Obesity: A Critical Threat To National Security

Obesity and its Impact

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in numerous countries across the world. It is estimated that in three Americans, one is obese, a rate which has been growing steadily for the past several decades (Chawla et al. 629). Unfortunately, the health care system (in its common practices, equipment, and attitudes), is ill-prepared and its practitioners are unwilling to treat the ever-increasing fat patient’s population (Chawla et al. 630). Therefore, the policy is a bad one because obesity is considered a critical threat to national security because of care cost, type 2 diabetes related incidence and the number of individuals involved.

Understanding Obesity as a Disease

Obesity is a disease, which can lead to the normal functional impairment of aspects of the body; it shows the characteristics signs or symptoms, resultant morbidity or harm to the affected entity. It always satisfies a crucial criteria: etiology (energy imbalance), pathophysiology (adipokines), pathology (large fat cells), treatment (behavioral therapy, diet, surgery, drugs), prognosis (reduced fatness leads to change in the prognosis) clinical findings infested as symptoms and signs (linked comorbid disease and fatness). Moreover, BMI normally when the BMI increases, there will be an increase in mortality (Clinical Issues Committee of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery 115). Within normal range, BMI increase will lead to cholesterol, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Government Support for Obesity

It is important for the government to create empathy and start fostering understanding for individuals affected by the epidemic of obesity. Financial support from the government will ensure that obese people are not exposed to discrimination and perceived as being lazy people who are not doing what it takes to come out of the obesity bracket. In other words, it is critical to start embracing efforts of curbing obesity, and this will be a success when all people acknowledge that the morbidly obese people are entitled to state-funded treatment.

Works Cited

Chawla, Amarpreet S., et al. “Gap between evidence and patient access: policy implications for bariatric and metabolic surgery in the treatment of obesity and its complications.”Pharmacoeconomics, 33.7 (2015): 629-641.

Clinical Issues Committee of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. American society for metabolic and bariatric surgery position statement on emergency care of patients with complications related to bariatric surgery. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2010;6(2):115–117.