Social Determinants of Obesity: The Case of Turkey

Abstract

Obesity is often considered merely a medical problem with medical solutions. It is viewed as a matter of changing one’s diet and increasing physical exercise. However, to understand and address this complex issue, its social determinants must also be deliberated, which include individual, socioeconomic, cultural and political factors. Therefore, obesity cannot be analyzed without acknowledging its socioeconomic, cultural and political underpinnings. In this review, the social determinants of obesity in Turkey will be used as an illustrative example. We will highlight the behavioral, social, and environmental factors, and argue that only by identifying actions through social policies, beyond the health sector can obesity be clearly understood and tackled.  Finally, with the use of social, economic and political dimensions, we will show how the social conditions influence individuals’ health and well-being.

Keywords

• Social determinants,obesity,social policies,Turkey

Obezitenin Sosyal Belirleyicileri: Türkiye Örneği

Öz

Obezite konusu genellikle tıbbi çözümlerin sunulduğu tıbbi bir sorun olarak ele alınmaktadır. Bu nedenle de daha çok bireylerin diyetini değiştirme ve fiziksel egzersiz miktarını artırma meselesi olarak görülmektedir. Oysa obezite sorununu anlayabilmek için, bireysel, sosyoekonomik, kültürel ve politik faktörleri içeren sosyal belirleyicilerinin de ele alınması gerekmektedir. Bu bağlamda, obezite sosyoekonomik, kültürel ve politik temelleri kabul edilmeden analiz edilemez. Bu araştırmada, obezitenin sosyal belirleyicileri Türkiye örneğinde ele alınmıştır. Obezitenin davranışsal, sosyal ve çevresel faktörlerinin anlaşılması gerektiği ve ancak, sağlık sektörünün ötesinde sosyal politikalar bağlamında alınacak önlemlerle çözülebileceği vurgulanmıştır. Son olarak, sosyal, ekonomik ve politik boyutları kullanarak, sağlığın sosyal belirleyicilerinin, bireylerin sağlığını ve refahını nasıl etkilediğini göstermeye çalışacağız.

 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sosyal belirleyiciler,obezite,sosyal politikalar,Türkiye

Kaynakça

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