Globesity: The Solution is Change

Resumen

Worldwide there are more than one billion overweight adults of which 300 million are considered obese (approaching 20% of the world population). This modern disease was initially associated with developed countries but now it is increasingly found in developing countries side by side with under nutrition. Obesity and being overweight appears to have no borders and cuts across all age groups, ethnic groups, gender, and social-economic classes. Yet, why does this disease continue to thrive and who is to blame? The world has a serious health crisis, one that is not going to be resolved without society, the food industry, the fitness sectors, governments, and families supporting the individual to meet the challenge.  Unknowingly, current environments and behaviors were created by our high technology efficient societies to aid in our prosperity in the modern world yet now these creations are “toxic” to our health.  History tells us that the human spirit is creative and ingenious and therefore it is not uncommon for public policy to lag behind technology and economic policies. There is global agreement that, especially in the developed countries, our desire for efficiency and development of technology has led to an overall decrease in activity and moving our bodies, thus leading to a general weight gain across populations of those countries. Keeping our bodies moving is again, a daily task that should be emphasized at home and in our public school systems from a very early age. Awareness is the first step to change along with the private and public sectors encouraging, supporting, and motivating the individual to change their “toxic” environments and behaviors to create new changed-to-healthy life for the future. The causes of Globesity will be presented along with an array of solutions which is a challenge due to the changes required by the individual and their society.