Abstract
Obesity has
become an important concern amongst the developed nations over the past few decades.
The increase in obesity is attributed to many social and economic factors but
its rise has serious implications on the overall health of individuals. This
situation is alarming for the mankind as it may result in increasing diseases
like Diabetes, Cancer, Cardiovascular diseases and other chronic disorders. This
study is aimed to examine the main reasons behind increasing obesity amongst
the population of USA, Saudi Arabia and China. It has analyzed various social, cultural
and economic factors that have led to the increase of this trend in these
countries. The data available through various researches has been evaluated in
order to draw concrete findings. A detailed analysis of all aspects has
revealed that a change in eating habits, too much intake of fast food, rise of
economic status and avoidance of physical activities appear to be the main
cause behind obesity prevailing in
USA, Saudi Arabia and China.
Reasons behind increasing obesity in USA, KSA and China
Obesity is a medical situation in
which the excessive fat gets accumulated in a human body resulting in having
adverse effects on human health. Obesity can increase the chances of chronic
illnesses like heart problems, diabetes, some types of cancers, arthritis,
liver and kidney issues etc. Obesity is mainly an outcome of excessive food intake
followed by lack of physical activities. According to Chan &Woo (2010),
“These dietary changes are compounded by lifestyle changes that reflect reduced
physical activity at work and during leisure time”. Obesity has now become a
growing cause of death worldwide, with its alarming prevalence amongst children
and adults. Western developed nations are the worst affected with obesity where
it is sometimes classified as a disease.
Nutrition and
health analysts are taking keen interest in getting to know the reasons behind
the rise of obesity in different countries. Most of them believe that obesity
stems from behavioral issues, hormonal and genetic problems and other physical
disorders. The studies have however, revealed that various social, economic and
cultural factors are responsible for increasing this body condition in
different countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the main reasons
behind increasing obesity in countries like USA, KSA and China. It will study
various social, cultural and economic aspects that may contribute towards
increasing this body illness amongst the population of these countries. Therefore,
the study will analyze the claim that the “increase
of obesity in USA, Saudi Arabia and China is a culmination of recent social,
cultural and economic changes brought in their societies”.
In order to evaluate
the validity of the thesis claim, this study has been based upon the
review of literature that depicts the study findings
of various researchers related to the
topic. This study aims to focus on the social, cultural and economic aspects of
each country individually in order to obtain separate findings belonging to
each culture. This analysis will provide results that will present useful
information about the reasons behind increasing obesity levels in USA, China
and Saudi Arabia.
Obesity in USA
Obesity in America has
become more like a disease due to its increasing influx in the
society. Some experts
say that the reason behind this problem is the change in the eating trends and
habits in society over the last recent decades. It has been observed that the intake of calories consumed by
the kids in the present age is higher than the intake of the kids in the past
decades (Newfield, 2005).Though , the amount of food may be the same but the
content of fat and sugar involved in it is definitely higher. The cultural
trends support the large intake of fast foods. The advent of having super sized
meals with big deals is an attraction for various food lovers. Also these deals
offer free drinks as per client’s choice and some would even give supplementary
drinks free. These rising trends have largely emerged due to the massive spread
of the International Food chain restaurants across the globe. Although the food
quality that they offer is good but the amount of fats and sugar involved in
the ingredients of their items is surely alarming for human health.
As stated by Cutler et al.,2003, the use of French fries “as a dominant form of potato in America”
is also a main factor to increase obesity due to its high sugar and calorie content.
Also people tend to ignore eating
vegetables and fruits and face an imbalance in the number of calories consumed.
The decline in the physical
activities due to a change in the social set up of the American society is another
cause of increasing obesity. People keep themselves limited to their offices
and homes and use modern means of transport to commute instead of bicycling.
The availability of computers, mobile phones and internet has slowed down the
level of social interactions that existed in the past. People remain busy with
these electrical gadgets and enjoy eating more by using them as a mode to
relax. The concept of walking and jogging remains limited to summer season
only. The schools also do not offer too many opportunities to engage students in
physical activities and encourage indoor activities mostly. The reason they
give behind following this strategy is the security concerns. But these factors
eventually result in less consumption or burning of fats in our body and
therefore lead to health problems like obesity from the early ages.
The
developed economy uplifts the financial status of the society. When earnings increase,
spending also increase. Therefore, in a developed country like USA, where the
standard of living is generally higher, there is a high tendency towards eating
outside home. According to Newfield(2005),
“In the span of three decades ,from the 1940s to the 1970s, the number
of sodas consumed in a year by a single person increased by 580%”.These trends
are an indication that an increase in the intake of sugary drinks and fatty
products ultimately results in causing
obesity. Some other factors can also be responsible for the rise of obesity in
USA. These factors include the use of steroid hormones, drugs and anti
depressants. These medicine cause changes in the body and can lead to obesity.
Also, for some Americans, obesity may come as a part of inheritance. These
factors can only influence a minor portion of the population only. The major
reasons for obesity in USA still remain the cultural, social and economical
changes that a US society has seen over the past few decades.
Obesity in Saudi Arabia
Just like the other
developed economies that are enjoying the luxurious life styles at the cost of
health, Saudi Arabian population is also increasingly becoming a victim of
obesity. Although the existence of obesity in
Saudi Arabia is lower than the countries like USA, Germany, Canada, Spain etc.
but the presence is still there and is following an increasing trend.
Based upon El-Hazmi & Warsay (2002) study, Saudi
Arabia has seen many changes in the
nutritional habits or activities of children during the past three decades so
this may be the probable cause of increasing obesity levels in the Saudi
society.
Studies have
shown that “In the Arabic Peninsula, rates of obesity and overweight have
increased
dramatically since 1980, and more than one third of the Arabic Gulf population
is obese”. (Abuzaid,2012).These increasing rates
have emerged largely as a steady growth of their economy over the past few decades. The increasing financial standards providing
a luxurious living style and decreasing physical activities has led to the
increase of obesity in the Saudi society. Some other studies conducted on obese children and
adolescents in a Saudi Society revealed that this age group consumes more
servings of meat grain items, fast food, drinks with high content of sugar and
potato chips ( Al-Nakeeb et al.,2012). This results in increasing their
overall calorie intake.
In
addition to the cultural and economic factors being responsible for the
increasing obesity in Saudi Arabia, some additional factors have also played a
major role for its growing presence. These factors include lack of availability
of public parks , grounds or clubs for sports activities that can involve youth
in healthy physical activities. The existence of hot climate is also another
hurdle in promoting outdoor sports activities in this region. The indoor sports
facilities are also not sufficient. So these are the possible reasons why the
youth in Saudi Arabia is less active than the other countries. According the
study conducted by Abuzaid(2012),the existence of obesity and overweight has
drastically increased during the past four decades and is now reaching alarming
levels.
This trend seems to be quite visible amongst the urban
population of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, these environmental and cultural
influences together become the root cause of the increasing rate of obesity in
a Saudi society.
Obesity in China
The existence of obesity in China is relatively lower than
USA but its increasing tendency is becoming a major concern.
The problem of obesity is on an increasing side in the recent decade and has
now resulted in recognizing obesity as an important public health issue in
China. The number of obese and overweight persons in China has increased
considerably and the figure jumped from 14.6% to 21.8% in 1992
and 2002( Huang et al.,2013).This
emerging trend in Asia is a part of westernization that has changed the
lifestyle patterns to a greater extent. Giving up on doing physical exercise
due to study and job commitments has become a nationwide trend amongst the new
generation.
The growth of
Chinese economy has also played a major role in increasing obesity levels
amongst its population. In the rural China, the rate of being overweight and
having diabetes is lower due to the physical activity involvement. However, in
cities due to the high profile economy resulting in raising financial standards
of the general population, the luxuries
that are a symbol of wealth, are commonly used. These luxuries include
television, cars, computers and other accessories that decrease the physical
movement of an individual. This is one of the main reasons why the level of
obesity in Urban China is higher than rural areas .Hung et al.(2013) states in
their study that China’s obesity is actually a “wealth deficit problem” where
the more richer you are, the fatter you become. Also the opening of famous food
chains like McDonalds, Pizza Hut or KFC in China has largely changed their
traditional patterns of eating. The young generation loves eating fast food
just like other nations that result in increasing obesity levels amongst the
young population.
China
until the recent past, faced nutritional challenges as many people suffered
from malnutrition, were underweight or used to be hungry. But the scenario is
totally the opposite now. China is a country where roads used to only have
motorbikes or bicycles once but now they are all packed with cars throughout
the day. The overall growth of the economy backed by state policy for having
shrunk families has left more disposable income in a common individual’s hand.
This has resulted in giving them a high living standard where they are enjoying
all the luxuries in life. But this westernized and luxurious life style has
brought the same health problems to China that the other developed economies
are facing. In a pursuit to enjoy a comfortable living, the Chinese population
has also become less active than their ancestors and this lack of physical
activity is leading towards increasing obesity in their country.
The
present study focuses on the main reasons that have contributed towards
increasing the obesity levels in USA, KSA and China. The results of the study
revealed that the major reasons for the high level of obesity present in the
American society is the increasing intake of fast foods, lack of healthy food
intake based on the calorie count, avoidance of physical activities, lack of
healthy outdoor sports activities for students in school, genetic influences
and the use of medications like steroids or nerve relaxants. These factors are
a result of social, economic and cultural changes that have occurred in the
American society over the past few decades.
The
reasons about alarming obesity and overweight issues in a Saudi society are
attributed to the cultural and economic changes that have taken place in Saudi
Arabia during the last two decades. The increase in social status has led to
make the Saudi population less active that not only include adults but also
involves children. The main reasons of obesity in Saudi Arabia, as reported by
the study, are increased food intake with low physical activity. The reasons
for low physical activity stated in this study are due to lack of indoor and
outdoor sports facilities and the presence of hot climate that does not
encourage involvement of physical activities.
The
findings of the study about China also portrayed the existence of obesity due
to the cultural and economic uplift of the Chinese society. Due to high living
standards and commitments in schools and offices, the population has become
less interested in getting involved in physical activities. The patterns of
eating have changed and the level of obesity has risen. However, there exists a
major difference between the urban and rural population in the obesity levels where
rural population has potentially low levels of obesity as compared to Chinese urban
population.
The
nutritional transition and change in dietary patterns occurring due to
urbanization is assumed to be the major cause of the obesity epidemic. A lot of
literature has been documented to highlight the world wide shift of changing
diet routines. The intake of foods having high fats and carbohydrates with a
reduced usage of vegetables, fibrous food and fruits is creating an imbalance
in the calorie intake required by the bodies. The insufficient physical
activity has become a major risk factor for increasing obesity “as work-related
activity has declined over recent decades in industrialized countries” (Chan
&Woo,2010). Such social, cultural and economic changes brought in the
countries like USA, Saudi Arabia and China have resulted in increasing the
obesity levels in these countries to an alarming extent. Efforts are required
to be encouraged at national and International level to increase awareness
about the hazards related to obesity in order to control the spread of this
epidemic to other countries of the world.
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