One of the biggest global health concerns has been the rise in obesity among children and adults that it is becoming an epidemic. Obesity is a global health issue that affects populations in all parts of the world, with almost 30 percent of the world population suffering from the condition. The condition has been on the rise since 1980 with more than 1.9 people diagnosed with obesity in 2016 ( Malik, Willett & Hu, 2013) . This has been attributed to increased intake of energy-dense foods with high-fat contents around the world. The obesity epidemic was first noted in the United States before it spread to other industrialized nations. Today, the condition is present in all parts of the world, including developing nations.
The rates of obesity in European countries have been increasing based on data from the World Health Organization. Obesity is significant health in the United Kingdom, with 28 percent of adults recognized as being clinically obese in 2018. The condition is one of the major preventable causes of death in the United Kingdom associated with a higher risk of developing heart failure ( Malik, Willett & Hu, 2013) .. The rising level of obesity in the United Kingdom has been identified as a major challenge to public health as more people exert pressure on the health systems.
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In the United States, obesity is also a major health issue associated with numerous chronic diseases. The country has the highest obesity rates in the world that have contributed to numerous health costs in medical expenses. Around 100,000 to 400,00 deaths every year are attributed to obesity in the United States. A report from the Centers for Disease and Coordination has found that a third of US adults and 17 percent of adults were obese in 2014 with the figures rising each passing year ( Malik, Willett & Hu, 2013) .
Australia is also high in obesity rates based on reports from the World Health Organization. Obesity is an epidemic in Australia due to increasing frequency, attributed to poor eating habit. Around 28 percent of adults in the country are recognized as obese by the World Health Organization ( Malik, Willett & Hu, 2013) .. The epidemic has been recognized as a health crisis with the largest impact on a country's health system. The number of obese people in Australia has been rising exponentially every passing year while presenting a major health concern.
Obesity is defined as excessive fat accumulation in the body that can impair one’s health. The World Health Organizations defines obesity in adults as a BMI that is equal to or greater than 30. Some risk factors of obesity include lack of physical activity and poor dietary lifestyles that individuals have adopted. Certain populations tend to have higher risks of obesity as shown with the rate of infection. For example, older people who are 60 years and above are specifically at risk of getting obese across the world. The condition has the largest impact on the elderly as well as children under the age of 12 ( Malik, Willett & Hu, 2013) .
Furthermore, the condition has been associated with low-income individuals who cannot afford healthy food options. The disease has been prevalent among poor neighborhoods in the United States where individuals feed on unhealthy foods. At the same time, low-income individuals in developed countries enjoy fewer opportunities including restricted access to healthful goods. Urbanization is also a primary factor in the rise of obesity across the world due to the unhealthful eating patterns of people. While obesity rates have been reported in rural areas, urban populations are increasingly at risk of developing the condition due to poor healthy lifestyles.
Due to its pandemic, there is a need to develop initiatives to help manage the issue across the world. The current approaches to managing obesity revolve around weight-loss dieting and environmental anti-obesity reforms. The approaches encourage individuals to lose weight as a measure of treating obesity through diet-induced procedures and regular physical activity. For example, the measures have involved encouraging healthy choices of food to deal with the main causes of obesity. This is been achieved through food labeling to allow consumers to see the calorie content of a meal ( Chan & Woo, 2010) . Food processing companies have been using a user-friendly system for food labeling to help consumers determine how a particular product fits into a healthy diet. The labeling improves the image of healthy foods by increasing public awareness on its effect.
There have also been measures to curb obesity in children and manage its prevalence in adults. Studies have shown that obese children have a higher risk of becoming an overweight adult. As such, preventive measures have focused on banning junk food in schools and prohibiting soda sales. Schools in the United States have adopted this preventive measure to reduce the amount of calorie consumed by children ( Chan & Woo, 2010) ..
Other reforms have involved using environmental reforms to deal with the problem of obesity among the population. These approaches involve rectifying the obesogenic environment that can coat factors such as high-calorie foods that create energy imbalances in the body. They deal with altering the food environment and physical activity environment to reduce sedentary lifestyles. These approaches have involved restricting access to unhealthy foods by restricting its sale or advertising or increased taxation on high-calorie foods ( Chan & Woo, 2010) ..
However, these methods have not been successful due to associated limitations and ethical considerations. For example, low adherence rates to the dieting reforms and inconsistency on doing physical exercises affect sustained results. Most of these approaches are ineffective as they focus on losing weight rather than promoting good health.
There is a need for a new paradigm to manage obesity in the population. The new paradigm focuses on reducing the factors contributing to obesity from the foundation. When creating an obesity prevention program, it is crucial to consider the needs of specific population groups. The foundation for good health is laid in childhood, which explains why obesity management should start with children. Schools have a great opportunity to tackle obesity through nutritional education and physical activity lessons. This preventive measure focuses on raising awareness about the effects of obesity rather than reducing access to energy-dense food in schools ( Kumanyika, Parker & Sim, 2010) . For example, nutrition and physical activity lessons can be woven into the curriculum to teach skills and help children maintain healthy lifestyles.
The second preventive approach is to implement policies that require companies to manufacture healthier products. Food processing companies should reduce salt and sugar content in their products, as well as fat content. This preventive measure may take time to implement but can be a huge step towards reducing the percentage of unhealthy foods on the planet and encourage healthy organic living ( Kumanyika, Parker & Sim, 2010) ..
Another suggestion is for governments of specific countries to name obesity a national priority and give it the same standard of attention like other chronic diseases such as cancer. This prioritization can increase the awareness of obesity across the world and increase initiatives to curb the problem. For example, by making obesity a national priority, governments can allocate funds to help in reducing its incidents and obesity rates ( Kumanyika, Parker & Sim, 2010) .. The effectiveness of these measures will involve a reduction in the prevalence of obesity around the world. Countries can benefit from lower obesity rates as it reduces the hospital costs and the risk of treating other chronic diseases.
References
Chan, R. S., & Woo, J. (2010). Prevention of overweight and obesity: how effective is the current public health approach. International journal of environmental research and public health , 7 (3), 765-783.
Kumanyika, S. K., Parker, L., & Sim, L. J. (2010). Obesity Prevention Strategies in Concept and Practice. In Bridging the Evidence Gap in Obesity Prevention: A Framework to Inform Decision Making . National Academies Press (US).
Malik, V. S., Willett, W. C., & Hu, F. B. (2013). Global obesity: trends, risk factors and policy implications. Nature Reviews Endocrinology , 9 (1), 13.
