Obesity: Affects not only the physical health

Obesity and Emotional Problems

Obesity as onen problem on the weight maintenance, also leads to depression and anxiety problems, which can worsen a woman’s infertility.

According to the Archives of General Psychiatry (2004), Vol 63 No.7, mind plays a very important role in our reproductive system. There is a constant interaction between our thoughts, beliefs, and feelings that produce chemical, hormonal, neurological and muscular changes. Any imbalances in our emotions lead to release of excessive hormones that upset the natural flow of the pituitary gland secretions like luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This may further lead to an ovulation or suppressed ovulation.

Moreover, also stated by the American Psychological Association, “obesity in women was associated with 37% increase in major depression.....and more frequent thoughts of suicide.” Depression due to stress results in excessive consumption of food and even binge eating. Additional research by the APA has shown that obese women with binge-eating disorder have developed a low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and depression.
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Obesity and Interpersonal Relationships

Deborah Carr presented a paper titled "The Social Stigma of Obesity: Does Body Weight Affect the Quality of Interpersonal Relationships?" at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. In this paper, she shows that “the stigma of early obesity persists over the life course, and affects positive and negative aspects of family relationships during adulthood.” Obesity often leads to low self-esteem, a loss of dignity and emotional instability. When people are clinically obese, they usually suffer physical limitations too. They become so inactive, that even the simplest of tasks becomes physically exhaustive. There is also a social stigma to obesity; people who suffer often find themselves stared at in the street or the victim of verbal and psychological abuse. This not only affects the individual sufferer, but their partner too.
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Obesity and Socio-Economic Implications

According to the Economic and Social Research Council, UK, “in developed countries, there is an inverse relationship between obesity and socioeconomic status. For example, among women from social class I (professional), the rate of obesity is 10.7 per cent, while in women from social class V (unskilled), one in four women is obese.” So is the fact in our own country. The alarming rise of obesity among the working American women proves the fact that the inactive and sedentary lifestyle is the root cause.

An obesity report by the Health Committee of the UK parliament calculates “the cost of overweight and obesity to the nation at up to £7.4 billion per year, a figure which will rapidly rise.” The obesity epidemic will not only increase health care costs, but will also create a scarcity for healthy workers. The committee opines that obesity is a result of more calories and less physical activity. It has concluded that a regular and moderate physical activity is advisable to prevent weight gain.

These health problems are to a very large extent avoidable, if one determines to maintain one’s normal weight. After all ‘Prevention is better than cure’.