Obesity and its Factors: Beliefs

Obesity and its Factors Author’s Name Institutional Affiliation Obesity and its Factors Introduction Obesity has become a worldwide phenomenon these days. The current era demands beautification along with healthcare; this results in people becoming extremely conscious about how they look. Apart from just outlook, obesity has its cons related to healthcare as it exposes the person to various diseases. The main reason for the increased rate of obese people in society is still unknown, but it surely becomes a health risk shortly if it is not encountered. Influence of Cultural Beliefs Culture can impact the perception of obesity in the society as different cultures promote different eating habits, choice of seasonings and spices, different perceptions of how much one should eat and weigh. The cultural settings also include the place you live, the composition of family, occupation, the standard of living and much one exercises (McQuillan, 2019). The sedentary lifestyle with almost no physical activity is also part of some cultural settings as culture impacts the perception of fatness or thinness. Some cultures accept or prefer higher body weights and discourage extreme thinness. At some places like the United States and Europe, thinness is ultimate style, and there is certain obsession against obesity in America, which have its psychological impact as it made people uncertain about how they look and fit in the society (McQuillan, 2019). The cultural beliefs highly impact the way of perceiving health issues like obesity in a society resulting in negative and positive outcomes at the same time. Religious and Spiritual Beliefs Religious and spiritual beliefs also impact the perception of obesity in different societies following different religions. The quantitative data-based research was done (Koenig, 2012) regarding the impact of religious and spiritual beliefs regarding obesity. The study showed that religious and spiritual beliefs highly impact the physical health of a person, resulting in a positive and negative impact on mental health and physical health. Positive or Negative impact of Beliefs The religious and spiritual beliefs highly impact the mental health of a person. The results showed both positive and negative mental outcomes (Koenig, 2012). The positive impacts include hope, optimism, and the happiness which results in better mental and physical health as a person tends to take care of himself/herself. The negative impact of religious and spiritual beliefs results in anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, and marital instability. Such negative thoughts lead to impaired physical health which involves no physical activity, smoking, unhealthy diet, and lifestyle. Ethical Principles Application of ethics Principles Resulted in Population Disparities Population divides or disparate by differences and obesity is a huge health concern. There are many public health interventions which are used to address the issue of obesity or to prevail in education about healthy lifestyle, but it is important to consider ethical implications while applying these interventions to protect human rights as public health interventions approaches obesity in socio-communicative environment, economic environment and physical environment (Azevedo & Vartanian, 2015). Each intervention raises potential ethical issues and causes disparity in the population. Health Policies and Finances Related to the Health Issue Obesity has its fatal effects on the health outcomes of people. The United States has the highest obesity rate compared to other countries. The obesity rate in children has risen to 17% in the past 30 years. The obesity rate in children can be controlled by applying health policies that restrict the sale of high calorie food items in school canteens and the conduction of physical activities at school which is mandatory for every child. Obesity, in general, can be minimized by initiating education programs regarding healthy eating and adverse effects of obesity over the health (Parker-Stanford, 2019). These policies along with the support of a government can bring change in the rate of obesity. Global/National Prevention or Treatment Regarding the Health Issue Obesity has been a global issue for quite some time, as people who are suffering from obesity comprise 30% of the global population which is a very alarming condition (Bomberg et al., 2017). Obesity is now taken as a serious issue and has been under severe research. The social behavior is the key factor in controlling the rate of obesity; the first step is to educate healthcare professionals and the public regarding this issue so that it can be perceived as a disease rather than a parameter of well-being. Solution to Remove Disparities by Using Alternate Ethics Principles The most appropriate intervention which minimizes the chance of disparity in the population and has least chance of triggering the ethical concerns changes in the physical environment (Azevedo & Vartanian, 2015), which targets the audience rather than cert...