Health promotion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Health promotion - Essay ExampleObesity in childhood, teenage and adults is considered an epidemic in the United States. The advancement in technology created rapid changes in the eating habits of individuals globally. However, as countries become more developed in terms of economic status, the greater the availability and affordability of innumerable choices of food that an individual can indulge in. The issue of addressing obesity has been specifically identified as a national agenda in Healthy People 2010.Obesity is defined as a chronic condition of excess fat accumulation in the body. (Medicine.Net, 2009, 1). Medically, obesity can be defined in relation to the body mass index (BMI). The body mass index determines whether a persons weight is appropriate for height by dividing the weight in kilograms by the height in meters squ atomic number 18d. (Delaune & Ladner, 2006, 1394) Using this index, obesity is then defined as a BMI of 30 and above. (Medicine.Net. 2009, 1)The primary ca uses of obesity are overeating and lack of physical activity. When a person takes in calories much more than what one trim downs, that persons gains weight. Excess power is therefore stored as fat. If that person has no initiative at all to engage in any physical activity which would help him or her burn those excess calories, then, obesity sets in.Aside from overeating and lack physical activity, there are enormous factors which contribute to an individuals being vulnerable to obesity. These are genetics, composition of the diet, frequency of eating, slow metabolism, lack of exercise or physical activity, medications, psychological factors, and even certain diseases. With different researches undertaken to explore on the factors contributing to obesity, it is revealed in MedicineNet that ethnicity, childhood weight and hormones all have an effect in being obese.As a person gains weight and either consciously or unconsciously neglect any measures to prevent the continuous weight i ncrease, that person increases