Obesity is a rapidly growing problem in the world. Overeating, an addiction to eating, poor nutritional content of food eaten, a lack of physical activity, or any combination of these factors generally causes obesity. Also genetics may play an important factor in obesity, allowing certain people to be more susceptible to the disease.

Not only does obesity create an undesired body image, it creates many health problems as well. Nearly 300,000 people die each year as a direct result from obesity. (The Surgeon General’s Call…) Also, obesity can cause heart disease, diabetes, several types of cancer (including colon cancer, gall bladder cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer, and breast cancer), breathing problems such as asthma and sleep apnea, arthritis, and can have reproductive consequences. Most of these effects are not present immediately, so many obese persons do not realize the problem affects them much worse than simply changing their appearance.

Not only can obesity cause physical harm, it can cause mental and social damage as well. Obesity can cause depression, it can affect the quality of life, and can cause social or job discrimination. Many perceive that these are the only main effects of obesity, but education proves that the serious health problems pose the main risks.