IS OBESITY A DISEASE?
Obesity
There is no reservation that excess weight can cause a wide range of health complications, including heart disease and cancer, not different with smoking. But, while we may consider smoking an addiction, we would barely consider it a disease. So why should obesity be eligible? This paper examines why identifying obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical practitioners tackles this complex issue that affects approximately a quarter of population around the globe.
According to Wikipedia, obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. The bearing of obesity on health is causing increasing concern everywhere in the world. Systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study of 2013
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The first reason that warrants considering obesity a disease is about access to treatments in health care systems. Whereas a lot of money is spent each year treating the consequences of obesity, prevention and treatment of obesity itself is kept at bay. Considering admission to behavioral, medical or surgical programs for obesity, these are practically not available in most health care systems around the world and worse still in developing countries.
The critics argue that labeling obesity as a disease would have significant costs. "The Government determines which diseases are classified, and cost to Medicare is a significant determining factor," an AMA (Australian Medical Association) spokeswoman once said. Which is actually the point; the governments should intervene because it will save a lot money in trying to seek treatment in expensive private hospitals for their citizens.
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