One of the most pressing issues facing public health is obesity. While infant obesity rates are alarming, adult obesity can be just as dangerous. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that by 2020 more than 39 millions children below the age of 5 will be obese. In 2016, over 340 million teenagers were considered overweight. More than 625 million individuals worldwide are considered obese and more 2 billion overweight. (World Health Organization. 2020). Although these numbers seem alarming, obesity can be prevented and reversed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that an obese person has at least 25 body mass (BMI), while someone who is overweight has at least 30. These numbers can vary depending on the person’s gender, age and genetic makeup. Recognizing the causes and consequences of obesity is possible. You can also take countermeasures to mitigate the problem.
To understand a particular health problem like obesity, one must use a theory framework. This will give an insight into the issue as well as suggest possible intervention strategies. The integration of several frameworks into a coherent theory helps to understand the problem and provides a way for the solution. In order to understand how obesity is caused, behavioral change frameworks were used in the past (World Health Organization 2020). Because weight gain is a result of individual decisions and are influenced by environmental norms and social settings, behavioral frameworks can help in understanding obesity and how to prevent it.