Name: Mayela Campos Guerra
Group: 3A
Subject: Research Methodology
Teacher: Carolina Labastida
List number: 5
Date: March 3, 2010.
Introduction
The topic I have chosen is obesity since there is a big problem of health especially here at Mexico. We have the first place in obesity of the world in adults, and the second place in children.
What is obesity?
Obesity is a medical condition in whichexcess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Body mass index (BMI), a measurement which compares weight and height, defines people as overweight (pre-obese) when their BMI is between 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2, and obese when it is greater than 30 kg/m2.
Obesity increases the likelihoodof various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing difficulties during sleep, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive dietary calories, lack of physical activity, and genetic susceptibility, although a few cases are caused primarily by genes, endocrine disorders, medications or psychiatric illness. Evidenceto support the view that some obese people eat little yet gain weight due to a slow metabolism is limited; on average obese people have a greater energy expenditure than their thin counterparts due to the energy required to maintain an increased body mass.
The primary treatment for obesity is dieting and physical exercise. To supplement this, or in case of failure, anti-obesity drugs may be takento reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption. In severe cases, surgery is performed or an intragastric balloon is placed to reduce stomach volume and/or bowel length, leading to earlier satiation and reduced ability to absorb nutrients from food.
Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children, and authorities view it as one of the mostserious public health problems of the 21st century. Obesity is stigmatized in the modern Western world, though it has been perceived as a symbol of wealth and fertility at other times in history, and still is in many parts of Africa.
Statement of the Problem
The situation of this problem is very critic because Mexico has first place in obesity in the world for adults and second place forchildren. This is terrible for health because people are not just fat, but they have very health problems as heart disease, diabetes, breathing difficulties, cancer, and osteoarthritis.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose I have for this research is to make people conscious of the many problems they can have if they don’t care about their bodies and their health. People need to know all things they can doto stop these obesity problems, at least try to do them, since it’s their lives who are on risk.
Health Consequences
Research has shown that as weight increases to reach the levels referred to as “overweight” and “obesity,” the risks for the following conditions also increases:1
* Coronary heart disease
* Type 2 diabetes
* Cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)
*Hypertension (high blood pressure)
* Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
* Stroke
* Liver and Gallbladder disease
* Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
* Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)
Gynecological problems (abnormal menses, infertility)
National Estimated Cost of Obesity
Accordingto a study of national costs attributed to both overweight (BMI 25–29.9) and obesity (BMI greater than 30), medical expenses accounted for 9.1 percent of total U.S. medical expenditures in 1998 and may have reached as high as $78.5 billion ($92.6 billion in 2002 dollars) (Finkelstein, Fiebelkorn, and Wang, 2003). Approximately half of these costs were paid by Medicaid and Medicare. The primary…
