Introduction - Exploring the Link Between Obesity and Quality of Life
Obesity has reached an epidemic level in wealthy nations, and prevalence rates of obesity in children have also been noted there. The prevalence of obesity is also rising in emerging nations. Relation between mental health and obesity is complex, what’s more important is that, is its impact on society and the livelihood of people. It is observed that every 6 out of 10 people in the UK are likely to be obese or morbidly obese and reported that have low self-esteem for suffering from some mental issues. Their mental health was also affected negatively by the covid-19 pandemic which is worse than it was before. The worldwide obesity account help tripled since the year 1975 and in the year 2016, it was about 1.9 and billion adults across the globe were considered to be overweight that has obesity (Assets.publishing.service.gov.uk, 2022). The quality of life for people in the UK has been negatively impacted by the growth in obesity in society. The quality of life in relation to health can be negatively impacted by physical and mental disorders as well as society and its citizens. The purpose of this conversation is to investigate how mental health and obesity are related and how that is influencing UK quality of life. The study makes an effort to critically analyse the intricate link between the two from several different angles.
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There is a two-way relationship between mental health issues and obesity in this instance, with diseases like depression causing weight gain and obesity causing depression. According to WHO, obesity can be defined as a condition of “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that threatens the health” (Robinson et al. 2021). Obesity is typically brought on by excessive eating and insufficient exercise. Due to a lack of exercise, consuming a lot of energy mostly made up of fat and sugar doesn't get burned off, and the excess energy is instead stored as fat in the body, leading to overweight and eventually obesity. This excess amount of energy didn't get to burn because of less motion. It is becoming increasingly common in many people because of the modern lifestyle of eating a huge amount of cheap, high-calorie food and not doing any physical activity but sitting down at a desk or on sofas or in cars for a prolonged period. The World Health Organization states that "an energy imbalance between calories ingested and calories expended is the primary cause of obesity and overweight" (Kwonget al. 2021). Several underlying health conditions can also be a factor in gaining weight but they don't usually cause weight-related problems if treated and controlled with rites medication and treatment. Psychological problems which are associated with being overweight or obese can affects the relationship with family and friends and can lead to depression and severe health conditions.
Mental health and quality of life are complexly related to obesity phenotypes. However, there is no certain research that has shown associativity between these two. Mental health issues and obesity have not been studied solely as physical difficulties but they are considered as a single study which is related to BMI or body mass index separately. Individuals with a higher body mass index are likely to have a chance of developing depression and father a study reported a lower chance of Mental Health risk with a higher body mass index. The impact of obesity is undeniable and mental health outcomes like anxiety, stress, depression remains unclear. do this type of condition influences an individual's mood and feelings, reducing their productivity also leads to an economic burden.
Individuals with mental health disorders may experience a negative impact on their mood due to the stigma associated with weight gain-related body image concerns. In that situation, using food as a corporate strategy is possible. But gaining too much weight and being obese might be brought on by a poor diet. According to estimates, 63% of individuals in England are either overweight or obese and by the year 2050, the UK may primarily be a fat culture (Stephenson et al. 2021). Thus, it indicates that obesity is linked to physical, mental, and economic views. The economic costs of obesity are also expected to rise significantly in the UK alone by the year 2050, with an estimated 50 billion euros in societal and commercial costs (Thompson et al. 2021). It signifies that the cost of proper treatment of obesity will rise by several folds in near future and general people will be under the burden of the huge amount of spending due to the treatment. The social and economic burden of treatment will lead to the majority of people in severe stress which could lead to mental health problems in future. In the United Kingdom, it is a very common problem that about one in every four adults and one in every five children aged 10 to 12 is considered overweight or with a lot of body fat. For kids, several factors contribute to overweight including poor diet habits, genetics, not getting enough exercise or can be a combination of all these factors (Lassaleet al. 2021). lack of proper diet and access to healthy foods is up challenging for many families. The conditions related to being overweight and obese for kids can also lead to several health problems in the future including joint problems, shortness of breath or asthma, obstructive sleep apnea liver and gallbladder disease, irregular menstrual cycles in girls and fertility problems in adulthood.
Thus, it signifies that obesity is associated with physical, mental and economic perspectives and the economic consequences of obesity are substantially increasing only in the UK alone, it is estimated that by the year 2050 the societal and business cost of which city will reach the mark of 50 billion euros per year. For those who are overweight, a more accurate waist measurement might be utilised as a gauge. In this type of measurement, the standard for men is 94 cm or more and women with waist sizes 80 cm and more tend to develop obesity-related health hazards in future (Assets.publishing.service.gov.uk, 2022). Obesity can affect the quality of life of an individual with the father leading to psychological problems such as depression and lower self-esteem. It has been shown in several types of research that people with diabetes and obesity are at greater risk of chronic health conditions including depression than people without diabetes (Assets.publishing.service.gov.uk, 2022). Reported that about 62% of adults were overweight in England in the year 2012 and 6 people who are aged 17 years or older had also diagnosed with diabetes in the year 2013 indicating that obesity and diabetes are significantly e rising in England. It can be seen that about 13% of people aged 18 or above with obesity also have been diagnosed with diabetes. Along with that numbers, about 25% of people with over city were severely obese (Assets.publishing.service.gov.uk, 2022). The prevalence of obesity exceeds about 60% and it is higher in people who have severe mental health problems than the general public due to the medication they are under and poor food diet, alcohol uses and an inactive lifestyle (Rowley et al. 2021). Due to their cardiovascular problems, which are linked to a long-term unhealthy lifestyle, smoking, and obesity, persons with schizophrenia in the UK are likely to die sooner than the general population by two or three times the average age.
Recent government initiatives also recognise the importance of both physical and mental health, since those with significant mental illnesses often live 15 to 20 years less than the general population (Le Brocq et al. 2020). The "Five Year Forward View for Mental Health" seeks to promote the physical well-being of those who suffer from mental illness and wants to test around 300,000 persons for secondary prevention (Patalay and Fitzsimons, 2018). This involves enhancing the low take-up test and implementing interventions for type 2 diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity (Bremneret al. 2020).
Measurement of obesity
BMI or body mass index:
The body mass index (BMI), which is defined as "weight measured in kg divided by the square of an individual's height in meters," is one of the most often used indicators of weight status (Assets.publishing.service.gov.uk, 2022). The conventional way of adult BMI classification is categorised as,
excess weight or over with having a BMI of 25.0-29.9kg/m²
Obese having a BMI of 30.0kg/m² and above
The first calculations were made for the European population and corresponded to the risk threshold for several chronic illnesses and death. The distribution of body fat is not directly measured by BMI. Muscle mass can affect BMI measurements.
Waist circumference (WC):
A person's core, or abdominal, adiposity, which is regarded to be more damaging to their health than fat that has been collected in other regions of the body, may be determined by measuring their waist circumference. The risk factors increase as people become older in direct proportion to their amount of central obesity. Increased risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and mental health issues are illnesses linked to obesity (cdc.gov, 2022). The waist circumference threshold for obesity-related health issues in the white population is 94 cm or more for males and 80 cm or more for women (Emmer et al. 2020). For males and women, the comparable threshold for the increased risk is 102 cm and 88 cm (Kuan et al. 2019)). It can also be seen that women are more vulnerable to obesity than the main due to their hormonal imbalance in the body.
Additionally, it has been discovered that individuals of South Asian descent have an elevated degree of obesity-related risk at their waist circumference level and have a mood-centred distribution of body fat without necessarily acquiring generalised obesity. The “International Diabetes Foundation” along with “The south Asian Health Foundation” has reduced the waist circumference for “South Asian and Chinese ethnic groups” from 94 cm to 90 cm for men, which indicates an increased risk for obesity among them (Chu et al. 2019). Although no change has been recommended for the woman and the waist circumference has remained the same, which is 80 cm (Chu et al. 2019). Thus, it can be e seen that the non-white population of the United Kingdom is more prone to mental health and obesity-related health conditions than the white population. This is why ethnicity is a significant factor in the determination of obesity and other health-related problems.
Increase of obesity in the UK and gender role
There was a rise in obesity throughout the globe in the last century. The increasing rate of obesity increased during the 1990s and in the early 2000s (Assets.publishing.service.gov.uk, 2022). The increase was very significant and for men, the number was 13% in 1993 to 24% in the year 2012 and the case of women the numbers were 16% and 25% for the years 1993 and 2012 respectively (Assets.publishing.service.gov.uk, 2022). In the years between the ages of 25 and 54, the rate has climbed by a comparable amount since the 1990s, although it is greater for women than for males. However, the prevalence is greater in men among those between the ages of 55 and 74. Males are more likely to be obese than women in the younger age group of 16 to 24-year-olds, while men are more likely to be obese in the elder generation of 75 years and beyond (Smf.co.uk, 2022). Obesity prevalence is higher among women than men over time, the gap between women and men seems to be narrowing. Some of the predictions show that by the year 2050 obesity will be affecting about 60% of men and 50% of women in the UK (Smf.co.uk, 2022). Also, according to a study people with obesity who got covid-19 to have a 113% chance of being hospitalised than an individual having a healthy weight, and also a tendency of being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with a 74% chance of a 48% mortality rate (Smf.co.uk, 2022). Hence, it can be stated that people with obesity also tend to have other diseases along with covid-19. This is why it is very important to control obesity and prevent mental health problems beforehand.
Figure 1: Prevalence of obesity in adults
In the UK, the estimated cost of overweight and obesity-related morbidity is about 4.2 billion Euros in the year 2007 and the cost is forecasted to be e raised to 9.7 billion euros by the year 2050. The total cost the overweight and obesity are being estimated to reach about 50 billion euros by the year 2050. According to a study by “million women study”, it was found that 1 in every 8hospital admission when attributable to being overweight or obese. The expensive treatment of obesity and overweight-related comorbidities can lead an individual to have mental stress and economic pressure. This may result in psychological issues including sadness, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
Preventing mental illness and obesity
Insuring obesity e policies and recognising the differences in the experiences between gender and focusing on the proper treatment of obesity and mental health problems related to it is very important for the government as well as the people in the United Kingdom. The UK Government's obesity plan is essential for eliminating the severe health and economic disparities that currently exist in the country (Smf.co.uk, 2022). A diet high in vegetables, fruit, legumes, and whole grains is beneficial to health and lowers the risk of obesity. Choosing meals that are lower in fat, sugar, salt, and processed carbohydrates might be a different approach to eating healthily. The problem of mental stress and concern might potentially be greatly reduced with the lowering of obesity. It could result in more people being in good physical and mental health.
Conclusion
The complexity between mental health and obesity can't be explained easily. The study has shown some aspects of obesity relating to mental health problems or vice versa. in the UK, factors are deciding the occurrence of obesity and mental health problems including gender biases, socio-economic pressure and policies of the government. Dieting and eating disorderswithout getting proper exercise and guidance lead to several health problems including obesity and diabetes. Female obesity rates are also high in the UK than men, and age is a determining factor in obesity among gender but sometimes regions play a crucial role in determining obesity. The covid-19 pandemic has made the situation, even more, worse and severely affected the mental health of obese people. Additionally, because of hormonal changes, women are more prone than males to experience mental health concerns and may struggle with sadness, self-consciousness, humiliation, and other mental health problems. The association between obesity and mental health and quality of life has been eroding over time, and it can be inferred that the economy is likely to have an impact on everything in the near future given the multiple-fold increase in treatment costs. Since "health is wealth," it is our responsibility to avoid adopting an unhealthy diet and to honestly maintain our mental health.
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