How Is Obesity A Social Issue

Obesity is a condition that is defined by the excess of body fat that can cause issues and negatively affect your health. It is commonly associated with having diabetes and is now considered by many organizations as a chronic disease. Although obesity itself is not an illness, it is an idea that has been created through social factors that marks people as unhealthy based on their weight. It may not be an illness but is definitely a health issue that causes brings rise to negative health outcomes. Obesity is one of the primary causes of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. The effect of obesity as a social stigma is comparable to that of racial discrimination. Obesity leads to major inequities and inequalities in employment, …show more content…
If an individual were to live an area that were deemed unsafe, they would not be able to exercise at nearby parks, go for walks around the neighbourhood and would be forced to stay within the confinements of their home. Also the built environment can have little access to amenities like recreational centres, have fast food restaurants in the area with fewer places to eat healthier foods which are usually more costly. As Dennis Raphael (2009) explains, these types of conditions analyze health outcomes and the effects can influence social issues such as diet and physical activity (pg. …show more content…
These determinants are all tied to one another and have a larger impact in an individual’s likelihood of obesity. The main issue of poverty is connected to all these determinants and people who grow up with such conditions, those that have insufficient food or improper housing, have a greater chance of being obese and being affected by the related health issues. As mentioned in the Global Health Watch 3 (2011), new approaches need to be introduced to directly impact individuals and their communities, to bring forth positive change (pg. 335). Policies can be made to better help those in community housing, with better access to recreational centers and more accessible healthier foods. Explained in Global Health Watch 3 (2011), we learn that there is more research for biomedical methods and does not look into the diseases of those in poverty or to find information on the social determinants of health (pg. 133). Government organizations need to invest into research for those in poverty and make changes to the social determinants that affect them. As explained in GHW 4 (2014), we must recognize health as an essential human right as well as a social right (pg.