What Causes Obesity

Gadgets like the remote control, garage door openers, computers, and video games are just some of the contributing factors. People just don't have to move anymore to do what they need to do and get what they need t6 get. Kids are not as active as they used to be. Transportation is available everywhere. School physical education programs are limited in many schools around the country. And the abundance of fast foods, convenience foods, and frequent snacks tends to cause additional weight gain at younger and younger ages.

Poor eating habits of parents also lead to poor eating habits of children. Habits are shared and passed on from generation to generation. As a result, children are becoming more overweight than ever before. Their risk rises with obese parents, and even more so with obese siblings.

The majority of people become obese from consuming more food than their body needs or using up less energy than their body takes in. This can result from eating too much, exercising too little, or a combination of both.

Eating habits result from a learned behavior that is practiced over and over again. These are often difficult to break because they have been repeated over and over again for years. Some examples of eating habits include drinking coffee every morning, having dessert after a meal, or munching on popcorn during a movie.

People form habits from their infant years as they are taught by their parents and caregivers—their role models. The types of foods, where these foods are eaten, snack choices, and exercise patterns are all habits formed early in life. Good habits are as easy to create as bad ones are, but if parents reinforce unhealthy habits, usually meaning if they practice these habits themselves, it is likely that these habits will be passed on to younger generations as well. Parents also serve as their children's role models through the growing years and help their children get on the path toward their own independent lifestyles. If good patterns are not taught early, they are difficult to pick up later.

Eating habits can change throughout life—for the better and also for the worse. Busy schedules, family food preferences, peer pressure, and fast-paced lifestyles often create habits of skipping meals, consuming frequent convenience and fast foods, finishing a child's plate, eating on the run, and eating whether hungry or not. But on the contrary, having children in your home may inspire you to prepare a family breakfast or try new fruit and vegetable selections at the grocery store or even plan a festive (and healthy) dinner party.

For a small number of individuals, heredity and genetic factors could come into play. Genetic factors can result in endocrine problems from an under active thyroid, meaning a person's metabolism is slower than it should be. But even though many people may want to believe this is their problem, this is most often the exception rather than the rule. Although it's not uncommon for obesity to run in families, it's most likely that a combination of genetics with lifestyle and eating habits are to blame.

Obesity runs in families not only because family members share same genes, but because they also share the same lifestyle habits.

Heredity factors may determine the upper and lower limits of your body weight, but a combination of lifestyle factors keeps you up  and down within those limits.

A person's environment also can contribute to obesity. If an individual lives in a home where large meals and sedentary living are the norm, it's likely that their habits will follow suit. And, of course, your overall size may be a factor in extra wei^ght gain. Some people have a tendency toward a short stature due to their genetics. These individuals have a smaller body mass to feed and as a result this may lead to weight problems if they often eat like their taller, larger counterparts.