GENETIC INFLUENCE IN OBESITY

Genetic Influence in Obesity



Abstract

Obesity is one of the growing phenomena. Various studies have been conducted that focus on the social factors that contribute to obesity; however this research will identify the influence of genetics on obesity. The research uses the mixed methodology that includes experimentation and the online surveys. A quantitative analysis will be used to collect information by the statistical analysis of the target sample based on the survey questionnaire. The statistical analysis will use the determination of the relationship of family history and the occurrence of obesity, and the health characteristics.

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Background3

Causes4

Genetic History5

Study Aims6

Literature Review7

Secondary Data Collection7

Theoretical Perspective9

Strengths and Weaknesses of Literature15

Interrelationships between Previous Literature and the Proposed Study18

Methodology22

Study Design23

Sampling24

Data Collection24

Data Analysis25

Obesity Stigma26

Internalization of Weight Bias26

Interest in Genetic Testing for Obesity Risk27

Reliability and Validity27

Ethical Concerns28

Limitations29

References30

Genetic Influence in Obesity

Introduction

Approximately 7% of the adult population suffers from obesity. Obesity is a global health problem, with a prevalence of socioeconomic status. In developed countries, especially the poor often suffer from this pathology (27% of the U.S. population, 17% of the UK). In recent years, there is an increase of frequency of obesity in children and adolescents. 60-85% of schoolchildren are obese, will remain full and in older age. An intriguing fact is that the local distribution of fat is a more important factor in increasing morbidity and mortality than BMI. Pronounced abdominal obesity (central obesity) - a risk factor for NIDDM, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease. Obesity is a chronic disease comprising of the boost in body fat stores. Therefore, the delineation of obesity should address the allowance of body fat. However, measuring body fat needs complicated procedures that make population-based measure of body fat nearly unrealistic to perform (Koeppen, 2001, 844)

. Consequently, there are not accurately characterised usual standards of body fat. Thus, for functional causes, obesity is measured via the Body Mass Index (BMI), an assessment taking into account the weight for a granted height: BMI=Weight (kg)/height (m). BMI highly correlates with total body fat and is very helpful for epidemiological purposes. The paper discusses the proposed research on the influence of the genetics on obesity. It details out the literature, methodology, research design and the implication of research.

Background

Modern medical science has gone a long way toward explaining the causes of obesity, and the bottom line is clear: the obese are so primarily as a result of a complex interplay between their genes and their environment. Genetic studies have shown that the particular set of weight-regulating genes that a person has is an important factor in determining how much that person will weigh. Over the past decade, scientists have identified many of the genes that regulate body weight and have proved that different variants of these genes can lead a person to be obese or thin. Whether a person does actually become obese, however, depends on their environment. We live in a world where it is easy to find unhealthy fast food meals and harder to find healthy meals. Our lifestyles make it harder to find the ...