The Psychological, Biological and Cultural Factors That Combine to Influence the Overweight and Obese

The Psychological, Biological and Cultural Factors that Combine to
Influence the Overweight and Obese Tom Emma Brookdale Community College

Abstract
The following is a paper about the psychological, biological and cultural factors that combine to influence the overweight and the obese. The reader will learn of the many different mental affects that an individual has to deal with when facing food consumption issues. Biological influences pertain to genetics and brain activity that control an individual’s hunger. Culturally, an individual’s society through media and peers also play a role in how someone manages their appetite. These factors combine to create a vicious cycle that a person must deal with on a daily basis when facing overweight and obesity issues.

The Psychological, Biological and Cultural Factors that Combine to
Influence the Overweight and the Obese. As society has come to know, being overweight and obese is indeed a serious epidemic, not only in America, but also across the world. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), being overweight and obese are defined as follows: For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using weight and height to calculate a number called the body mass index (BMI). An adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese. It is important to remember that although BMI correlates with the amount of body fat, BMI does not directly measure body fat. As a result, some people, such as athletes, may have a BMI that identifies them as overweight even though they do not have excess body fat (CDC.gov). Also, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guidelines, assessment of being overweight involves the use of three measures: BMI, waist circumference, and risk factors for diseases and conditions associated with obesity. In conjunction with the NHLBI, the Weight-Control Network states that women with a waist measurement of more than 35 inches and men with more than 40 inches may face more health risks because of their body fat distribution. In earlier centuries being fat was considered a sign of wealth and nobility. However, considering the information obtained since, it can be seen there are many health concerns that have been brought about in part due to being overweight or obese. There has been plenty of research and studies performed in recent years to prove being overweight and obese is increasing in our society. The many risk factors related to being overweight or obese are as follows: hypertension, heart attack, stroke, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high glucose, premature heart disease, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, cancer, reduction of life expectancy, etc (NHLBI). Experts have developed a number of methods to help try to prevent and control peoples’ weight. There are several psychological, biological and cultural influences that combine to create a vicious cycle of issues for individuals dealing with weight problems. It is important to understand that each of these factors play a major role in determining whether an individual is capable of controlling the weight problem, able to change the problem, or will allow their weight take over their entire well-being.
Emotional suffering may be one of the most painful parts of obesity. American society emphasizes physical appearance and often equates attractiveness with slimness, especially for women. Many people think that individuals who are considered obese are gluttonous, lazy, or both. This is not true. As a result, people who are considered obese often face prejudice or discrimination in the job market, at school, and in social situations. Feelings of rejection, shame, or depression may occur (W.I.N., 2004). The broad term of “emotional suffering” refers in part to the psychological factors such as depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, and even as extreme as suicide. These are conditions that people of all ages and sizes suffer from every day, but it is only one of the downfalls of being overweight or obese. Psychologically, overeating can have several detrimental effects on the mind, body, and soul.
When dealing with a person who is overweight or obese, the sight and smell of food is extremely difficult for them to ignore. A person like this simply loves to eat. It is very difficult to avoid food when there are such wide varieties of food that just aren’t healthy for consumption. In an environment in which food availability is unlimited, weight maintenance is accomplished primarily by the regulation of food intake (Davey, 2003). The size of food portions also affects a person psychologically. The “toxic” environment in which we live promotes obesity by providing more frequent opportunities for the consumption of excess quantities of food. Portion sizes have increased, and “king size,” prepackaged, ready to eat snack foods are widely sold (Davey, 2003). Taking into consideration that between the sight and smell of food, the varieties available, the quantity available, and the portion size, it is easy to see how all these factors may damage a person psychologically.
Considering the overbearing amounts of food people are exposed to, overweight and obese people recognize they have a problem. It is hard enough dealing with the physical health demands, but it also takes a toll psychologically. All these factors can lead to a great deal of stress. Many people face depression and other mental disorders. The obesity epidemic has to be managed very carefully because there is a whole other problem it could be creating. It was causing many people to have an unhealthy fixation with weight (Stark, 2007). There seems to be a direct correlation between obesity and eating disorders like bulimia and purging as both showed steady increased rates in recent years. Rates of obesity and disordered eating each increased in the past decade, but the chance of suffering both at the same time increased even faster, said Phillip Hay (Robotham, 2008). With that said, it is clear that overeating can cause severe psychological repercussions creating a vicious cycle that leads to even more severe physical health problems.
In connection with biological influences, genetics play a major role in overweight and obese individuals. Genetics are directly connected with addiction and brain activity. According to Dr. Glen Hanson, scientists are studying the relationship between genes and addiction because there are roughly 100 genes associated with addiction (Knittle, 2012). There is a definite correlation between addiction and the hypothalamus in the brain. Obesity is characterized by compulsive food consumption and the inability to restrain from eating despite the desire to do so (Volkow et al., 2007). The hypothalamus is the brain’s center that controls the regulatory signals of consumption and hunger. The genetic products (leptin, ghrelin, insulin) that modulate hypothalamic activity are also expressed in limbic brain regions involved with reward, motivation, learning, emotion, and stress responses that are likely to modulate food consumption (Volkow et al., 2007). Increased dopamine activity drives food consumption from the ‘rewarding’ region of the brain. Dopamine stimulation induces poor inhibitory control and compulsive food intake. When exposed to food, susceptible individuals can begin uncontrollable food consumption and eventually substantial weight gain. Also involving the hypothalamus is the body’s apparent predisposition to maintain itself at a particular weight level called a set point. Coordinated adjustments in both the intake and expenditure of energy serve to stabilize the weights of individuals at a specified level and to resist their displacement from this level. Obese individuals also display these behavioral and metabolic adjustments to weight perturbations and thus appear to actively resist efforts to reduce their weight from the elevated levels they ordinarily display (Keesey & Hirvonen, 1997). This means that an individual’s set point is adjustable; however, it is determined in correlation of other natural physiological factors and changes. It appears evident in this case that hypothalamic activity in conjunction with set points is based on genetics. Another biological influence that is genetic is people’s preferences for sweet, salty, and starchy foods. For example, with salty foods sodium temporarily increases calcium levels in the blood, which tricks the body into thinking the problem is solved, but you may have a shortage of other minerals too. In animal studies, researchers have found that a lack of potassium, calcium, and iron causes test subjects to devour table salt (Doherty, 2009). Sugary foods that are heavy in carbohydrates help boost the levels of serotonin in the brain, which has calming effects. Dr. Alan R. Hirsch describes that it 's basically an antidepressant in dessert form that your body instinctively seeks out when your happy chemicals are bottoming out and you need a quick lift (Doherty, 2009). So these “quick fixes” may trick the brain into thinking it is replenishing the body, but in actuality they are only contributing to one’s fat content. Cultural and social influences also have a stronghold effect on someone’s weight. People are often predisposed to being overweight and obese especially in western cultures because we live in a part of the world where food is more available. The problem with this is we live in a society that is still discriminate and prejudice towards anyone who is different. Affluent western cultures have higher incidences than cultures that have more limited resources. Western cultures also hold more beliefs about individual control over outcomes and value thinness more than non-western cultures (Klaczynski, Goold, & Mudry, 2004). The media is greatly responsible for this separation of state so to speak. Between television shows, magazines, radio, newspaper ads, etc., there is still a great influence that being thin is the dominant portrayal an individual should strive to be. For example, obese women were more likely to be denied employment, receive lower salaries, and perceived to have less leadership potential, according to research published in the International Journal of Obesity (Goldwert, 2012). In parallel terms, the message about obesity in the media often has a lot of moral judgment attached to it—an implication that being overweight or obese is linked to being lazy or having no self-control (Goodyer, 2008). The problem with society is that even though the media pushes for soda bottle figure women and chiseled muscled men, there is still a vast amount of advertising of fast-foods, candies, soda, etc. How is it possible for an overweight individual to attempt to lose weight when the bad foods they need to stop consuming are still thrown in their face by strategic marketing programs on a daily basis? It doesn’t seem very fair, but that is just reality as we have come to know it.
In the U.S. and many parts of the world, the so-called food environment—the physical and social surroundings that influence what we eat—makes it far too hard to choose healthy foods, and all too easy to choose unhealthy foods. Some even call this food environment “toxic” because of the way it corrodes healthy lifestyles and promotes obesity. Families influence children 's dietary choices and risk of obesity in a number of ways, and children develop food preferences at home that can last well into adulthood. When at work there is easy access to unhealthy foods in vending machines and limited access to healthier options, such as fruits and vegetables. Schools are also subjected to the same vending machines that provide unhealthy food options even though in recent years that has begun to change (Harvard School of Public Health). Just like the media influence being everywhere, there are just too many places where bad foods are available.
It is clear that being overweight or obese has become an epidemic that involves many psychological, biological and cultural influences. With the unlimited sources of food in society, it is easy for an individual to fall into a trap or vicious cycle of overeating that can lead to many mental and medical health issues. Due to the media, it is very difficult to control this epidemic that is already out of control. One way to help is to start with the children. Dehgan, Akhtar-Danesh, Merchang (2005), proclaim children are often considered the priority population for interventional strategies because, firstly, weight loss in adulthood is difficult, and there are a greater number of potential interventions for children than for adults. Secondly, it is difficult to reduce excessive weight in adults once it becomes established. Therefore, it would be more sensible to initiate preventative measures and treatment of obesity during childhood. Hence, it is vital we reach out to children early on and carefully. We need to educate the children better and teach them the dangers of being overweight and obese. If everybody is able to do their part, then hopefully the epidemic will reverse and decrease in the years to come.

References
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