Obesity Discourses and Physical Education Essay

Obesity Discourses and Physical Education - Essay Example Lesser than 18.5 is considered to be underweight, while 30.0 up to 34.9 BMI is considered to be overweight. Plotted next is 22 year-old Tom's BMI. His 58.2 BMI corresponded into class 3 obesity or what the narrator classified as morbidly obese. Less than 39.1 up to 35.0 is class 2 obesity and lesser than 34.9 which is up to 30.0 is class 1 obesity. Narrator cited that factors of his irregular BMI into fats, sugars, and salt. These are the ingredients that are rampant in to the common food that Tom had been eating combined with lack of exercise, "it resulted into a one chubby Tom," he said. Obesity is a serious disease. Organs are affected when one is overweight, much more if he is classified with obesity. One of the most in the affected organs is the heart, due to the possible artery blockage. (Medline Plus, 2008) According to the U.S. Surgeon General in their work Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity (2001), "overweight and obesity result from an energy imbalance. This involves eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activity". In it they also cited that "body weight is the result of genes, metabolism, behavior, environment, culture, and socioeconomic status." (Medline Plus, 2008) Along with these claims, they provided that in state of obesity, one is more likely prone to have diabetes, stroke, arthritis, and some cancers. In direct medical definition, obesity means having too much body fat, which is different from being simply overweight, it weighs beyond that. (Medline Plus, 2008) What is alarming is the report of the rapid increase of obesity case in the United States of America and in Australia. Baker Heart Institute reported in their study, Australia Future Fat Bomb (2005) that there are 14,000 adults in Australia that is obese. (Medindia, 2008) In the estimation, there are 70 percent of men 60 percent of women. Ages are ranging from 45 to 65 years old, having the BMI of 25 and greater. The estimation of the statistics outweighed even the United States of America. (Medindia, 2008) In United States a dramatic increase took place during the past 20 years. It was cited that "thirty states had prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; thereof these states (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) had a prevalence of obesity equal to o greater that 30%." (Medline Plus, 2008) U.S. Surgeon General also added that "behavior and environment play a large role causing the people to be overweight and obese. These are the greatest areas for prevention and treatment actions." (Medline Plus, 2001) Similarly to the medical experts, the "obesity crisis" received wide spread attention from sport educators, researchers, health experts and the media and they