What Causes Obesity?

Obesity is a complex health issue that are caused by a variety of factors, mainly including the environment, genes, and accessibility. The bottom line is that obesity is the result of eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activity.

Environment

Children are heavily influenced by the environment they live in, whether it's at home, at school, or in their community. Adults make decisions based on their environment, and children follow in those footsteps. An example would be that due to lack of sidewalks, one may not walk to the store. Another is a school only offering milkshakes and fried chicken sandwiches to the students at lunch time. Since the environment has such a strong influence on children and adults alike, the best way to approach this problem is to take a negative and turn it into a positive by providing opportunities to encourage certain behaviors. Such as installing safe, clean sidewalks along roads, or offering salad and fruit bowls during lunch time.

Genes

Genetics have been found to play roles in obesity amongst people, such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome. But that doesn't mean it predicts your future. Changing your behavior and daily routines will greatly aid you on your path to better health. Genetics that regulate how our bodies capture, store, and release energy from food are still definitely a factor in the obesity epidemic, but making sure your environment is healthy and active will help you in the long run.

Accessibility

Accessibility is very similar to environment, but also deserves its own category. Mentioned before was the school lunches only providing certain foods. This is one example of how people are influenced by food and activity. It can be difficult for children, or adults for that matter, to make healthy food choices and get enough physical activity when they are exposed to environments in their home, child care center, school, workplace, or community that are heavily influenced by the following:

• Soda, candy, etc on school campuses
• Advertising of less healthy foods, like fast food
• Lack of daily, quality physical activity in all schools, i.e. cutting back on athletic programs that make participating in something active more and more difficult each year
• No safe and appealing place, in many communities, to play or be active. Lack of playgrounds, sports fields, beaches, etc that is suitable for children.

• Greater availability of high-energy-dense foods and sugar drinks
• Increased portion sizes
• Television and media

There are a variety of environmental factors that determine whether or not the healthy choice is the easy choice for children and their parents. Doctors and scientists are concerned about the rise of obesity in children and teens because obesity may lead to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, and social discrimination. Obese children may experience immediate health consequences which can lead to weight-related health problems in adulthood. Children and adults alike will take what is offered to them, so our job is to turn those choices into something positive, and start influencing them, especially kids, to make healthy decisions.