For many years; The obesity of people received the same basic advice: “Eat less food and move more.” Despite the simplicity of this advice, it is not only ineffective for many, but can also be very misleading and destructive.
According to the medical website “Science of Warning”, obesity is not just a matter of will … This is a complex, chronic and repeated state, and affects about 26.5 percent of adults in England and 22.1 percent of children aged 10 to 11 years.
A new report evaluates that the rapidly growing number of people with weight gain or obesity costs 126 billion pounds per year. This includes 71.4 billion pounds of low quality sterling and early death, 12.6 billion pounds from the costs of treatment for national healthcare, 12.1 billion pounds and 10.5 billion pounds of informal assistance.
Food protection activists and health experts call for emergency government measures, including expanding sugar tax, to enable more products, restriction of fast food advertising and the imposition of highly industrial products.
“We created a diet that poisoned our inhabitants and bankrupt the state.”
It is expected that without significant changes in politics, these expenses will grow up to 150 billion pounds a year by 2035. Nevertheless, the UK approach still depicts obesity as a way of lifestyle and can be considered, focusing on personal responsibility. But this structure ignores the overall picture.
Factors responsible for obesity
Now we understand that obesity is multifactor … like genes, childhood experiences, cultural norms, economic deprivation, mental health, mental illness and even a type of function, all these are factors that play roles.
These are not things that can be changed, just using a fitness and salad dishes device.
This wider perspective is not new. In 2007, in the Forest report, published by the Great Britain government, a network of complex factors underlying high obesity indicators, describing how the “modern environment” actively increases weight gain.
The term “environmental environment” refers to the world in which we live. This is a world in which products with high calories and low values are sold at reasonable prices and wherever physical activity is excluded from everyday life; On cities that depend on cars to leisure, where screens dominate.
These environments do not affect everyone the same. People in the largest areas are noticeably most vulnerable to the conditions that cause obesity, such as “food deserts (areas where it is difficult to get nutritious food at reasonable prices)”, poor public transport and limited green spaces. In this context, weight gain becomes a natural biological response to an abnormal environment.
Why is this not useful for the principle of “food less food and mix most”?
Despite the growing awareness of these regular problems, most obesity strategies in the UK are still focused on changing individual behavior, often thanks to weight management programs that encourage people to reduce calories and do more physical exercises.
Despite the importance of changing behavior, focusing on one case establishes a dangerous idea that those who suffer from weight gain are simply lazy or do not have willpower.
This idea removes Stigma, which can be very harmful. Nevertheless, the data show a clear connection between a high level of obesity and deprivation, especially among children.
It is clear that many still do not understand the role of structural, social and economic factors in the formation of the risk of obesity. This misunderstanding leads to the release of judgments and feelings of shame and stigma, especially for children and families at risk.
How to overcome obesity?
Instead of worrying and blaming, we need a comprehensive approach, free from shame and based on science; Take care of people with obesity; The approach that reflects the current guidelines of the National Institute of Health and the recommendations of the “Alliance on the Health of Obesity” … There are several things that should be done.
1- chronic disease requires continuous support
We must understand that obesity is a chronic disease. Obesity is not a failure in willpower, but rather a frequent and long -term disease. As in the case of diabetes or depression. This requires systematic and continuous support, and not temporary solutions or hard diets.
2- improvement of complex care
We must resist the weight directly. Discrimination based on weight is widespread in schools, workplaces and even medical institutions. We need to teach specialists to reduce bias, improve complex assistance and accept the language that focuses on a person and not deaf. Outstanding practices should resist and eliminated.
3- individual therapeutic plans
Providing personal support. Treatment plans should be developed to satisfy each person, including his cultural origin, psychological history and social context. This includes solutions together, periodic observation and integrated support of mental health.
4- Change the environment
Focus on environmental changes, and not just people. It should be concentrated on systems and structures that complicate healthy options. This means investing in food at reasonable prices; Improving the chances of physical activity; Treatment of inequality from roots.
It’s time for a radical change
Obesity is not limited to the fact that people eat or the number of times when they play sports, but it is formed as a result of the action of biological factors, experience and the environment that we build in public. His promise – this personal failure not only ignores decades of evidence, but also harms people who need support.
If we want to reduce the social stigma, improve health results and avoid a crisis of 150 billion pounds, then the end of the era of “food is less food and more movement.” Instead, we need bold, merciful and evidence of evidence; The approach looks at a person completely and at the world in which he lives.