Introduction
Health is a critical component of wellness and has a significant impact on everybody’s life. For several decades, Americans were excessively concerned with their diet and well-being and were constantly urged to lose weight and eat properly. Obesity prevalence among elderly persons in the United States is alarming (Lincoln, 2020). While the physical health implications of being overweight are well-documented, the emotional impacts are less recognized. Due to the prevalence and persistence of adiposity, it is essential to comprehend its implications on many facets of wellbeing. The available research supports several general findings concerning the association between being overweight and mental well-being. This paper aims to examine adiposity and psychological health through the four lenses. By examining obesity and mental health via these four lenses, we understand how these perspectives begin to function in concert to provide a more comprehensive view of the medical emergency people confront.
The most fundamental is that obesity and mental health are causally related. The four perspectives of general education illustrate how a concern or incident in wellness has impacted the contemporary community. The history lens illuminates the background of individuals who are obese and suffering from disorders associated with mental health to gain a better knowledge of how they arrived at the current. The humanities perspective delves into innovative human thinking and explains how people perceive obesity and mental health and engage with society. The physical viewpoint of science enables individuals to understand better themselves, their place in the environment, and how nature shapes them. The social science viewpoint investigates community and interpersonal relationships to understand better how individuals interact and how they might enrich their lives.
Lens Analysis
Historical lens
By examining obesity and mental well-being from a historical perspective, we can deduce the core etiology of overweight and psychological health. Overweight and cognitive functioning are two distinct illnesses normally studied in isolation, with few studies giving incidence rates for their co-occurrence. Obesity has been noticed in the global population throughout history and has often been loved and loathed at the same time. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 39% (1.9 billion) of persons aged above 18 years are chubby, while 13% (650 million) are obese (Agha & Agha, 2017, p. e17). Additionally, the World Health Organization reported that around 37% (100 million) of individuals and 17% (12.7 million) of youngsters are obese (Agha & Agha, 2017, p. e17). By and large, the incidence of mental health issues decreases with age.
Despite lower rates, being overweight can raise a person’s chance of developing mental health conditions. Obesity and overweight are connected with significant melancholy, chronic depression, and anxiety symptoms. Thus, it is impossible to properly evaluate older persons’ psychological health without considering the existing and predicted increase in obesity rates within this cohort over the coming years. Throughout much of civilization, mentally unstable men, women, and children have been treated terribly. Historically, mental disorder was regarded as evil. Thus, if someone acted unusually, it would be regarded as evidence of paranormal activity. If someone is deemed to be possessed, many sorts of interventions are used to expel the entities from the victim.
Humanities lens
Obesity is a significant and significant concern from a humanities approach. According to the CDC, the United States government invested more than 147 billion dollars in 2008 in obesity prevention, treatment, and education (Bornhoeft, 2018, p. 85). From a humanitarian standpoint, obesity and mental health impose a significant expense and care delivery problem on the healthcare system and state. The cost of treating obesity and its accompanying health hazards like mental health can become unmanageable for the economy, resulting in hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and a plethora of other disorders that must be addressed not only for life-saving purposes but also to preserve a certain standard of life.
The press is the most influential factor in why mental disorders are viewed as wicked; these are the opinions of the community’s psychological disorders resulting from media coverage. People relate to the press in various methods, and it is ubiquitous; the media’s influence on people worldwide is remarkable but somewhat frightening. Because it either has a beneficial effect on the incident, problem, or individual, or it has the most detrimental effect on the circumstance or individual, resulting in a horrific reaction.
Natural and applied sciences lens
Natural and applied science perspectives are tied to advancing therapies and procedures in scientific progress across time. This viewpoint contributes to society’s understanding of overweight by focusing on what triggers the body to respond, equipping them for combat to avert the condition. This prism gives appropriate counsel by assessing risk factors associated with individuals, from newborn feeding to regular meals. Society establishes numerous research laboratories, such as the Greenlight Management Study, to determine the efficacy of a limited, primary healthcare intervention in reducing early childhood adiposity. Mental health care and management have progressed, there are more centers than mental institutions, and many individuals now have access to appropriate and scientific proof of mental wellbeing solutions. Patients share their sensations with a doctor, who correlates them with a diagnosis and develops an effective treatment plan. In actuality, this simplistic approach obscures the complexities involved in comprehending, identifying, and diagnosing mental disorders.
Social sciences lens
This perspective is critical for addressing the overweight and psychological health epidemics because it enables individuals to comprehend how people interact to understand better why and how obesity and psychological wellbeing occur. Social sciences emphasize that programs that focus exclusively on losing weight are ineffective but can be extremely beneficial if they concentrate on how chubby persons behave to understand better how obesity can be managed. As a result of these investigations, it has been determined that psychological health and melancholy play a significant role in developing these difficulties. Individuals are constantly compared to one another in sporting events and frequently suffer from sadness due to being ridiculed by others. It is revealed that anxiety is connected with an increased Basal Mass Index (BMI) in people. Depression management is also a critical component of obesity reduction.
Conclusion
Impact
The thorough examination of wellness as a phenomenon and the condition physicians should actively enhance and accomplish in target populations has changed my perspective on interpersonal interactions and global societal challenges. With a more sophisticated understanding of wellness, individuals have begun to regard conversations with others to promote the growth of wellness-related competencies and increased awareness of obesity and mental health for health management. For example, people have been attempting to manage disagreements constructively in their interpersonal interactions to protect both their psychological health and the wellbeing of others from anxiety and relationship conflicts while advocating the need for health promotion. Additionally, individuals’ view on world trends has evolved since they began evaluating them through the lens of how they promote the welfare of others.
Social practices
It is usual in contemporary society to question an individual’s health entirely based on their looks. Weight, mental stability, and even the extent to which individual dresses can all be used to draw judgments about a person’s lifestyle. The perception of wellness among individuals is impacted by what is visible. As a result, individuals may feel as though conclusions have been already established about them, preventing them from stepping up and getting treatment; after all, if they appear to be in good health, they must be healthy.
Benefits and challenges
The benefits of addressing issues in wellness will include increased awareness among individuals of the medical condition being addressed. For instance, educating individuals on obesity and the various ways of maintaining a healthy lifestyle would greatly help combat obesity. However, the main challenge is that specific individuals cannot explain their emotions to others successfully and occasionally themselves. They prefer to conceal it to make it disappear; this is how society has trained them to resolve their conflicts. While some require a unique style to communicate themselves, others merely ought to overcome the notion that they must conceal their emotions to create an impression of strength to the world.
Interactions
An improved psychological state can lift one’s spirits and make one feel happy. Persons with heightened awareness are likely to reduce their risk of developing dementia, as interaction benefits brain function. By enabling one to rely on others and letting others depend on them, wellness fosters a feeling of protection, connection, and confidence. Additionally, social wellness teaches individuals to establish limits that promote a forum for discussion, trustworthiness, and effective conflict resolution. Therefore, social well-being is crucial for emotional tolerance development and disease prevention.
References
Agha, M., & Agha, R. (2017). The rising prevalence of obesity: part A: impact on public health. International Journal of Surgery. Oncology, 2(7), e17. Web.
Bornhoeft, K. (2018). Perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of primary care providers toward obesity management: a Qualitative Study. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 35(3), 85-101. Web.
Lincoln, K. D. (2020). Race, obesity, and mental health among older adults in the United States: A literature review. Innovation in Aging, 4(5), igaa031. Web.