by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: January 13, 2009

Few obese people would claim to have chosen to be obese. Most people who do not struggle with their weight would probably look at the decisions, in terms of food and exercise, which obese people make and regard the implications of such a lifestyle as a choice. However, this is far too simplistic, as it does not take into account a person's genetic disposition, their relationship with food, their emotional state, the level of their own self-awareness and their general education. Yet, this does not necessarily make obesity a disease.

Take the case of obese children; they are too young to take control over their own routine; they do not have a say over the food they eat or the exercise, or lack of exercise, which they participate in. A child's obesity is largely down to the poor decisions made by the parents. Often the parents struggle with their weight, too, which makes it difficult for these parents to know what a normal' diet is, and how much activity a child should be doing. In the case of the parents there is a certain amount of choice with regard to the food that they eat and how active they are, but this does not excuse the fact that their child has no say on the matter. They and their children may be overweight, but can this be explained simply by genetics?

It is true that obesity tends to run in families. Parents who struggle with weight issues are likely to pass down similar eating and exercise habits to their children, and so it is extremely difficult to ascertain how much obesity is a result of nature over nurture. Genetics, should not simply provide a useful get-out clause for taking responsibility for one's actions, though. There are people with obese parents who manage to buck the trend by educating themselves and by not letting them get themselves into a situation where they are obese. Genetics may account for why some people find it difficult to maintain a healthy weight, but people should not simply use that as an excuse when there are people who have battled with obesity and managed to come out of it at a healthy weight.

There are severe cases of obesity, though, where it is not simply a matter of losing weight. Some people reach a stage where their whole being is consumed by an obsession with food which escalates to the point that they are so fat that they can no longer get out of bed. Eating so much that you can no longer move is hardly the action of a well-balanced, healthy individual. Indeed, for many people obesity is bound up with psychological issues with food. Food may provide them with some short-term solace, but it also proves to be their ultimate enemy.

Obese people tend to have low self-esteem and a low sense of self-worth, and food is comforting because it does not mock them or make them feel bad about themselves. The more overweight a person becomes the easier it is to become alienated. This tends to lead to more weight gain and further isolation. For a person who is so depressed, there is little choice in the matter; this is their routine and it is all they know.

People do have choices over how much they eat and what exercise they do, but few people choose to be obese. There are not only implications for a person's physical health, but also for their mental health, which only worsen as a person gets heavier. Even when a person loses a significant amount of weight, they often have certain issues with food which may not be of concern to a normal' person. What seems to be a choice can soon develop into a disease as certain people's weight spirals out of control and their mental state becomes ever more fragile.

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