Causes of infantile-juvenile obesity: Reflexions based on the theory of Hannah Arendt

Abstract

The objective of this study was to reflect on the causes of obesity beyond physical, genetic and biological factors. It is based on the understanding of the human condition and its associated economic and social relationships, derived from Hannah Arendt’s Theory of The Human Condition and relevant literature. The satiety-need cycle and the technological advances of modern society cause consumerism, a sedentary lifestyle that affects children´s health and nutritional education, and an increase of body fat in people. The causes of obesity surpass the direct results of excessive caloric intake and indicate the need to consider the person’s social and economic context. Health professionals need to understand the existing relationship of the self with the socioeconomic, cultural, and political factors that determine obesity in children and adolescents.