When you see a fat person who looks large, you can say that person is obese. While it seems like they are healthier than a slim person, it’s not as it appears in the medical world. Being obese can come with lots of negativity if care isn’t taken.
What Is Obesity?
Obesity is when an individual accumulates excess weight with a body mass index (BMI) over 30, which can harm their health. While factors like diet, genetics, and lifestyle choices can cause obesity, it goes beyond just getting type 2 diabetes, liver disease, stroke, hypertension, death, etc. It affects other aspects of an individual’s life. Some of them are in severe pain and battling with these medical issues. Unless you get closer to them, you may never know.
How Obesity Affects Quality Of Life
Being obese can affect the physical, emotional, social, and psychological well-being of an individual.
1. Physical Impact
When there’s excess fat in the body, it can make one gain weight, and more fat will result in more weight. These fats are stored in the body and need to be reduced for proper body functioning. However, if they stay that way, health issues like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, and respiratory problems surface.
Even without considering these obese-related diseases, fat people find it challenging to move around, unlike slim people. If they run, they quickly get tired due to the excess weight putting pressure on their whole. It will affect them during exercise and slow them down. Moreover, they can’t even jump a fence during an emergency, for instance, a dog chasing them. This is why most of them live a sedentary lifestyle and hardly move around.
2. Mental And Emotional Impact
Most obese people are bullied and called names that hurt their feelings. Some of them are denied positions they aspire to. For instance, a fat lady might not be welcomed as a model or join the cheerleader team. It can be frustrating for them living with stigmatization and discrimination. This can affect their self-esteem and make some engage in illegal drugs to relieve depression and avoid suicidal thoughts. Worse still, the discrimination can even start from their family and neighbors.
Since they cannot connect with people they desire, it can be painful and cause them isolation and loneliness. Some have decided not to engage in community service since they are seen as weirdos.
For this situation, obese people need a shoulder to cry on and excellent therapy to boost their confidence. They should also love themselves, avoid negative people, and engage in things they love to do, irrespective of what people say.
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3. Financial Impact
As mentioned earlier, obesity comes with health diseases that can need money to take care of. Health issues like frequent medical consultations, medications, and specialized treatments can be expensive. This can financially burden poor homes struggling to eat three square meals daily. It will affect their savings because they want to save a loved one. Sadly, most obese people have died from illness associated with their weight despite the money invested to save them.
Moreover, specialized equipment, like mobility aids or customized clothing, adds to the financial stress. This could prevent them from using their money on something productive if they weren’t obese.
4. Societal And Healthcare Sector Impact
Obesity has also spread its relevance in the healthcare sector, impacting healthcare expenditure and resource allocation. As more cases of obesity reach hospitals, it can require more attention to provide preventive measures and treatment options, which can disregard other health conditions not related to obesity. This makes it difficult for these non-obese individuals not to get immediate treatment.
As a result, obese people should be educated about their health condition and be advised not to eat junk foods or other high-calorie foods. They should also try various options to burn fat, like sleeping longer than 7 hours, exercising, weight loss surgeries, therapy, stress management techniques like yoga and meditation, etc.
Conclusion
Being obese can harm your health and affect your quality of life. Most obese people also suffer from stigmatization and discrimination, leading to depression, loneliness, or suicide. It can also be a financial burden for the individual or their family, including the healthcare sector. However, support should be given to obese people by educating them to prevent and treat it.
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