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LITERATURE REVIEW

1. Jane Ogden, Maria Stavrinaki & James Stubbs (2009) The role of life events in triggering both weight loss and weight gain and assessed whether a number of variables differentiated between these two types of weight change. Members of a slimming club (n = 538) completed an online questionnaire concerning two events, which had caused either weight loss or weight gain. They then described the event and its impact in terms of a number of variables. The majority of participants could describe a time when a life event had resulted in both weight loss and weight gain including relationship problems, pregnancy, illness and death of someone close. Compared with the weight gain event, the weight loss event was perceived as more positive, less negative, more controllable and more predictable than the weight gain event. Further, in terms of sustaining conditions, the weight loss event was perceived as reducing the choice over food and the function of eating and as increasing the choice over exercise and the function of this behaviour. To conclude, life events are related to weight change and the direction of this change can be explained both by the perceived nature of the event and its impact upon choice and function of eating and exercise. 2. Cliff English (1993) Individuals who experience weight problems frequently have a long history of weight gain and weight loss. Based on observation and participation, this study follows a group of dieters in a weight loss clinic over a period of one year. The findings suggest that social factors in the dieter's world have a significant impact on the degree of success experienced. Of particular significance are the perceptions of others once extensive weight loss occurs. It is argued that the loss of weight is only one of a number of issues that the heavy person deals with as he or she moves into the thin world. 3. TeriSue Smith-Jackson & Justine J. Reel (2012) Freshmen women reported intense fears about gaining weight. Women most commonly attributed freshman weight gain to newly found food independence, social comparison with peers, and the influence of friends and family. Women frequently cited eating habit changes to explain college weight gain. 4. Heidi M. Sleister & Maria Gabriela Valdovinos (2011) Weight gain is an oftenobserved side effect of atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) and is particularly significant in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). The majority of
WHY DO PEOPLE GAIN WEIGHT

individuals treated with AAPs will gain at least 10% of their initial body weight over the course of therapy (Umbricht & Kane, 1996). One's genetic constitution is an important factor that influences the variability of weight gain observed among patients taking AAPs. 5. Hibret Alemu, Damen Haile Mariam, Amy Tsui, Saifudin Ahmed & Aster Shewamare (2012) Studies have reported an inverse relationship between depressive symptoms and weight and CD4 gain and a positive association between social support and weight and CD4 gain. The main objective of this study was to explore the effect of depressive symptoms and perceived social support on weight change and CD4 cell progression in an HIV clinic in Ethiopia. The study design was descriptive cross-sectional, with a sample of 1815 HIVinfected adults age 18 years or above. Depressive symptoms and perceived social support were the independent variables, while weight and CD4 cell count were the dependent variables. Regression modeling was the main statistical approach used for the analysis. A significant proportion of females reported depressive symptoms: being bothered by things that do not bother other people, they had been depressed, and their sleep had been restless for 57 days a week. A lesser proportion of males reported these problems. 6. Sankar Mukhopadhyay & Jeanne Wendel (2011) Surgeon General's Consumer Guide lists weight-gain as an important relapse trigger, the 2001 Surgeon General's Report on Women and Smoking concludes, paradoxically, that actual weight-gain during cessation does not appear to predict relapse. This dichotomous view reflects longstanding scientific uncertainty about the role of weight-gain in triggering relapse. This scientific uncertainty, which stems from mixed clinical trial results, is problematic for insurance coverage decisions such as state Medicaid programme decisions to cover or exclude smoking-cessation and weight-control pharmaceuticals. Analysts hypothesize that selection bias may explain the inconsistency between the negative clinical results and the persistent view that weight-gain triggers relapse, if weight-concern is both a key determinant of the transition from smoker to ex-smoker, and a key moderating variable in the relationship between weight-gain and relapse. We therefore use the nationally representative 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) to test the relapse-trigger hypothesis, and conclude that post-smokingcessation weight-gain triggers relapse among weight-concerned white women, but it is associated with quitting success among Hispanic women. In addition, our results do not support the hypothesis that the mixed clinical trial results reflect selection bias based on weight-concern. 7. Mir M. Ali, Aliaksandr Amialchuk, Song Gao & Frank Heiland (2012) Previous studies on the spread of obesity in social networks have focused on the contemporaneous effect of peer weight outcomes on individuals. This article is the first to investigate the longer term effects, within adolescence and from adolescence into early adulthood, of peers on individual weight outcomes. Using
WHY DO PEOPLE GAIN WEIGHT

data from the first three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), and accounting for correlated effects using a number of empirical strategies including school-level fixed effects and accounting for neighbourhood preferences, we show that Body Mass Index (BMI) and overweight status in a person's friendship network influence their BMI and likelihood of being overweight. The evidence suggests that there is some persistence of the effects of past peer weight experiences on individual weight outcomes during adolescence and into early adulthood. The findings are consistent with adolescence being an important formative period of individuals preference for ideal physique and own body weight aspirations. We conclude that policy makers should be particularly concerned with interventions during childhood and adolescence, in order to slow the spread of obesity by promoting a healthy body image and positive health behaviours.

CONCLUSION:
In reviewing weight issues and potential interventions, it is important to first define excess weight. In adults, there is general consensus that excess weight is measured using standard categories of Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a direct calculation using height and weight, and is a practical indicator for adults of body fat. Weight control issues arise when there is an energy imbalance. An energy imbalance develops when an individual takes in more calories than they utilize through physical activity. It doesnt matter what anyone else eats, when you eat, what you eat, or what your issues or problems are. If you take in too many calories you will gain weight. Obesity is a serious and complex public health issue facing our nation and the rest of the world, and we all must work together to solve it. We know, and science supports, that obesity is not uniquely caused by any single food or beverage. Several factors play a role in obesity and overweight, Genetic influences: To date, more than 400 different genes have been implicated in the development of overweight or obesity, although only a handful appear to be major players. Genes contribute to obesity in many ways, by affecting appetite, satiety (the sense of fullness), metabolism, food cravings, body-fat distribution, and the tendency to use eating as a way to cope with stress. Behavioral Factors: Lack of physical activity, and increase in social activities, are important causal factors related to obesity and overweight. Time spent viewing television, facebook and intake of sugar sweetened soft drinks are both directly and positively correlated with obesity.

WHY DO PEOPLE GAIN WEIGHT

Environmental influences: Environmental factors are the outside forces that contribute to these problems. They encompass anything in our environment that makes us more likely to eat too much or exercise too little. Taken together, experts think that environmental factors are the driving force for the dramatic increase in obesity. Environmental influences come into play very early, even before youre born. The food factor: Between 1971 and 2000, the average man added 168 calories to his daily fare, while the average woman added 335 calories a day. Whats driving this trend? Experts say its a combination of increased availability, bigger portions, and more high-calorie foods. Practically everywhere we go shopping centers, sports stadiums, movie theaters food is readily available. You can buy snacks or meals at roadside rest stops, 24-hour convenience stores, even gyms and health clubs. Stress and related issues: Obesity experts now believe that a number of different aspects of worlds society may conspire to promote weight gain. St ress is a common thread intertwining these factors. For example, these days its commonplace to work long hours and take shorter or less frequent vacations. In many families, both parents work, which makes it harder to find time for families to shop, prepare, and eat healthy foods together. This does more than increase stress levels. Time pressures whether for school, work, or family obligations often lead people to eat more and to sacrifice sleep, both of which can contribute to weight gain. Drug side effects: Several prescription drugs can cause weight gain as a side effect by increasing appetite or slowing metabolism. Illnesses that affect weight: A few illnesses that are characterized by an imbalance or an abnormality in your endocrine glands can also affect your weight. These include hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid), polycystic ovarian syndrome, and certain unusual tumors of the pituitary gland, adrenal glands, or the pancreas.

Genetic disorders: Obesity is also a symptom of some rare and complex disorders caused by genetic defects. These obesity syndromes usually appear in early childhood and are tied to several additional medical problems .

WHY DO PEOPLE GAIN WEIGHT

REFERENCES
1. Understanding the role of life events in weight loss and weight Journal: Psychology, Health & Medicine Volume 14, Issue 2, March 2009, pages 239-249. gain

2. Gaining and losing weight: Identity Journal: Deviant Behavior Volume 14, Issue 3, July 1993, pages 227-241.

transformations

3. Freshmen Women and the Freshman 15: Perspectives on Prevalence and Causes of College Weight Gain Journal: Journal of American College HealthVolume 60, Issue 1, January 2012, pages 14-20 4. Why Research On the Pharmacogenetics of Atypical Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain in Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities Is Warranted Journal: Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual DisabilitiesVolume 4, Issue 2, June 2011, pages 65-78. 5. Effect of depressive symptoms and social support on weight and CD4 count increase at HIV clinic in Ethiopia AIDS CareVolume 24, Issue 7, July 2012, pages 866-876

6. Is post-smoking-cessation weight-gain a significant trigger for relapse? Journal: Applied EconomicsVolume 43, Issue 24, September 2011, pages 3449-3457 7. Adolescent weight gain and social networks: is there a contagion effect? Journal: Applied EconomicsVolume 44, Issue 23, August 2012, pages 2969-2983

2012 Behavioral Health and Wellness Program, University of Colorado Why People Become Overweight Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. http://www.tandfonline.com/

WHY DO PEOPLE GAIN WEIGHT