Obesity in Older Adults Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Obesity in Older Adults - Essay ExampleIntroduction Obesity can be simply referred to a medical exam condition caused by overindulgenceive accumulation of consistence richty, which can eventually cause adverse effectuate on wizards health. To define, obesity is an excess of body fat that frequently results in a significant impairment of health. (Das, 2010, p.44). Although people use the terms obesity and threatening interchangeably, in fact, obesity and overweight are two distinct physical conditions which have already been clearly defined using scientific standards. Body Mass Index (BMI) is the common tool used to identify whether or not a persons body fat is excessive. According to BMI standards, an individual is said to be overweight when his BMI lies mingled with the ranges of 25-29.9. The person becomes obese when his BMI goes beyond the range 30. Evidently, obesity has become a study health add among sometime(a) adults. According to Villareal et al (as cited in Newm an, 2009), the prevalence of obesity in people between the eld range 50-69 increased by 56% in 2000 whereas in people above the age 70 it increased by 36%, since 1991. Causes of Obesity The relationship between energy consumption and expenditure is the major determinant of the body-fat mass. Medical practitioners opine that obesity occurs when an individual consumes to a greater extent calories (in the form of food) than what he actually needs. lot require calories not only to sustain life, but also to maintain a satisfactory body weight. However, studies point to the fact that energy expenditure in 50-65 year old age group easily declines and therefore likelihood of obesity increases as one becomes old. It has also been identified that hormonal changes in previous(a) adults (65 years of age and older) during aging may result in excessive accumulation of fat. Various changes associated with aging, including oppositeness to leptin, contribute to older adulthood obesity. As Newma n (2009) argues, genetic features, socio-environmental factors, and several other elements contribute to obesity. Evidently, heredity is one of the major determinants of obesity. In other words, biological inheritance plays a significant role in fat variations. The researchers like Bouchard established that genotype greatly influences visceral fat. Since an individuals type of food choices, aim of physical activity, and other lifestyle behaviors are influenced by his surrounding environment, socio-environmental factors greatly affect his body fat levels. To illustrate, increasing eating out food trends in Western countries directly lead to the consumption of excess fat content food and thereby obesity. While analyzing the global obesity data, it is obvious that obesity is more prevalent in Western countries, and especially in the United States. Several other factors including lack of peace and continuous use of drugs also cause obesity. Some recent studies claim that issues such a s articulate pain and lessen mobility are also potential contributory factors to obesity as they cause decreased activity and thereby a proportionate decline in energy expenditure in older adults. Symptoms of Obesity As discussed earlier, a BMI of over 30 is the primary symptom of obesity. Large body roll is another notable symptom of obesity in older adults. Adults with obesity would face difficulties in doing their periodical activities. In addition, breathlessness is another noticeable symptom