Obesity Case

The two contemporary issues talked about in this essay are Obesity and the iPhone. Obesity is the most common problem in today's society. There are many fad diets, and weight losing options out there that are temporary. In this essay, why diets fail and don't necessarily lead to long term weight loss is discussed as well as the causes of Obesity and the Set Point Theory . Secondly, the iPhone is also a very much talked about gadget which has revolutionized the mobile phone market. This essay analyzes the psychology behind the iPhone including it's advertising strategies and the reasons behind it's success.

A woman's body image plays a big role in her self esteem. Around 50% of young women have reported to be dissatisfied with their bodies (Bearman, Presnell, and Martinez 2006). According to the NHS Information Centre, Obesity is a term used to refer to a condition where there is excess amounts of body fat and weight is more than what the height requires. The NHS also reported, in 2008, nearly a quarter of adults aged 16 and above, 24% men and 25% women were reported as obese in the UK. There are many causes of obesity such as over-eating, genetics, stress, depression and many more.

The role of media is listed as one of the many reasons of obesity particularly in children (Boyce, 2006). A study by Dietz &ump; Gortmaker (1985) suggests, for each additional hour of television children aged between 12 -17 viewed, the prevalence of obesity increased by 2%. On the other hand, food being the most advertised product on children's television, advertisements make quite an impact on unhealthy consumption (Boyce, 2006). Children who watch this advertisements are more likely to choose the foods advertised compared to the ones who don't (Coon &ump; Tucker, 2002). The image of body presented by the media is expectable, obese characters are commonly portrayed as unattractive, unpopular and unsuccessful (Brown &ump; Witherspoon; Parallel as cited in Boyce 2006). This portrayal or image of obese people can be harmful for their self-esteem and can cause stress, anxiety and/or depression.

The Set-Point Theory developed in 1982 by Bennet and Gurin to explain why dieting is unsuccessful in producing long term body changes suggests we all have a control system in-built in us that dictates how much fat the person should carry (MIT Medical). This theory also suggests that over-eating during childhood makes the body produce cells that are used for the storage of excess fats and as the person grows, the cells continue to store more fat (Sace, 2009). The set point is like a thermostat, it keeps the weight constant although the drawback would be that it fails to see the difference between dieting and starvation (MIT Medical). It automatically assumes that the body is going into starvation mode and conserves all the calories making it hard for the dieter to lose weight. In addition, the dieter is likely to experience unceasing hunger if the diet is started out with a high set point causing the diet regimen to be less effective (MIT Medical) . On the contrary, a professor from the University of California, Cheryl L. Rock said that recent studies are using more precise and advance methods to challenge this theory. Another professor Dr Rock went on and suggested that the problem with weight maintenance is due to lack of physical activity. Therefore, as much as the set point theory makes sense because many of us have been through the dieting phase, it is also true that exercising for at least 30 minutes a day can increase metabolism.

Despite knowledge of the set-point theory, the most popular option for people with obesity is dieting however this doesn't necessarily end their problems. There are many factors that determine how successful they are. There are many diet programs out there that look very promising but there is very little data published about side effects linked with dieting (Allison &ump; Pi-Sunyer, 1995). According to Perri &ump; Fuller (1995), it is concluded that by dieting one can achieve only short term weight loss which is difficult to maintain. "Of those who do lose weight, most will regain it" (Stunkard, 1975). Studies carried out over the years have found that dieters are more likely to gain more weight than prior to loss. In a longitudinal study, obese people in a hospital were starved for at least 38 days and reported 23% of the patients who were followed for just less than 2 years had gained more weight than what they lost. 83% of the participants that were followed for two years or more showed likely results of weight gain (Swanson &ump; Dinello, 1970). Similar studies suggested that there would be an increase in weight if participants were followed for a longer time(Mann et al, 2007). A theory by Herman &ump; Polivy (n.d) notes that obese people tend to restrain their food intake by dieting and avoiding initiation of food intake however, once they start eating, the eat much more than people with normal weight do. The psychology behind this may be that when they get a chance to eat, their mind is actually thinking they haven't had enough because of the period they starved thus keep on eating. On the other hand, a study on participants that were randomly assigned to a diet only, exercise only or diet and exercise regimen for a year found that although all the weight loss was similar during the first year, in the second year, participants who followed the diet only regimen reported a weight gain while participants that followed the diet and exercise regimen remained below the baseline. Also, the participants who followed the excercise-only regimen reported better long-term weight loss (Skender et al, 1996).

Therefore, short term weight loss is not the cure for obesity and although many researches conducted link health risks such as diabetes with obesity and suggest weight loss there is no evidence that shows dieting can cause improvements in health. According to Allison &ump; Pi-Sunyer (1995), it is very difficult for someone to realise after putting so much into dieting and starving oneself that it is almost impossible to achieve significant weight loss. One of the alternatives to this might be "self acceptance", accepting self for what one is. A benefit of this would be to avoid the disappointment that may come after all the weight is once again gained back. Wadden &ump; Stunkard (1993), have documented that although weight loss can cause psychological improvement in those who are distressed by their weight, there is evidence that it can cause more psychological distress when followed by weight regain.

Another good point made by Allison &ump; Pi-Sunyer (1995) is, it is traditionally believed that obesity is voluntary and