Healthcare: Obesity and Overweight Issues in Europe

                                                                      OUTLINE      

• INTRODUCTION TO OBESITY AND OVER WEIGHT ISSUES IN EUROPE
• CAUSES OF OBESITY 
• HEALTH PROBLEMS 
• HOW TO TACKLE OBESITY

                                                                INTRODUCTION

 

Healthy living is a vital aspect of our everyday lives that should not be neglected. According to research, In 2019-2020, more than One hundred and fifty (150)  million adults in Europe were Obese which was thirty-six percent (36%) of the population.  It is obvious that the amount of people with Obesity have grown drastically and people need to be enlightened on healthy lifestyle choices such as regular physical activities, eating healthy and regular medical check ups.  

Obesity describes a medical condition where people or a person has excess fat that can cause harm on their health. There are many factors that can cause Obesity which includes hereditary, Food, Lack of exercise and etc. The focus is about people who are overweight/Obese across Europe.

 According to WHO official statistics Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan (partially in Asia), Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia (partially in Asia), San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City are the European countries being considered.

                                                                CAUSES OF OBESITY

• Hereditary: Being Obese can be hereditary and in all fairness this makes it more difficult to tackle. Genes contribute to how the food being taken by a person is processed and how the calories are being burnt.
  
  
• Medical conditions:  Some people are diagnosed with Thyroid disorders or Polycystic Ovary syndrome (women). Thyroid disorders slow down metabolism which means the body does not burn calories efficiently and that leads to addition of weight. Polycystic Ovary syndrome is a problem with hormones that happens during the reproductive years and is linked to hormonal imbalances that can cause weight gain.
  
  
• Food:  A lot of people in Europe do not eat healthy natural foods that can help in weight reduction such as Legumes and Fish but many people are so busy and lazy to cook and almost always get meals which contain added sugar, refined carbohydrates, processed meats and foods that are high in unhealthy fats such as fried foods, baked goods and processed snacks which can all increase calorie intake and contribute to weight gain.  Looking at the common meals people take in on a regular basis we have meals like pizza, Ice cream and Soda are very common amongst people in Europe.
  
  Pizza dough is made from refined flour that is high in carbs. Ice creams are high in calories due to its high sugar and saturated fat content. Soda contains high calories but just little nutritional value. There are so many more foods that the general public take very often which adds to our weight size. Healthy feeding is the most important factor affecting body mass.
  
  
• Lack of Exercise: Participating in exercise helps in increasing the body's metabolic rate which implies that the body burns more calories than normal rate and exercise also builds muscle mass which also burns calories when the body is at rest. It is advisable for people to do exercise at least twice a week to burn the accumulated calories. Exercise is very important when trying to lose weight because it stresses every part of the body when done well.
  
  
• Lack of Mobility: We are in a generation where many people work from home, drive and ride on vehicles which helps in reducing stressing the body parts compared to people from earlier generations and this is an important factor in the increase in body size between people from different  generations.
  
  
• Lack or proper sleep: Many people do not know this but lack of sleep disrupts hormone level and leads to a  slower metabolism of the body which leads to weight gain. 
  
                                                      HEALTH PROBLEMS
  
  

Type 2 Diabetes: Insulin is present in the human body and it helps the body in using glucose or sugar for energy. People who are obese have a high risk of developing insulin resistance by promoting hormonal imbalances and inflammation. With insulin resistance, the body's cell will not respond as it should to insulin and therefore leads to a high blood sugar level which eventually damages the heart, kidneys and eyes. 

Heart Disease: Obesity puts a lot of pressure on the heart and blood vessels and it leads to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and heart failure. 

High Blood Pressure (HBP): This is a common problem amongst people who are overweight because the added weight increases the amount of blood circulation inside the body and that adds strain on the blood vessels and the heart which leads to high blood pressure. Many people in Europe face this issue even at a young age.

Stroke: As analyzed before, excess weight promotes inflammation and also contributes to the narrowing of arteries this increases the risk of stroke by causing blood vessel damages and increasing chances of blood clots forming.

Sleep Apnea: The upper airway of the obese person is blocked due to excess weight fat present and therefore reduces the muscle activity in the region which causes breathing interruptions during sleep. According to researchers from the European Respiratory Society (ERS), It is estimated that  ninety (90) million Europeans have moderate to severe sleep apnea.

                                                    HOW TO TACKLE OBESITY

Educating people on how to have a healthy diet life and ensuring people see the positive impacts it has in the present and in the future. Enlightening people on the benefits of drinking a lot of water, avoiding sugary drinks and getting enough sleep.

Encouraging a lot of regular physical activities, rewarding people with exercise equipment that can be used indoor and also making fruits easily accessible and cheap.

This topic is a very important topic that many people overlook. Kids that are not up to 10 years of age are already Obese which is very bad because the parents are not sensitized well enough to understand the effect it has. Lets create awareness and try to give the coming generation a sense of self awareness.