Ensayo

Valentina Correa Zacipa
English VII
September 26th, 2010

SOCIETY OR HEALTH: WHAT IS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU?

When people hear about eating disorders, it is probably to think in alimentary problems, in people who can’t control in a right way their feeding or diet. These problems with food are considered like dangerous and or in some cases as mental illnesses, for these reasons eatingdisorders are not only seen like a problems dealing only with food. These types of problems are the result of personal life troubles. Nowadays eating disorders are related to long-standing behavioral, biological, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors.

Teens and young women are most commonly affected with these eating disorders, but people of all age groups can be affected aswell. In the same way people with these problems have a negative and distorted body image, and they have intense feelings about food. Eating disorders include anorexia and bulimia nervosa and other binge eating disorders. According to the above it can be said “eating disorders are psychological illnesses which have a negative impact on both physical and mental health. Extreme dieting, starvation,bingeing, purging, over exercising and poor body image perception are features of eating disorders, and they do not paint a pretty picture. Many people suffer from anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder and related conditions, which can have devastating consequences for themselves and their families”

At this point, it can be seen some causes and consequences about this mental illnesses, but inthis comparative/contrast essay, it will deal with social causes and emotional consequences about anorexia nervosa and obesity. Clearly it is a large theme, for this reason it will only see a specific topics.

First and foremost, anorexia nervosa is a common problem among young women. But men can also suffer of anorexia. This eating disorder is characterized by an illogical fear to food andbecoming a fat person, equally they feel a deep desire to be skinny. People with anorexia nervosa look for a low body weight, but they see themselves fat in mirror, and increasingly their diet are extreme. That is why anorexia can become a lifelong problem.

Causes of anorexia nervosa are not defined so far. There are several causes for this problem: family history, social factors, and personalitytraits. In this case it will be treat social factors. People whom are in an environment where to be “skinny” is very important or physics play a major role (Ballet, gymnastics, modeling, figure skating, running, and wrestling) are exposed to this eating disorder. Because it is a symbol of beauty and it represents success, happiness and self-control. Other social causes are media and fashion industry.Social factors play a large role in causing anorexia nervosa. The pressure on women to be thin seems to have negatives effects on some people. “In today’s society a great deal of emphasis is placed on a woman’s appearance and physical aspect of the person”.

Similarly, obesity is other eating disorder. This disorder is characterized by an excess of weight and a person is considered obese whenits Body Mass Index (BMI) is over 30 kg/m2. “Obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories than it burns. For many people this boils down to eating too much and exercising too little. But there are other factors that also play a role in obesity. These may include: social factors, genetics and psychological factors.

There are several social factors to obesity; nowadays people have asedentary lifestyle and a lot of unhealthy food. Social environments are more conducive to this type of dangerous life. Some social factors are:

People prefer an automobile. This has discouraged walking and bicycling, made it more difficult for children to get together to play, and has increased the time adults spend driving.

High calorie foods and beverages which are easily available, cheap...