Obesity_Is_an_Inevitable_Consequence_of_Technological_Progress

Obesity is an Inevitable Consequence of Technological Progress The prevalence of obesity has risen so dramatically worldwide that it is now being referred to as an epidemic. According to the World Health Organisation, in the year 2005, approximately 1.6 billion adults and 20 million children under the age of 5 years were overweight and at least 400 million adults were obese (WHO 2006). WHO further projects that by 2015, approximately 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese. The obesity rates have increased significantly in the recent decades. In Australia alone, the obesity rate has increased from 9% to 17% in men and from 8% to 20% in women within a span of twenty years between 1980 and 2000 (Dixon & Walters 2003), and the trend is continuing. Obesity is directly linked to high blood pressure and insulin resistance, which leads to fatal diseases such as heart attacks, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Obesity is also a culprit in other health problems, such as respiratory illnesses, musculoskeletal problems, infertility and certain types of cancers (WHO 2006). This crisis must be due to the combination of facts that people are eating more, eating un-healthy food and doing less physical activities. Health experts are examining whether technological progress is leading people towards bad lifestyle choices. There are claims that obesity is a result of certain disorders in the immune system and perhaps even a consequence of infection (Rogge 2002). Immunisations are usually administered parenterally and not through the digestive tract. They bypass the body’s natural defences and provide immunity from diseases such as polio and hepatitis. Antibiotics have altered the way individuals overcome immunity challenges. People are further exposed to more immunogenic substances that are consumed as food additives, as well as antibiotics and hormones used in food production. Dr.Rogge believes that the resultant inflammation in the adipose tissues is an immune response; however, she acknowledges that more research is needed into her point of view. Another theory states that insufficient sleep could cause obesity (Gangwisch 2008). Hormonal changes in sleep-deprived subjects leads to increased appetite and craving for sweet and salty snacks, which in turn leads to obesity. While Dr.Gangwisch cites the results of experimental studies at the University of Chicago to back up his claims, his theory fails to explain the sudden increase in obesity rates in the past three decades. The primary contributor of obesity is bad lifestyle, which begins with un-healthy eating habits. Obesity in the native Aboriginal population prior to the European settlement in 1788 was virtually nonexistent. Their diet consisted of relatively low consumption of meat, the vast majority of it being from lean animals. It was not until the second half of the 20th century that the increasingly sedentary lifestyle and fatty foods resulted in a significant level of obesity in the Aboriginal community, leading to problems with diabetes and other medical conditions (Booth 2007). When the energy intake from the food consumption consistently exceeds the energy spent on bodily functions, the excess calories are stored as fat deposits and thus people gain weight. Over the years, there has been a great increase in the pace of human lives. Modern fast-paced lifestyle is pushing the people towards calorie-dense fast foods, and the demands are being met by steady advancements in food production technology. Advances in the agricultural methods led to more food being produced and at a faster rate. As a consequence, food has become more affordable. For example, Australia produced 9,370 kilo tonnes of wheat in 1977-1978, whereas the production was 26,132 kilo tonnes in 2003-2004 (AWB 2006). In USA, between 1985 and 2000, when obesity rates more than doubled, food prices fell 14% (USDA 2008). A more efficient agricultural system and advanced methods of food processing and distribution have led to the availability of the ready-to-eat foods anytime and anywhere. These incentives have led the people towards reckless consumption and into the obesity epidemic. Apart from bad eating habits, the other main factor contributing to obesity is the lack of physical activity. In an agriculture based society of yesteryears, work was very strenuous and the workers were paid to undertake the exercise. Failure to do the hard work often had its dire consequence: starvation. Whereas in a typical modern society such as Australia, most of the work involves very little exercise. Moving less at work results in burning fewer calories in everyday work life. This makes people to pay for undertaking physical activities, rather than being paid to exercise at work. This payment is mostly in terms of monetary expenditure such as gymnasium fees, and also in terms of time consumed. This means that leisure weight control must now substitute for job weight control. Australians spent an average of 22% of their time on leisure activities in 1997. Only 6% of adults played sports compared to 82% who watched television in their free time (ABS 1998). Technological progress has also contributed to the obesity epidemic by effectively reducing the amount of physical activities people undertake in everyday life. Industrial revolution has brought about changes in manufacturing techniques. Mass production methods have increased the efficiency of the manufactured goods. As a result, the gadgets used in everyday life have become cheaper and affordable to everyone. Automobiles are now being favoured over the push-bikes and the good old fashioned stroll as the common means for travelling short distances. Highly efficient vacuum cleaners have made cleaning and dusting a lot easier. Cheap and effective washing machines have taken the laundering work away from the humans. Dish washers now take care of dirty dishes every day. Abundance of elevators and escalators means that the stairs are now being used only in emergencies. In the garden, automated sprinklers water the plants without human intervention and the list goes on. Childhood obesity is a particular public health concern because excess weight in childhood is likely to lead to excess weight in adulthood, and raise the risk of obesity related diseases from an earlier age. Technology has also proved to be behind the gradual disappearance of physically active play time amongst children. A survey conducted over a two week period of leisure activities in children aged between eight and fourteen indicates that 97% of children had watched television whereas only 24% had been skateboarding or rollerblading (ABS 2006). Compared to the limited evening hours of broadcasts when television was first introduced in the 1950s, today’s programs run all day and night, and include networks from all over the world, and targets everyone from toddlers to senior citizens. The growth in obesity is a result of growth in calorie consumption outpacing the growth of physical activity. Changes in lifestyle, advancements in food production were the incentives for people that led to such a rise in obesity levels by stimulating intake of calories at the same time as discouraging spending these calories on physical activities. Advances in food production methods were a direct result of technological progress. Technological advancement has both lowered the cost of intake of calories and raised the cost of exhausting the same, hence contributing in more than one way to the rise in obesity. Technology has also led to less strenuous work and a sedentary lifestyle in all walks of people’s lives. Technological developments such as satellite television and video games have influenced the way children spend their leisure time. Early childhood is a time of tremendous physical growth for children and the lack of exercise caused by extended television viewing and playing video games is a direct result of technological availability. These facts point the finger at technological advancement of the recent past, which had its unintended consequence: obesity. Reference List Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2006, Children’s Participation in Cultural and Leisure Activities, no. 4901.0, ABS, Canberra. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 1998, How Australians Use Their Time 1997, no. 4153.0, ABS, Canberra. Australian Wheat Board (AWB) 2006, Wheat Statistics, viewed 09 May 2009, Booth, ML 2007, Trends in the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among Young Australians, 1985, 1997, and 2004 vol. 15, p.5. Dixon, T & Walters, AM 2003, A Growing Problem: Trends and Patterns in Overweight and Obesity among Adults in Australia, 1980 to 2001, Bulletin no.8, cat. No. AUS 36, AIHW, Canberra. Gangwisch, JE 2008, ‘Sleep Duration and Obesity’, Encyclopaedia of Obesity. SAGE Publications, viewed 08 May 2009, Rogge, MM 2002, The Case for an Immunologic Cause of Obesity, viewed 08 May 2009, USDA ERS Briefing Room 2008, Food CPI, Prices, and Expenditures, viewed 08 May 2009, World Health Organisation (WHO) 2006, Obesity and overweight, Fact sheet No. 311, viewed 08 May 2009,