The Lamar university Electronic Journal of Student Research
Fall 2008
Obesity as a Disease: A National Epidemic
Brigid A. Wilson, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Health and Human Performance
Whitlowe R. Green College of Education
Prairie View A&M university
Member of the Texas A&M university System
Prairie View, Texas
William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
Professor and Faculty Mentor
PhD Program in Educational Leadership
Hall of Honor (2008)
William H. Parker Leadership Academy
The Whitlowe R. Green College of Education
Prairie View A&M university
Member of the Texas A&M university System
Prairie View, Texas
Visiting Lecturer (2005)
Oxford Round Table
university of Oxford, Oxford, England
Distinguished Alumnus (2004)
College of Education and Professional Studies
Central Washington university
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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this article is to briefly discuss obesity as a disease and the prejudice associated with it. Obesity has accelerated at an alarming rate. Prejudice has developed from misguided assumptions. The article deals with obesity as a disease and the possible risks associate with it.
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Introduction
Obesitys incidence has expediently risen at such an alarming rate over the last 2 decades that the American government took legislative action in 2000 to counteract the diseases widespread detrimental consequences (Encinosa, Bernard, Steiner, & Chen, 2005). In 2000, the Internal Revenue Service declared that taxpayers could deduct the cost of weight-loss programs as medical expenses, including behavioral counseling, nutrition advisement, pharmacology, and surgery, if the expenses account for more than 7% of an individuals adjusted gross income (Internal Revenue Service, 2005). Subsequently, the U.S. government officially declared obesity a disease in 2004 (Gruman, 2004). Obesitys classification as a disease was monumental because it mandated that insurance companies had to pay for obesity-related medical visits, prescriptions, and surgeries (Hartwig & Wilkinson, 2004).
Purpose of the Article
The purpose of this article is to briefly discuss obesity as a disease and the prejudice associated with it. The article focuses on dealing with obesity as a disease and the potential risks and prejudices that are associated with it. associated with it.
Governmental Actions
The governments actions have had a dramatic affect on the number of weight-loss treatments that Americans may choose to utilize. For example, the number of bariatric surgical procedures performed in the United States increased from 26,700 in 2000 (Waraksa & Vinson, 2004) to over 140,000 in 2005, more than a five-fold increase (American Society for Bariatric Surgery, 2001) in just 5 years. The increased popularity of bariatric procedures is not only attributed to insurance coverage, but also to positive media publicity surrounding celebrities who have undergone the treatment (Johns Hopkins university, 2004), such as Al Roker, Carney Wilson, Sharon Osborne, and Roseanne Barr. Furthermore, bariatric surgeries have become popular because they appear to be a quick and effective method to lose weight, with the average person losing approximately 30 to 40 pounds in the year following surgery (Duke Medical Center, 2006).
Popularity of Bariatric Surgery
Due to the rising popularity of bariatric surgery, it is imperative that scholars study the surgical procedure from diverse perspectives. These perspectives include physiological, psychological, and financial viewpoints. Examining Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery (RYGB), the most popular and effective form of bariatric surgery (Buchwald et al., 2004), from multiple perspectives might provide a broader, more overarching picture of how surgery affects all of these perspectives. When an individual undergoes bariatric surgery, that individual experiences multiple lifestyle changes that need to be contended with, because bariatric surgery is not an effortless, unproblematic miracle cure for obesity (Park Nicollet Clinic, 2005).
Prejudice and the Obese
Prejudice, a subjective attitude of a particular group developed from preconceived, irrational convictions of anothers supposed distinctions from the group (Mish, 1991), is so prevalent against overweight and obese individuals that it is not surprising that individuals will undertake major surgery and risk possible health complications to lose excess weight (Farber, 2003).
Weightism or Fatism?
A specific term was coined for this damaging attitude towards the obese: weightism, also known as fatism (Winfield, 2002). Weightism refers to the detrimental stereotypical beliefs many Americans possess towards overweight individuals in virtually every aspect of life (Crocker & Garcia, 2004). Weightism propagates the beliefs that obese individuals are weak-willed, ugly, unmotivated, emotionally troubled, unclean, immoral, self-indulgent, and incompetent (Schwartz & Brownell, 2004). Weightism in America is extremely common, as obese individuals experience discrimination in almost all areas of life: education, employment, social life, family relationships, housing, healthcare, public accommodations, and media exposure (Wadden, Womble, et al., 2002). Wherever the individual travels, be it work, a physicians office, or the grocery store, the obese individual encounters weightism.
Weightism is so prevalent and powerful that an obese individuals sense of self may suffer permanent damage leading to the persons sense of well-being becoming permanently impaired (Winfield, 2002). Obese individuals may possess a negative sense of self due to their evaluation of self in relation to societal beliefs and values, and therefore weightism exhibited by others can have tremendously detrimental psychological affects for the obese individual. The obese individuals fragile sense of self becomes further weakened and, thus, weight often becomes an obsession for the obese individual. Weight may develop into the only subject of concern, as other personal attributes, like talent, wealth, and intelligence are discounted (Farber, 2003).
Poor Body Image and Low Self-Esteem
Mental health specialists consider weight infatuation detrimental, as it leads to poor body image and low self-esteem (Fox, Taylor, & Jones, 2000). Poor body image results from an obese individuals perception of self not correlating with the ideal American body image (Schwartz & Brownell, 2004). Low self-esteem occurs because individuals focus on self-perceived negative characteristics (obesity) rather than positive attributes (Crocker & Park, 2004). Low self-esteem also occurs because individuals are unsuccessful in losing a self-specified desired amount of weight and, therefore, feel as though they are failures (Ginty, 2005).
Along with poor body image and low self-esteem, other documented psychological effects of weightism include diminished self-efficacy, augmented depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal (Belluscio, 2005). Diminished self-efficacy occurs because obese individuals lose confidence in their abilities (Bandura, 1997; Crocker & Garcia, 2004). Society bombards obese individuals with negativity and reinforces an already present belief in low self-worth (Puhl & Brownell, 2003). Moreover, depression occurs when obese individuals feel defeated by weightism because the prejudicial attitude affects both their personal and professional life (Rogge, Greenwald, & Golden, 2004). These individuals are left feeling that they cannot meet anyones standards, including their own (Maranto & Stenoien, 2000). Some obese individuals consider their disease as a greater detriment than deafness, dyslexia, or blindness (Wadden, Womble, et al., 2002).
Concluding Remarks
The purpose of this article is to brief article was to discuss obesity as a disease and the prejudice associated with it. Obesity has accelerated at an alarming rate. Prejudice has developed from misguided assumptions.
See: National FORUM Journals: www.nationalforum.com
About the Author:
Dr. Kritsonis Recognized as Distinguished Alumnus In 2004, Dr. William Allan Kritsonis was recognized as the Central Washington university Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies. Dr. Kritsonis was nominated by alumni, former students, friends, faculty, and staff. Final selection was made by the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Recipients are CWU graduates of 20 years or more and are recognized for achievement in their professional field and have made a positive contribution to society. For the second consecutive year, U.S. News and World Report placed Central Washington university among the top elite public institutions in the west. CWU was 12th on the list in the 2006 On-Line Education of Americas Best Colleges.
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