AN EVALUATION OF THE OBESITY PHENOMENON IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL WORK THEORIES

Abstract

Obesity is a disease that negatively affects millions of people worldwide. This disease, which causes many people to experience physical, psychological, emotional, social and economic problems in terms of its consequences, is one of the most discussed diseases both in the world and in our country in recent years. Millions of people apply to obesity diagnosis and treatment centers in the world and in our country every year for treatment. It is very important to evaluate this disease, which has various treatment methods, not only from a medical perspective and to understand not only its medical consequences but also its biopsychosocial consequences. Social work is a profession and discipline that aims to understand the biopsychosocial aspects of problems and diseases and to make a holistic planning, intervention and evaluation with an individual approach in the environment. The phenomenon of obesity is a public health problem where various applications can be made for individuals, families and society experiencing this phenomenon. In this study, it is aimed to make an evaluation of social work theories towards the obesity phenomenon in order to give more space to obesity in the social work profession. Practices in the social work profession are based on theoretical foundations. Some of these theoretical approaches that guide practices are discussed in this review study. These are biopsychosocial approach, ecological approach, system approach and empowerment approach.

Keywords

• obesity
• obesity in social work
• social work theories

References

1. Bell, L. A. (2007). Theoretical foundations for social justice education.InL.A.Bell,M.Adams,&P. Griffin(Eds.), Teaching for diversity and social justice (pp. 1–14). New York: Routledge/ Taylor & Francis.
2. Bertera, M. E., Bertera, L. R., & Shankar, S. (2003). Acculturation, socioeconomic factors and obesity among immigrants from El Salvador. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 12, 43
3. Burke, S. (2011). Childhood social factors and their impact on young adulthood obesity. Social Work Theses. 67.
4. Campos, P. (2004). The obesity myth. Why America’s obsession with weight is hazardous for your health. New York: Gotham Books.
5. Davison, K. K., & Birch, L. L. (2001). Childhood overweight: A contextual model and recommendations for future research. Obesity Reviews, 2, 159–172.
6. Derezotes, D. (2000). Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice. Eliadis, E. E. (2006). The role of social work in the childhood obesity epidemic. Social Work, 51 (1), 86-88.
7. Guttmann, D. (2006). Ethics in social work: A context of caring (pp. 131–162). New York: Haworth Press.
8. Kilgore-Bowling, G. (2017). The Impact Of Attıtudes And Belıefs About Fat On Socıal Work Educatıon In Appalachıa: An Exploratory Study. University of Kentucky. Author ORCID Identifier: https:// orcid.org/0000-0002-1495-7212.

9. Mayhew, R. S. (2006). Eating disorders and obesityas social justice issues: Implications for research and practice. Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology, 1,1 –12.
10. Mazzo, S. E., Saunders, R., & Mitchell, K. S. (2005). Binge eating among African American and Caucasian bariatric surgery candidates. Eating Behavior, 6, 189–196.
11. Melius, J. (2015). Exploring social workers’ use of the socioecological model as an ıntervention and research framework for treating overweight or obese client. Social Work, Volume 60, Number 1 January 2015.
12. O’Dea, J. A., & Caputi, P. (2001). Association between socioeconomic, weight, age and gender, and the body imageandweightcontrolpracticesof6-to19-year-old children and adolescents. Health Education Research, 16, 521–532.
13. Openshaw, L., (2008). Social Work in Schools: Principles and Practice. The Guilford Press, New York. Poulin, J. (2000). Collaborative social work: Strengths-based generalist practice. Itasca, IL: . F.E. Peacock.
14. Sealy, Y. M., & Lawrence, G. F. (2011). Parents’ stage of change for diet and physical activity: Influence on childhood obesity. Social Work in Health Care, 50, 274–291.
15. Wang, S. S., Brownell, K. D., & Wadden, T. A. (2004). The influence of the stigma of obesity on overweight individuals. International Journal of Obesity, 28, 1333– 1337. doi:10.1038/ sj.ijo.0802730
16. Valera, P., Gallin, J., Schuk, D., & Davis, N. (2009). Trying to eat healthy: A photo voice study about women’s access to healthy food in New York City. Affilia, 24, 300–314.