Obesity as a Social and Cultural Issue: Perspectives, Influences, and Strategies

This report investigates obesity as a global health problem from social and cultural perspectives, identifying and justifying the issue, exploring cultural and social influences, and discussing local and national policy strategies and initiatives.

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Health as a social and cultural issue
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Introduction
The chosen health group is obesity. Obesity is becoming a worldwide health issue where there
many obese people around the world and the number keep rising. There are actually numerous
participants to this epidemic of obesity (Atkins and Bowler, 2016 p.21). Certainly one of the
achievable influences to obesity rates in a particular country are the cultural aspects. Obesity
could be considered the condition to have a higher level of stored body fat. The relative body
weight is popularly used to describe obesity, and people that are obese are thought to be
overweight (Brownell and Walsh, 2017 p.34). Obesity is a complex biopsychosocial
phenomenon which is shaped by perspectives based on social and cultural influences (Atkins and
Bowler, 2016). Latest figures emphasizes that obesity happens to be a substantial public health
problem. Obesity has improved in every age, sex, race and smoking status stratum of population
(Brownell and Walsh, 2017). The prevalence to illness relate to modern diet and more sedentary
lifestyle that has increased in many nations in the past couple of years (Brownell and Walsh,
2017). In this research investigation it examines social perspectives, evaluate and discuss social
along with cultural influences on obesity. In this research it would identify and justify obesity
and the health issue. Moreover, it would explore obesity from social and cultural perspectives
which will incorporating theory and definition of culture. Additionally, it will include strategies
on local and national policy concerning obesity and discuss what has been happening locally
regarding obesity and local initiatives relating to it.
Justification of obesity and health issue
Obesity has become a global health problem. There exists many definition of obesity (Ogden,
Carroll, Kit and Flegal, 2014 p.806). According to the WHO defines it as an abnormal or perhaps

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an excessive accumulation of fat which impacts health. According to WHO they utilizes body
mass index to define obesity (Ogden, Carroll, Kit and Flegal, 2014). The purpose of undertaking
investigation in this research topic is to provide a clear understanding of the properties of obesity
(Ogden, Carroll, Kit and Flegal, 2014). There have been possible health consequences for the
obese individuals. There have been various health issues which have resulted from obesity
(Ogden, Carroll, Kit and Flegal, 2014). Obesity has resulted to a high risk of developing
chronicle diseases on individuals who are obese. The first is the cardiovascular diseases and this
has been number one cause of death for more than seventeen million people yearly this is
according to WHO data. Another disease is diabetes, and there are projections that it would
increase by fifty percent in the next ten years due to the increase in obese individuals. Other
health issues are the rise of the musculoskeletal disorders, along with the rise in osteoarthritis
disease. These are the major health issues which are associated to the obesity.
Social perspective
There are various social contexts that have overarching perspectives for framing obesity for
example culture as well as history. The culture to which within an individual lives is likely to be
the strongest influences on their eating pattern levels activity, and body weight. Within culture,
problems do change and historical period has also been impacted by levels of fatness and
thinness of a person and populations.
Culture definition
Culture has been defined as the learned system of categories, rules and plans which people utilize
to guide their behaviors (Brownell and Walsh, 2017). A person culture generally permeates each
element of their life which includes how they consider the fatness and thinness, activity patterns,

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eating behaviors along with other aspects of residing in world (Brownell and Walsh, 2017).
Cultural values and norms about body weight that could vary considerably. Modernization
continues to be a complex set to the social modify which occurs on the societies shift from the
conventional to modern (Ogden, Carroll, Kit and Flegal, 2014 p.74). There have been a change
to the modes of the economic production to the whole societies which has substantial impact on
the energy expenditure to the human populations (Langford, Bonell, Jones and Campbell, 2015
p.15). Culture variations between various countries in relation to the values about food and the
body weight experienced a strong shape with regards to the prevalence of obesity in cultures.
Cultural predispositions to the obesity do exist, with more likely to lead the people to those
cultures to turn out to be obese (Ogden, Carroll, Kit and Flegal, 2014). Migration between the
cultures does place people into new food systems and new social and built environment which
have had significant health consequences.
Social perspective characteristics to obesity
There are numerous characteristics associated to social perspective on obesity these are as
follows;
Sex/Gender
Sex relates to ascribed biological status of the human being possibly as male or female, whilst
gender describes the achieved social status of becoming possibly a woman or perhaps a man
(Daubenmier et . al 2016 794). Most of the sex differences are related to the physiological that is
associated with the reproductive functioning. Beyond these types of biological differences with
regards to the body fat, substantial social and psychological gender differences do exists in
relation to the weight to numerous societies with fatness along with thinness being a lot more to

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the likely to be female and feminist concerns (Ogden, Carroll, Kit and Flegal, 2014). Weight
concerns usually are dependent more on appearance compared to the health motivations
particularly on the women (Robertson, 2018 67). Sex and gender are the overriding features with
regards to considering obesity.
Race/ethnicity
Many investigations have showed that there is ethnic patterns in the body weight as well as
obesity particularly to the minority group which are more obese than the majority (Brownell and
Walsh, 2017). There are usually ethnic differences when it comes to the weight variations
between cultural groups. The mechanisms for the ethnic variations in relation to the body weight
usually are problematic especially without consensus whenever it come relative contribution of
the genetics, activity levels or perhaps caloric intake differences (Ogden, Carroll, Kit and Flegal,
2014). Ethnicity has been a characteristic which has been significant to consider in the
relationship to the obesity.
Employment
Employment usually entails work which is paid for the wages or salary in the labor force. Many
facets of the employment usually are relevant to the body weight and obesity (Lin, 2017).
Employment does offer some financial resources through income and access and opportunities
for using health care services.
Cultural perspective
Obesity is culturally distributed such that the prevalence of obesity known to vary based on the
cultural factors that could include socio cultural position, social roles as well as circumstance

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(Corin, 2017p.93). There are number of factors which has contributed to the weight gain which
could include marriage and pregnancy, changes in the diet as well as the physically activity along
with depression, social isolation and stress (Corin, 2017 p.120). There are many women who are
described to gain weight during and after the pregnancy. Moreover aspect such as depression,
isolation as well as stress usually arises as a perceived contributor when it comes to the weight
gain (Robertson, 2018 p.66). When depression gets someone they feel they are trapped and ones
does not go out they tend to feel terrible (Robertson, 2018 p.65). The challenge of balancing
work, family as well as running a household usually leaves little time for individuals. Culture has
a greater impact influence on eating habits as well as attitudes towards the food and the eating
habits towards the food and the body weight (Locke et.al 2015 p.197). The culture usually
include on where one live, family size composition, age, gender, ethnicity as well as the level of
the education. A person job and the work culture could have a strong impact when it comes to
eating activity habits especially when one works around the food or the job which involves
taking client out to eat on a regular basis.
Income could also impacts on ones eating ability as well as exercise habits (Robertson, 2018 p.
61). According to statistics it has shown that the higher income women tend to be thinner as
compared to the lower income women (Robertson, 2018 p.63). Money usually provides one
more control over their lives and affords resources such as gym memberships, nutrition
counseling as well as specially prepared meals that could help them with the control of their
weight (Robertson, 2018). Personal culture impacts ones attitude in regards to the food and
eating, cultural values as well as norms impacts on how one thinks in regards to fatness and
thinness. Some groups of individuals are more accepting when it comes to higher body weights
as compared to the others (Robertson, 2018). Traditionally, most of the cultures they have been

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able to value numerous amount of heaviness over their extreme thinness (Robertson, 2018).
Nonetheless, the social ideals could change with time and thinness has always remained in style.
Social and cultural perspective theory
The social perspective theory to explain on the obesity is the functionalist approach (Phull, Wills
and Dickinson, 2015). This approach has emphasized that the good health as well as effective
medical care are crucial to the ability of the society in functioning. Ill health usually impairs
one’s ability to perform our roles in the society and incase many individuals are obese, the
society functioning and stability might suffer (Phull, Wills and Dickinson, 2015). This can
prevent people from carrying out fully out on their social roles and hence represent poor return to
the society to the numerous cost. The theory emphasizes on the significance of personal good
health to the society health (Phull, Wills and Dickinson, 2015). It is important for the individual
to maintain good health to ensure they are more active in their social aspects. Therefore, it is
crucial for people to eat healthy food to ensure that they are not obese. This ensures they are
healthy and they are in a position to perform on their work (Skinner, Perrin and Skelton, 2016
p.1123).
Strategies on local and national policy concerning obesity
There are numerous local and national policy strategies which are employed to address the issue
of obesity. The state and the local public health agencies are utilizing various measures such as
menu labeling to address on this issue (Betancourt et al 2016). There has been jurisdiction in the
nation of King county to pass on the menu labeling regulation. They chose this regulation since
obesity has been an issue to a high visibility (Robertson, 2018). It entails providing the
customers with the information in relation to different products so that they make their own

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choice (Langford, Bonell, Jones and Campbell, 2015). There has been some evidence that menu
labeling could prevent obesity, and numerous experiments in cafeterias as well as workplaces
have shown it could change on the choices as well as caloric intake. Another strategy used is the
land use planning (Langford, Bonell, Jones and Campbell, 2015). This means of improving on
the public health has had a long history. There have also been state public health actions. The
CDCs state public Health Actions they have granted multifaceleted initiatives which aim at
improving on the health of all individuals through coordinated chronic diseases prevention
programs (Langford, Bonell, Jones and Campbell, 2015). The state public Health Actions has
granted funds across the country on various initiatives in order to prevent manage as well as
reduce on the risk elements which are associated to the chronic diseases which could include
obesity (Puhl and Suh, 2015). To maximize on this efficiency the state has engaged to the
various activities which could capitalize on the similarities to these diseases as well as other
methods which are aimed to prevent or control them.
Issues happening locally on obesity and local initiatives
There are numerous issues which are taking place locally in regards to obesity and the local
initiatives some of these are; there have been high obesity programs which are aimed to reduce
on the obesity in the high obesity areas in order to boost prevention (Lumeng, Taveras, Birch and
Yanovski, 2015 p.484). There have been project fund land grant colleges as well as universities
in the states with the counties where there is prevalence of the adult obesity. There have been
wide campaigns as well as interventions (Puhl and Suh, 2015). There has been most relevant
evidence to the large scale community wide efforts which has come from the studies which are
aimed to reduce on the cardiovascular risk elements.

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Conclusion
In this report it has investigated on obesity which has affected the health issue from the social
and cultural perspective. In this research it has identified and justified obesity and the health
issue. Additionally, it has explored obesity from social and cultural perspectives which have
included theory and definition of culture. Moreover, there it will include strategies on local and
national policy concerning obesity and discuss on what has been happening locally regarding
obesity and local initiatives.

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