Is Obesity an Individual or Societal Issue? [Poll]

Solving the problem of obesity has not been an easy tackle. What’s the difficulty in understanding how to find a solution if the numbers are so high? That would be uncovering the root cause. The debate seems to examine the fundamental argument of nature vs. nurture. Should it be an individual or societal concern?

The Rising Importance of the Obesity Issue

The problem of obesity affects approximately 650 million adults around the world. It’s classified as a medical condition that occurs when a person has excess weight and or body fat that is negatively impacting their health. An analysis of BMI (body mass index), and comparing statistics to what is average for you, helps determine obesity.

Why it Might be a Personal Affair

A nationwide US survey looked at the perception of 800 individuals concerning obesity. Eighty percent of these stated that they believe that individuals were mostly to blame. Responsibility of individuals as compared to that of food manufacturers, restaurants, government policy, grocery stores, farmers, and parents. The secondary group to be deemed responsible, according to the survey, were parents.

In the case where obesity occurs as a result of upbringing and habits, these details are unique to each individual. Idiosyncratic to each person, obesity may also happen as a result of genetic predisposition to gaining weight or possessing genes that specifically affect it otherwise.

Why it Might be a Social Issue

The reason for obesity to be regarded as a social issue is consistent with how many things come to be societal concerns. As previously noted, there are personal and individual causes of obesity. However, it is fair to say that society can help to shape perceptions. These perceptions may have the power to both enable and prevent behaviors that are related to or lead to obesity.

In considering global and national efforts to improve obesity rates, it’s only logical to conclude that even if it didn’t start that way, obesity is now a societal issue.

Between nature vs. nurture and the chicken-and-egg metaphor, perhaps pinpointing who is responsible is not as relevant as finding a solution.

While finding a solution may need to involve isolating a definitive cause, it likely varies from person to person. From approximate understanding, the problem of obesity appears to be both an individual and a societal issue. What do you think?