OBESITY AND WEIGHT CONTROL:Consequences of Obesity, Eating Disorders

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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)

Lesson 40

OBESITY AND WEIGHT CONTROL

With a growing awareness about the risk factors in major killers, and the significance of health enhancement,

people in general are becoming more weight conscious. The number of people indulging into regular exercise

and opting for herbal medicinal remedies is on a constant increase. At the same time due to growing affluence

and easy availability of junk food, the number of obese and over weight people is also increasing. Therefore, as

the number of weight conscious people is increasing, the incidence of obesity is also rising. Obesity refers to

too much of excess body weight, when the weight is due to excessive fat. In normal body weight, in case of

women, fat should constitute around 20% to 27% of body tissue. In men, fat should constitute somewhere

between 15% to 22% of body tissue. A proportion of fat more than this, account for excess fat in the body.

Ideal weight ranges are available for men and women, all age groups, and all body frames. Body weight 20%

more than the ideal weight is considered overweight. If the weight is more than even 20% excess weight, the

person is considered to be obese.

The best and considered most reliable measure of obesity is Body Mass Index or BMI. BMI is calculated by

dividing a person's weight in kilograms, by the person's height in metes. The sum is then squared. The BMI of

a person tells if he/she is of normal body weight, over weight, or obese:

BMI

Body weight rating

19-24

Ideal

25-29

Moderately overweight

> 30

Obese

People with a BMI between 25 and 29 are 15%-30% above ideal weight. Those with a BMI more than 30, have

about 40% excess body weights. Obesity is a matter of concern for health authorities, because many serious

ailments e.g. CHD, cancer, or Diabetes are associated with obesity. In our culture the number of obese children

and adults is also on the increase. Obesity is a significant health issue in U.S.A. In the US, 65% of adults are

overweight, and 23% are obese (Center for Disease Control, 2003). 15% of the total school-age population is

obese (Center for Disease Control, 2003). According to the 1995 reports, obesity increased by one-third over

the last 20 years in the U.S (Williamson, 1995). A similar trend has been seen in other countries including

Britain and Canada (Taubes, 1998).

Consequences of Obesity

_ Negative self-perception and low self-esteem

_ Self consciousness

_ Negative altitude of peers

_ General lethargy and fatigue

_ Risk of CHD, hypertension, stroke, many cancers, diabetes, affected joints

_ Reduced physical activity

_ Stress and in many cases helplessness

Gender and obesity

Obesity is a matter of concern and a causal factor in poor self-concept for both men and women. However it is

a matter of much greater concern for females. People usually tend to ignore the excess weight of a man as

compared to that of a woman. Women are ideally and traditionally, supposed to be trim, slim and smart. It is

seen that the risk of many ailments is higher in overweight women.

Therapeutic Interventions

1. Wise eating and curtailed eating/Dieting

2. Strenuous and regular exercise

3. Behavior modification (e.g. contingency contracting)

4. Cognitive therapy for changing perceptions about eating and about the ability to reduce weight

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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)

Eating Disorders

While the number of overweight and obese people is on the increase, a number of people are adopting eve

highly harmful ways of losing weight. This segment of the population who is almost observed with the idea of

losing weight primarily consists of females. Most women, who want to lose weight, try and adopt varieties of

diet plans; others develop eating disorders: Anorexia Nervosa, and Bulimia.

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is marked by a drastically curtailed food intake with an intention to lose weight. The anorexic

on average tries to maintain body weight 15% below what __________ should have been that persons' weight.

They tend to have a BMI of 17.5.

Diagnostic Criteria for Anorexia Nervosa

American Psychiatric Association (1994) has given the following diagnostic criteria for Anorexia Nervosa:

1. Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height.

2. Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight.

3. Disturbance in the way in which ones' body weight or shape is experienced, under influence of body

weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.

4. Amenorrhea (the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles).

The incidence of anorexia world wide in not exactly known. In the US, about 0.5% of all women have this

problem (Becker et al., 1994). In case of women attending professional schools for modeling and dance, 6-7%

can be classified as having anorexia nervosa (Garver & Garfinkle, 1980). In one society, we can see that the

number of underweight females is on the increase.

Bulimia Nervosa

This problem is an opposite of Anorexia Nervosa in terms of eating pattern. The bulimic binge eats, but then

purges. The main intention is the same i.e., not letting body weight increase. The main characteristic of bulimia

nervosa is binge eating followed by purging.

Diagnostic Criteria for Bulimia Nervosa

American Psychiatric Association (1994) has given the following criteria for diagnosing bulimia nervosa:

1. Recurrent episodes of binge eating, namely, eating in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour

period) and amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time

and under similar circumstances, and feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is

eating.

2. Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior in order to prevent weight gain, such as self induced

vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications; fasting; or excessive exercise.

3. The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors both occur on average, at least twice a week

for 3 months.

4. Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight.

In the Pakistan society we rarely come across a bulimic person.

The exact prevalence of Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa, in Pakistan, is not known. In North America the

prevalence rate of bulimia is 1-3%, some surveys suggest that around 10% of women in college show

symptoms of bulimia (Becker et al., 1999).

Etiology of Eating Disorders

Although a concerns with body weight and shape in the major variable involved, there are other triggering

factors too.

Genetic factors:

There is research evidence available suggesting that there are some genetic and physiological links involved

(Rock and Raye, 2001). Twin studies showed the occurrence of eating disorders in both twins. The probability

being higher for identical than fraternal twins.

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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)

Cultural factors:

Eating disorders are more common in societies where physical beauty is the most important characteristic of a

woman.

The role of media:

Media portrays extremely their females in programs and advertisements. Teen age girls try to match the models

and stars that they admire.

Stress and Anxiety:

As a result of extreme stress and anxiety some young females eat more, and if they are weight conscious they

purge. For a stressed and under anxiety teenager nothing else seems to be under her control. Her body is the

only entity that she can run the way she likes; so she uses it as a target. For some bulimics eating is a

compensatory defense mechanism that gives them pleasures.

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