Health Now: An Integrative Approach to Personal
Health, Version 3.0
Linda White
PUBLISHED BY:
FLATWORLD
©2018 BY FLATWORLD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. YOUR USE OF THIS WORK IS SUBJECT TO THE LICENSE
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USED, MODIFIED, OR REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM BY ANY MEANS EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PERMITTED
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CHAPTER 10
Body Weight
Section 1: Learning Objectives
1. Define body image and explore cultural influences and impact on
health.
2. Discover strategies for achieving a positive body image.
3. Define body composition.
4. Discuss methods of assessing body weight and body composition.
5. Explain positive and negative energy balance.
Body Image
• One’s mental image of one’s physical appearance
• Cultures have long valued strong men and beautiful women.
• Preoccupation with a negative body image causes:
• psychological anguish
• low self-esteem
• increased risk of depression
• A survey of American college students found that 24% of college
students—almost 29%of women and 15% of men—felt distressed
about the way they look.
Body Image
• Exaggerated concerns about weight correlate with:
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periodic overeating
fasting
poor nutrition
unhealthy habits and weight-loss behaviors
• Body size dissatisfaction and stigmatization about excess body
weight increase the likelihood of further weight gain.
Body Composition
• Describes the percentage of fat in the body
• fat-free mass: Muscle, bone, teeth, water, and organ tissues
• adipose tissue: Body tissue that stores fat
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subcutaneous fat: stored underneath the skin
visceral fat: stored around the organs in the abdomen
• Benefits of fat
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Forms cell membranes
Critical to the health of eyes, brain, and other nerve tissue
Adipose tissue protects the bones and organs from injury
Insulates against the cold
• Amount of body fat depends on:
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Genetics, sex, age, activity level, diet, and metabolic rate
Figure 10.1 Body Mass Index Chart
Assessing Body Weight and Body Composition
Waist circumference
• Estimates central fat
Waist-to-hip ratio
• Provides indication of central fat
Skinfold measurements
• Estimate of subcutaneous fat
Hydrostatic testing
• Underwater weighing
Bioelectrical impedance analysis
• Uses an electrical current to estimate body fat
Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry
• Assesses the amount of body fat and muscle
• Measures bone density
Energy Balance
• Ratio of intake to energy expenditure
• metabolic rate: Speed at which the body burns calories
• Basal metabolic rate (BMR)—Minimum level of energy to sustain vital
processes
• Negative energy balance—calories burned by the body exceed those
ingested as food
• Positive energy balance—ingested calories exceed the body’s energy
output
Figure 10.3 Caloric Balance
Section 2: Learning Objectives
1. Define overweight and obesity.
2. Discuss the prevalence of overweight and obesity globally and
nationally.
3. Explore causes and environmental shifts thought to contribute to
rising rates of obesity.
4. Describe the health consequences of overweight and obesity.
5. Identify strategies to prevent and treat overweight and obesity.
Overweight and Obesity
• overweight: BMI of 25 to 29.9
• obesity: BMI of 30 and higher
• Key underlying factor
• Positive energy balance
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Habitual intake of calories in excess of calories burned
Figure 10.5 Prevalence of Self-Reported Obesity Among
U.S. Adults by State and Territory, BRFSS, 2016
Overweight and Obesity: Contributing Factors
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Excessive caloric intake
Physical inactivity
Sleep deprivation
Stress
Emotional eating and psychological disorders
Racial and socioeconomic disparities
Social networks
Technological innovations
Environmental chemicals
Potential Consequences of Obesity
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Heart disease
High blood pressure
Stroke
Diabetes
Some cancers
Stresses the joints, increasing low back pain and osteoarthritis
Reduced longevity
Consequences of Obesity
• Societal biases lead to social, academic, and workplace
discrimination
• Economic consequence
• Employer prejudice hinders employment
• Increased expenditure on health care
• Psychological consequences
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Damaged self-esteem
Poor body image
Psychological distress
Increased risk of depression and anxiety
Table 10.1 Medical Conditions Associated with
Being Overweight or Obese
Table 10.1 Medical Conditions Associated with
Being Overweight or Obese (continued)
Preventing Overweight and Obesity
• Increase availability of healthy foods to all people
• Increase access and affordability of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and dairy
• Limit access to obesity-promoting food (high-fat, high-sugar processed food)
• Promote physical activity
• Design walkable communities
• Safe bicycle routes
• Increase access to parks and community recreation centers
• School-based interventions
• Include more fruits and vegetables in meals
• Increase physical activity
• Workplaces can support:
• Healthy food choices
• Regular physical activity
Preventing Overweight and Obesity
• Policy changes:
• Increase taxes on unhealthy foods
• Place nutrition labels on the front of packages to catch consumers’ attention
• Prominently display nutritional information at fast-food restaurants
• Some states have enacted laws curbing sales of sweetened drinks
and other junk foods from vending machines
• Food industry can help by:
• Reducing the fat, sugar, and salt content of foods
• Making healthy foods affordable
Benefits of Losing Weight
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Prevents and helps manage cardiovascular disease and diabetes
Decreases blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides
Resolves obstructive sleep apnea
Decreased joint pain
Decline of body-wide inflammation
Improved bladder function
Improved sex life
Enhances overall well-being and boosts self-confidence, self-esteem,
and self-efficacy
Strategies for Successful Weight Loss
• Extreme low-calorie diets are difficult to sustain and may harm health.
• Body responds by slowing metabolism
• Hormonal shifts tend to increase appetite
• Advantages of modest changes in caloric intake
• Often easier to sustain
• Small fluctuations in calories will not send the body into metabolic slowdown
Tips for Successful Weight Loss
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Set specific, attainable goals
Eat real food
Eat only when hungry
Make time for breakfast
Drink water
Shop at the periphery of the
supermarket
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Keep healthy snacks on hand
Read nutritional labels
Use low-fat cooking methods
Use smaller plates
Eat slowly and mindfully
Push away from the table
sooner
Tips for Successful Weight Loss
• Pack up leftovers
• Stay away from fast-food
restaurants
• Get smart about cafeteria lines
• Store food out of sight
• Find healthy outlets for negative
emotions
• Harness the power of social
networks
• Limit television viewing and
sleep well
• Seek treatment for psychiatric
conditions
• Monitor and celebrate progress
• Maintain good habits during the
holidays
• Be patient and persistent
Medical and Surgical Treatments
• Cognitive behavioral therapy can help people:
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revamp self-defeating thoughts
set goals
identify support systems
break down barriers to success
motivate
strategize successful weight-loss plans
alter behaviors associated with eating
track progress
Medical and Surgical Treatments
• Prescription weight-loss medications:
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suppress appetite
hasten feelings of satiety
increase the rate at which food energy is burned
interfere with absorption
• Side-effects
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upset stomach
nervousness
insomnia
increased heart rate and blood pressure
Medical and Surgical Treatments
• bariatric surgery: Weight-loss surgery
• Gastric banding surgery—restricts the size of the stomach with an adjustable
band.
• Gastric sleeve surgery (gastroplasty)—involves stapling the stomach to make it
smaller.
• Gastric bypass surgery—reduces the size of the stomach and reattaches the
small intestine to this pouch.
Surgical Treatments
Benefits
• Significant weight
loss
• Improvements in
quality of life
• Improvements in
associated conditions
such as diabetes,
high blood pressure,
obstructive sleep
apnea, and arthritis
Risks
• Pain or infection at
the surgical site
• Nutritional
deficiencies
• Heartburn
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Gallstones
Section 3: Learning Objectives
1.
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4.
Examine the more common body image disturbances.
Identify key signs and risk factors for eating disorders.
Discuss the health consequences of eating disorders.
Recognize the need for timely professional treatment of eating
disorders.
Body Image Disturbances
• body dysmorphic disorder: obsessive preoccupation over minor
and imagined flaws
• muscle dysmorphia: obsession with muscularity leading to
impairment of psychological and social function
Eating Disorders
• Range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal eating
behaviors
• Characteristics
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Disturbed body image and abnormal diets
Preoccupation with food
Sense of shame or lack of control about eating
Secrecy about eating behaviors
Distress and anxiety about body weight
Use of extreme means to control weight
• Related risk factors
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Family history
Developmental stage
Preexisting psychological issues
Interpersonal problems
Unrealistic cultural ideals
Eating Disorders
• anorexia nervosa: Characterized by self-starvation, emaciation, and
severe body image disturbance
Signs and Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa
• Fatigue and lethargy
• Cold, dry, and sometimes yellowish skin that’s
covered with fine hair
• Brittle and sparse scalp hair
• Severe constipation
• Depletion of fat stores
• Loss of muscle and bone mass
• Absent menstrual cycles and
infertility
• Depression
• Neurologic damage
• Slow heart rate and low blood
pressure
• Organ failure
• Cardiac arrest
• Death
Eating Disorders
• binge eating: consuming large quantities of food within a relatively
short period of time
• purging: compensating for overeating with self-induced vomiting,
laxatives, or diuretics
• bulimia nervosa: recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by
purging
Eating Disorders
• Health problems of bulimia nervosa
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Dehydration
Electrolyte and acid-base imbalances
Muscle cramps
Tooth decay and erosion of tooth enamel
Thinning bones
Chronic sore throat
Inflammation and tears in the esophagus
Tender, swollen salivary glands
Heart attack due to electrolyte imbalance