Just 100 to 150 years ago in the United States, the average middle-class job entailed significantly more physical activity and labor oriented tasks than today. Studies have repeatedly indicated that the modern day workplace emphasizes a much higher premium on social and analytical skills, whereas physical and manual skills have increasingly faded in importance. The net result of this entails more desk jobs or sedentary tasks and less physical movement; when holistically netted across the global economy over the course of multiple decades, this phenomenon has certainly made a significant impact on human health.
The rising rate of obesity globally has been one of the toughest challenges that the field of healthcare has faced. A recent report from the World Obesity Federation found that by 2035, more than half of the global population (nearly 4.5 billion people), will be obese. This growing trend is by no means a surprise; from a macroscopic perspective, the rate of obesity has risen for nearly 100 years now, given evolving working conditions, hours devoted to physical labor by the average person, and the increasing sedentary nature of the workforce.
The modernization of nations globally has increased efficiencies across industries in order to make a larger number of services and goods scalable and available to the masses. However, in this effort, quality has often taken a back seat. For example, studies have found that the growing trend of replacing cane sugar with synthetic or more processed alternatives may be a significant causative factor of obesity and declining health outcomes. Research has also found that food additives and preservatives, originally created to improve mass production and increase shelf-life, are also linked with increasing rates of obesity and chronic disease. Finally, one of the biggest issues regarding diets is the rising costs of organic, preservative free and “whole foods”—meaning that for the average consumer, food without preservatives and additives is unaffordable.
Why is this important? Declining emphasis on individual health has the potential to lead to a significant increase in rates of chronic disease, including the risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, joint diseases, and respiratory ailments.
Fortunately, awareness around this subject is increasing, ranging from more academic research in this arena, to significant political resources being devoted to the cause. Furthermore, the medical and pharmaceutical industries are also attempting to tackle this issue with billions of dollars of investment in therapeutics. Finally, the public is largely receptive to the need to address this issue and create sustainable change. Indeed, society must move fast to recognize and avert this growing crisis.
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