Many factors contribute to one's risk for overweight and/or obesity. Lifestyle choices, such as good nutrition and adequate physical activity, lead to good health and help to maintain a healthy weight. Other lifestyle factors, such as breastfeeding and tobacco use are included since it is known that they can influence weight. Also included below is the genetic factor as it relates to obesity.
Diet
Good nutrition and adequate physical activity are necessary to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Good nutrition is essential for childhood growth and development as well as overall health. Behaviors that promote good eating habits, which lead to good health, should start at the beginning of life with breastfeeding and continue through childhood into adulthood.
Physical Activity
Regular physical activity is crucial for maintaining a healthy weight. A sedentary lifestyle plays a large role in a person’s likelihood to be overweight or obese. Over time physical inactivity can shorten life expectancy, decrease quality of life, and limit independence. Physical inactivity is associated with obesity, heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and anxiety and depression.
Media Use
The television is on for seven hours and 40 minutes per day in the average American home. The average American adult spends over four hours each day watching it; the average American one-year-old child watches six hours of television per week; the average American child between two to 17 years of age spends 19 hours and 40 minutes each week watching television; 56 percent of children eight to 16 years old have a television in their bedroom; and 36 percent of children six years old and younger have a television in their bedroom. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no screen time (including
TV, video, etc.) for those younger than two and 1-2 hours/day of "quality programming" for children of other ages. While some of these recommendations are related to content, others are related to nutrition, diet, and obesity.
Pregnancy Weight Gain
Excessive pregnancy weight gain is contributing to the increase in obesity. In 2005, slightly more than 52% of Utah women gained too much weight during pregnancy. Women who gain too much weight during pregnancy are at risk for long term weight gain and retention. Research has found that pregnant women who gain more than the amount recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) are four times more likely to be obese one year after giving birth than women who gain within the recommended range.
Tobacco Use
Concerns about gaining weight may deter
people from quitting smoking and may promote relapse. Weight gain that follows tobacco use cessation is considered a negligible
health threat compared to the major and immediate health benefits of quitting. The average smoker gains five pounds after quitting, and a small
percentage of smokers gain more than 20 pounds. To offset this weight gain, smoking cessation should be accompanied by healthy eating and an exercise program. Quitting smoking may help individuals to be physically active and maintain a healthy weight by improving respiratory health.
Genetics
Currently less than five percent of all obesity cases can be explained by mutations in single genes. Obesity generally involves both gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. Although environmental factors play an important role in obesity, genetic factors also contribute to the development of obesity. Genes can indirectly influence obesity through a variety of ways such as taste, appetite, satiety, metabolic rate, and fat distribution. Family history is also an important factor in the development of obesity because it reflects genetic susceptibility as well as shared behaviors, lifestyle habits, cultural beliefs, and other environmental risk factors among family members.
