Moreover, it may not get the chance to spend the energy stored in the system and accumulate fat, even if your diet is nutritious and you regularly work out.
High blood pressure, chest pain, aching joints, negative impact on memory and cognition, coronary artery disease, gallstones, chronic kidney disease, fatty liver, and back pain.
Asthma, gout, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, thinner skin than before, infertility, and obesity hypoventilation syndrome.
Chronic inflammation, diabetes, high lipid levels (cholesterol and triglycerides), darkened skin patches at specific places of your body, dizziness, or tiredness.

Diagnosis of Obesity

While BMI calculation and waist size can indicate obesity, there are other tests and diagnostic methods to understand if a person is obese or not:

Waist-to-hip comparisons
CT scans, ultrasounds, and MRI scans
Skinfold thickness test
ECG or EKG (electrocardiogram) and other heart tests
DEXA (dual-energy radiographic absorptiometry) scans
Liver function test
Blood test to note the glucose and cholesterol levels
Thyroid and diabetes test

Treatment and Prevention Strategies

Beyond ensuring wellness at home through a healthy and nutritious diet, regular exercise, and stress reduction, here are some strategies to treat and prevent obesity:

If your BMI is more than 35, then you already have morbid obesity, and in this case, your doctor can prescribe medicines to curb appetite or reduce fats in your guts.
Some medications slow down the digestive system and lower the gut’s power to absorb fats. While these medicines are effective, they may have some side effects. So, discuss your options with the healthcare provider.
Include exercise in your routine every day. To manage the prevalence of obesity, start with brisk walking, cycling, jogging, yoga, and aerobics before joining intensive workout sessions.
Focus on your mental well-being as many times disturbed mental state enhances obesity symptoms due to unhealthy habits such as eating disorders, overeating, poor diet, lack of physical activity or sleep, etc.
Your doctor may suggest weight reduction surgeries if none of the other methods work. You may go for gastric sleeve surgery, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, or gastric bypass surgery.

Conclusion: Prevalence of Obesity and Steps Against It

While every other nation is taking measures to counter obesity, According to the Ministry of Health & Prevention, the National UAE Taskforce has planned steps to tackle obesity in the UAE, especially in children of age group 5-17 years. The authorities are working hard to promote weight management, physical activity, healthy eating, and other practices. Thus, it is also crucial to take care of ourselves and maintain an optimum weight.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Why is Obesity a Problem Worldwide?

Due to a sedentary lifestyle, poor food choices, more screen time, and less time for physical workouts, most countries in the world are facing rising cases of obesity.

Q. How Will Obesity Rates Affect People's Future Health?

If obesity symptoms become more common in people, then health complications will increase in the affected people, as well as adversely impact the lifespan of the person.

Q. How Can We Prevent Obesity?

Keep a check on obesity symptoms and follow a healthy lifestyle, eat nutritious food high in fiber and low in fats, exercise regularly every day, sleep well, and stress less.

Q. How to Reduce Obesity Quickly?

Watch your diet and exercise daily. Talk to a healthcare provider if you have any chronic disease and get treated for any risk diseases that may lead to obesity.

References and Citations:

Ministry of Health & Prevention – UAE Taskforce on Obesity roadmap