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Obesity and overweight

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Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A crude population measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), a person’s weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of his or her height (in metres). A person with a BMI of 30 or more is generally considered obese. A person with a BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered overweight.

Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Once considered a problem only in high income countries, overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings.

What are overweight and obesity?

Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health.

Body mass index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults. It is defined as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (kg/m2).

For adults, WHO defines overweight and obesity as follows: overweight is a BMI greater than or equal to 25; and obesity is a BMI greater than or equal to 30.

BMI provides the most useful population-level measure of overweight and obesity as it is the same for both sexes and for all ages of adults. However, it should be considered a rough guide because it may not correspond to the same degree of fatness in different individuals.

For children, age needs to be considered when defining overweight and obesity.

For children under 5 years of age:

overweight is weight-for-height greater than 2 standard deviations above WHO Child Growth Standards median; and

obesity is weight-for-height greater than 3 standard deviations above the WHO Child Growth Standards median.

Children aged between 5–19 years

Overweight and obesity are defined as follows for children aged between 5–19 years:

overweight is BMI-for-age greater than 1 standard deviation above the WHO Growth Reference median; and

obesity is greater than 2 standard deviations above the WHO Growth Reference median.

Facts about overweight and obesity

Some recent WHO global estimates follow.

In 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults aged 18 years and older were overweight. Of these over 600 million adults were obese.

Overall, about 13% of the world’s adult population (11% of men and 15% of women) were obese in 2014.

In 2014, 39% of adults aged 18 years and over (38% of men and 40% of women) were overweight.

The worldwide prevalence of obesity more than doubled between 1980 and 2014.

In 2014, an estimated 41 million children under the age of 5 years were overweight or obese. Once considered a high-income country problem, overweight and obesity are now on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. In Africa, the number of children who are overweight or obese has nearly doubled from 5.4 million in 1990 to 10.6 million in 2014. Nearly half of the children under 5 who were overweight or obese in 2014 lived in Asia.

Overweight and obesity are linked to more deaths worldwide than underweight. Globally there are more people who are obese than underweight – this occurs in every region except parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

What causes obesity and overweight?

The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. Globally, there has been: an increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat; and an increase in physical inactivity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanization.

Changes in dietary and physical activity patterns are often the result of environmental and societal changes associated with development and lack of supportive policies in sectors such as health, agriculture, transport, urban planning, environment, food processing, distribution, marketing, and education.

What are common health consequences of overweight and obesity?

Raised BMI is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as:cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), which were the leading cause of death in 2012; diabetes;musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis – a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints);some cancers (including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon).

The risk for these noncommunicable diseases increases, with increases in BMI.

Childhood obesity is associated with a higher chance of obesity, premature death and disability in adulthood. But in addition to increased future risks, obese children experience breathing difficulties, increased risk of fractures, hypertension, early markers of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and psychological effects.

Facing a double burden of disease

Many low- and middle-income countries are now facing a “double burden” of disease.

While these countries continue to deal with the problems of infectious diseases and undernutrition, they are also experiencing a rapid upsurge in noncommunicable disease risk factors such as obesity and overweight, particularly in urban settings.

It is not uncommon to find undernutrition and obesity co-existing within the same country, the same community and the same household.

Children in low- and middle-income countries are more vulnerable to inadequate pre-natal, infant, and young child nutrition. At the same time, these children are exposed to high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, energy-dense, and micronutrient-poor foods, which tend to be lower in cost but also lower in nutrient quality. These dietary patterns, in conjunction with lower levels of physical activity, result in sharp increases in childhood obesity while undernutrition issues remain unsolved.

How can overweight and obesity be reduced?

Overweight and obesity, as well as their related noncommunicable diseases, are largely preventable. Supportive environments and communities are fundamental in shaping people’s choices, by making the choice of healthier foods and regular physical activity the easiest choice (the choice that is the most accessible, available and affordable), and therefore preventing overweight and obesity.

At the individual level, people can:

Limit energy intake from total fats and sugars; increase consumption of fruit and vegetables, as well as legumes, whole grains and nuts; and engage in regular physical activity (60 minutes a day for children and 150 minutes spread through the week for adults).

Individual responsibility can only have its full effect where people have access to a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, at the societal level, it is important to support individuals in following the recommendations above, through sustained implementation of evidence based and population based policies that make regular physical activity and healthier dietary choices available, affordable and easily accessible to everyone, particularly to the poorest individuals. An example of such a policy is a tax on sugar sweetened beverages.

The food industry can play a significant role in promoting healthy diets by: reducing the fat, sugar and salt content of processed foods; ensuring that healthy and nutritious choices are available and affordable to all consumers; restricting marketing of foods high in sugars, salt and fats, especially those foods aimed at children and teenagers; and ensuring the availability of healthy food choices and supporting regular physical activity practice in the workplace.

Adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2004, the “WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health” describes the actions needed to support healthy diets and regular physical activity. The Strategy calls upon all stakeholders to take action at global, regional and local levels to improve diets and physical activity patterns at the population level.

10 simple ways to improve your mood

Relationships

 

 

There are a number of simple things that anyone can do to lift their mood. You may already be doing some, and you certainly don’t need to be doing them all. Just try the ones that you feel most comfortable with, or that are easiest for you. As your mood begins to lift—and sooner or later it will—you can make more and bigger changes to your routine. And if you can hold on to these good habits once your mood has lifted, you will continue to feel better.

  1. Spend more time with sympathetic friends and relatives.

Talking to others about our feelings helps us to process them, put them into perspective, and obtain advice and support. Don’t be afraid to tell people that you need their help, and don’t feel guilty for accepting it. If you feel uncomfortable talking to friends and relatives, or are unable to, you can phone a helpline. Perhaps you prefer not to talk about your feelings at all. Even so, spending time with sympathetic people and doing things together should help to lift your mood.

  1. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

Break down large tasks into smaller ones, and set realistic deadlines for completing them. Try to reduce your levels of stress. Don’t blame yourself for “doing nothing”; you are merely giving yourself the time and space that you need to get better. Just think of it as taking a step back to jump further.

  1. Do more of the things you normally enjoy, even if they no longer seem appealing.

Read your favorite childhood book, go shopping or to the cinema, prepare a meal, spend time with an old friend—anything that gets you out and takes your mind off negative thoughts is likely to make things better.

  1. Get out of the house, even if only to buy milk or walk in the park.

Bright daylight, fresh air, and the hustle bustle of everyday life can all be very helpful, as can the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. If you can, try to take some mild exercise, such as 20 minutes of brisk walking.

  1. Fight off negative thoughts.

Make a list of all the positive things about yourself and your situation (you may need help with this), keep it with you, and read it several times a day. However bad you may be feeling, remember that you have not always felt this way, and will not always feel this way.

  1. Be realistic about your progress.

Improvements in mood are likely to be gradual rather than sudden, and you may even get worse before you start getting better. Once you are on the right track, there are going to be bad days as well as good days. Bad days that come after one or several good days may seem all the worse for it. Don’t blame yourself for the bad days, and don’t despair.

  1. Avoid making or acting upon important decisions.

This would include leaving your job, getting divorced, or spending a large amount of money. While in the throes of depression, thinking errors are likely to impair your judgment.

  1. Get as much sleep as you can.

A single good night’s sleep, or even a nice nap, can make a world of difference to your mood. To sleep better and longer, follow some of the advice in this related article.

  1. Make an appointment with a health professional.

Enlist the advice and support of your family doctor or a psychiatrist. Maybe ask for counseling and take things from there.

  1. Decide whom to call in an emergency should you feel overwhelmed by negative or suicidal thoughts.

Source: psychologytoday.com

when feeling down

 

10 simple ways to improve your mood

 

Relationships

 

There are a number of simple things that anyone can do to lift their mood. You may already be doing some, and you certainly don’t need to be doing them all. Just try the ones that you feel most comfortable with, or that are easiest for you. As your mood begins to lift—and sooner or later it will—you can make more and bigger changes to your routine. And if you can hold on to these good habits once your mood has lifted, you will continue to feel better.

  1. Spend more time with sympathetic friends and relatives.

Talking to others about our feelings helps us to process them, put them into perspective, and obtain advice and support. Don’t be afraid to tell people that you need their help, and don’t feel guilty for accepting it. If you feel uncomfortable talking to friends and relatives, or are unable to, you can phone a helpline. Perhaps you prefer not to talk about your feelings at all. Even so, spending time with sympathetic people and doing things together should help to lift your mood.

  1. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

Break down large tasks into smaller ones, and set realistic deadlines for completing them. Try to reduce your levels of stress. Don’t blame yourself for “doing nothing”; you are merely giving yourself the time and space that you need to get better. Just think of it as taking a step back to jump further.

  1. Do more of the things you normally enjoy, even if they no longer seem appealing.

Read your favorite childhood book, go shopping or to the cinema, prepare a meal, spend time with an old friend—anything that gets you out and takes your mind off negative thoughts is likely to make things better.

  1. Get out of the house, even if only to buy milk or walk in the park.

Bright daylight, fresh air, and the hustle bustle of everyday life can all be very helpful, as can the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. If you can, try to take some mild exercise, such as 20 minutes of brisk walking.

  1. Fight off negative thoughts.

Make a list of all the positive things about yourself and your situation (you may need help with this), keep it with you, and read it several times a day. However bad you may be feeling, remember that you have not always felt this way, and will not always feel this way.

  1. Be realistic about your progress.

Improvements in mood are likely to be gradual rather than sudden, and you may even get worse before you start getting better. Once you are on the right track, there are going to be bad days as well as good days. Bad days that come after one or several good days may seem all the worse for it. Don’t blame yourself for the bad days, and don’t despair.

  1. Avoid making or acting upon important decisions.

This would include leaving your job, getting divorced, or spending a large amount of money. While in the throes of depression, thinking errors are likely to impair your judgment.

  1. Get as much sleep as you can.

A single good night’s sleep, or even a nice nap, can make a world of difference to your mood. To sleep better and longer, follow some of the advice in this related article.

  1. Make an appointment with a health professional.

Enlist the advice and support of your family doctor or a psychiatrist. Maybe ask for counseling and take things from there.

  1. Decide whom to call in an emergency should you feel overwhelmed by negative or suicidal thoughts.

Source: psychologytoday.com

when feeling down

 

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