Health problems / Health and fitness /Over the past two decades, the United States has seen an increase in the rates of obesity and other weight problems. For example, childhood obesity rates have risen so much that on May 3, 2006, many of the nation's largest beverage distributors announced that they would no longer sell non-diet sodas to most public schools. However, rates of obesity and other weight-related health problems vary from culture to culture and from country to country. Because the United States is an industrialized nation with easy access to junk food, especially for children, obesity is definitely one of our nation's most pressing weight-related health problems. The situation is not the same in other cultures. Many people living in third world countries, especially in Africa, simply do not have the resources to obtain food.
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This results in widespread malnutrition. This single example simply shows that one nation, the United States, has more resources to feed its people than many of the poor countries in Africa and elsewhere. However, when you look at this issue interculturally, it is not that simple. The amount of food available in a culture is certainly a factor to consider when studying the various health problems associated with weight, but there is much more to consider. In our culture, many young women develop eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, which cause malnutrition but not due to lack of resources; Peer pressure and cultural pressure for women to be thin are the causes of rising rates of conditions such as anorexia and bulimia in women. These examples hardly scratch the surface of this problem, however, many interesting questions arise from the examples above.
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How is it possible that a country with vast resources and another country ravaged by poverty have many undernourished people? Why are they malnourished? Besides the availability of food, what other factors must be considered for the various health problems that exist in many different cultures as a result of weight? The overwhelming body of evidence shows that the culture one lives in, genetics, and the availability of food all contribute to the various health problems that affect the world as a result of weight. It is important to note that the culture in which you live defines the food you eat, which is what causes weight and health problems. Therefore, different cultures have different weight-associated health problems and if two or more cultures have a similar weight-associated health problem, the causes may be different. Also, different cultures have different explanations for the various health problems they encounter, and as a result, they practice different ways of curing and fixing these problems.
It is very important to consider the culture in which you live when analyzing all the health problems associated with weight. A look at the health of two ethnic groups located in Queensland, Australia that migrated from the Pacific Islands, the Samoans and the Tongans, shows some interesting things regarding health and weight. (Queensland Samoa). Samoans and Tongans are an interesting group to consider because, according to the Queensland government, "the death rates of those born in the Pacific Islands are higher than those of other Australians.
They are one of the few ethnic groups where this is the case. "Samoa and Tonga believe that one's status is higher the more one eats. This has resulted in" obesity and its associated conditions, cardiovascular disease and diabetes .. . Asthma is also a problem for the Samoan community "(Queensland Samoa). Now, traditionally, Samoans led a very active lifestyle and some genetic tests show that Samoans are larger and weigh more than people of other cultures However, "urbanization, lack of exercise, smoking and changes in diet have taken their toll" (Queensland Samoa). Their culture believes that spirits cause disease. Because of the climate and soil of Queensland allow the growth of plants associated with traditional medicine in Samoa, many Samoans choose traditional healers and perceive Western medicine as ineffective.
Samoans also believe that prayer is extremely important in the healing process. Now looking at a completely different ethnic group living in Queensland, the Italians, we notice some interesting differences in their health and weight issues compared to the Samoans / Tongans and the general Australian population. (Queensland Italy). Although Italians living in Queensland show low exercise patterns, many women are overweight (more than men), many men smoke (more than women), "... both men and women have lower death rates than Australian-born population "(Queensland Italy). Italians also consume less alcohol than the general Australian population. Food is used as preventive medicine because many Italians believe that high energy intake is a type of preventive medicine because they believe that thin people get sick more often. (Queensland Italy).
The following is important comparative information regarding Italians living in Queensland, provided by the Queensland government: There were lower mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures in Italian-born immigrants compared to an Australian-born sample of the same age . Smoking and obesity are higher in males born in southern Europe, but there is a low level of mortality due to heart and respiratory diseases. Thalassemia rates are higher in Italians than in the general Australian population. Death rates from diabetes are higher in Italian women than in other Australian women. (Queensland Italy) Also, Italians in Queensland rarely use hospitals, but tend to use Western medicine. Analysis of these different ethnic groups living in the same place reveals very important information. The examples above show that Samoan / Tonga, Italians, and mainland Australians living in Queensland have very different health problems associated with weight despite living in the same location.
This shows the effect that culture has on weight and health. Samoans and Tongans have higher death rates than Italians and mainland Australians living in Queensland. Italians have the lowest death rate among these groups. There are many reasons for this, many of them related to culture and food. First, the similarities between these groups will be shown, and then the differences that led to these different mortality rates. It seems that both Samoans and Italians have low exercise patterns. Therefore, they burn less energy than people from other cultures. Both groups also smoke, which is increasing. Now the differences are staggering. According to Anne Caprio Shovic, assistant professor and director of Plan V in the Department of Food, Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Hawaii, "Samoans are known to be the most overweight population in the world. They suffer from high rates of related diseases. with weight, such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus "(Shovic).
This happens to be the result of the food they eat and is also genetic. According to NSW Health, saturated fat and, to a lesser extent, cholesterol, are the main causes of weight in Samoans. (New South Wales Health). According to NSW Health, these are the main 'problem foods' that Samoans eat, but while many foods, such as offal (egg liver and kidney), shellfish (prawns), and egg yolks, for example, are naturally high in cholesterol , you are not the main problem. The main cause is an unhealthy fat called saturated fat found in foods like: fatty meat, fatty ground beef, chicken, chicken skin, hot dogs, corned beef, lamb flaps, and turkey tails. Whole dairy products such as milk, cheese, cream, sour cream, yogurt, ice cream fats, and oils such as butter, lard, butcher's solid cooking fat, and cooking oils labeled "vegetable oils." (New South Wales Health). It is obvious that when your culture consistently eats these types of foods, even though they are tasty, they contribute to all the problems that Samoans have with weight.
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Since this is what Samoans have been eating for many years, they are genetically predisposed to being overweight and / or having weight-related medical problems. Italians, on the other hand, are not known to be overweight. According to Rosemary Furfaro, "For the most part, meat is not a regular part of many Italian diets with vegetables, cereals and legumes as protagonists in most households" (Furfaro). Furfaro goes on to say: Basically, Italian cuisine is a combination of vegetables, cereals, fruits, fish, cheeses and a variety of meat, poultry and game usually dressed or cooked with olive oil (except for the extreme north). Reliance on what the country can produce has shaped a popular diet for centuries, particularly among poorer Italians, and is called the cucina povera.
We are now seeing a resurgence of this "poor man's food" and the Mediterranean diet is touted as the model around which we must restructure our eating habits. (Furfaro) Now it seems that the picture is clear. Samoans have a tradition of eating foods loaded with cholesterol and saturated fat. This leads to all kinds of problems already discussed, such as heart disease and diabetes. On the other hand, Italians are leading the way with the Mediterranean diet: the traditional Mediterranean diet provides up to 40% of total daily calories from fat, yet the associated incidence of cardiovascular disease is significantly reduced.