Obesity: The Epidemic

The study did not find any significant differences in height, age, weight, and BMI between children who played sports and those who did not. While the children who played sports scored much higher in the motor fitness categories of endurance, coordination, speed, and strength (5 to 12 percent higher), obesity was not consistent between those playing sports and those not playing sports (Association of Sports Club Participation 347). There were no significant differences in skin fold (body composition) between children who played sports and those who did not.

How can this be? Because the study was of children, the numbers may be inconsistent with what we assumed they would be. Children are growing and their metabolism is much greater than that of adults, therefore, exercise may not be a factor in determining whether some children are obese. Exercise is still beneficial for maintaining a healthy level of fitness and adults who exercise may lower their risk of obesity considerably as well as reduce body fat (Association of Sports Club Participation 349).

Another common answer to being obese is poor nutrition. If a person is obese, they only eat “junk food” and it makes them obese, correct? In a study of 3610 individuals living in Sweden, eating pattern and portion size was determined to be the reason for being obese. The study examined men and women between the ages of 25 and 74. Participants with similar BMIs (body mass indexes) were compared with each other. A person qualified as obese if their BMI was great than 30.

Food frequencies, meal patterns, smoking, education, physical activity, and employment status were all assessed via a questionnaire. Participants were asked, based on pictures, how much food they consumed for each meal. There were nine pictures of food, each with a larger portion of food than the previous picture. Each individual was asked to choose the picture that best matches his or her consumption of food for each meal. Physical activity was a confounder that was divided into four intensity levels (Eating Pattern and Portion Size Associated with Obesity 22-23). A confounder is an extraneous variable that correlates positively or negatively with the independent and dependent variable.

Obesity was prevalent in 14.5% of women and in 15.4% of men. Most of the participants reported that they usually ate breakfast (90%), lunch (80%), and dinner (98%). Few (5%) stated that they habitually consumed meals at night. Those consuming a cooked meal everyday totaled 95%, whereas those consuming more than one cooked meal per day totaled only 32%. Being obese was significantly associated with omitting a meal and eating at night. Of obese men, 17.6% did not eat breakfast and 28.1% did not eat lunch. These statistics prove that individuals who habitually omit meals have a much higher risk of being obese. The omission of breakfast or lunch is likely to be compensated for by overeating later in the day (Eating Pattern and Portion Size Associated with Obesity 23).