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Australian Journal of Primary Health Australian Journal of Primary Health Society
The issues influencing community health services and primary health care
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Obesity: a sociological guide for health practitioners

Samuel G. Grace
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

Internal Medicine Department, Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital, Butterfield Street, Herston, Qld 4029, Australia. Email: samuel.grace@health.qld.gov.au

Australian Journal of Primary Health 26(5) 362-366 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY20100
Submitted: 28 April 2020  Accepted: 31 July 2020   Published: 28 September 2020

Abstract

Obesity is a condition of excess body fat that has been identified as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death globally and increases the likelihood of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and various cancers. Obesity worldwide has tripled in the adult population over the past 40 years, with 13% of the world’s adult population now obese, leading to calls for control of a global obesity epidemic. Causes of obesity can be delineated at individual, societal and systemic levels, highlighting the need for analysis that transcends the biomedical paradigm to explore the sociological influences of this condition. The pathophysiology of why obesity occurs has not changed within recent history, but the way that people live their lives and the cultural understandings that evolve within communities have. This article describes the interaction between obesity and the social environment, explores the meaning of obesity within the context of health and considers the social determinants of obesity within the community. It also discusses the influences of the professional–patient exchange in obesity, the comprehension of obesity as a disease and the challenges of addressing obesity within the healthcare system.

Keywords: health behaviour, health education, healthcare disparities, primary health care, social medicine.


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