For many people, being overweight or obese primarily results from a combination of
excess calorie consumption and/or inadequate physical activity.
The effects of human behavior and changes in this behavior have significant effects on all
aspects of life, including mortality and morbidity, as well as its quality. This paper focuses on the
consequences of obesity and the two primary risk factors that have contributed to its
unprecedented increase, nutrition and physical activity. Obesity is an excessive accumulation of
fat (adipose tissue) that can impair health.
The so-called “obesity epidemic” has been underway for more than 30 years, with
significant adverse health ramifications. This has been particularly troubling because all
segments of the population have on average gained weight, with an especially large percentage
increase in those more severe obese categories with its correspondingly large financial and
personal impact.