cause and effect of unhealthy lifestyle essay

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Essay on Unhealthy Lifestyle

An essay is a piece of writing that revolves around a particular theme and contains the academic opinions of the person writing it. A basic essay mainly consists of three parts: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion.

In this post, you will find a brilliant essay on Unhealthy Lifestyles.

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Essay on Unhealthy Lifestyle (600+ Words)

In today’s busy world, it is very common for people to fall victim to the dangers of an unhealthy lifestyle. Sedentary habits, poor dietary choices, and neglecting self-care have become the norm for many, leading to detrimental consequences. However, it is crucial to acknowledge the profound impact of such a lifestyle and take the necessary steps to reclaim our well-being.

One of the primary contributors to an unhealthy lifestyle is the lack of physical activity. Many people find themselves leading sedentary lives, spending long hours sitting at desks or engrossed in digital screens. This dearth of movement not only paves the way for weight gain and obesity but also heightens the risk of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Our bodies are designed to be active, and the absence of regular exercise deprives us of vitality and robust health.

In conjunction with physical inactivity, poor dietary choices compound the perils of an unhealthy lifestyle. Fast food, processed snacks, sugary beverages, and excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates dominate many individuals’ diets. These choices often pack a caloric punch and contain unhealthy fats, sodium, and sugar, while lacking essential nutrients. Consequently, weight gain becomes an inevitable outcome, and the likelihood of developing metabolic disorders, cardiovascular problems, and other chronic diseases skyrockets. Furthermore, a diet devoid of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins deprives our bodies of vital nourishment, weakening our immune system and compromising our overall well-being.

An unhealthy lifestyle doesn’t merely take a toll on physical health; it also wreaks havoc on mental well-being. Chronic stress, irregular sleep patterns, and neglecting self-care routines contribute to heightened levels of anxiety, depression, and overall mental distress. The demands of modern life often lead individuals to sacrifice their own well-being in pursuit of success, leaving them emotionally drained and vulnerable to mental health challenges. Neglecting self-care activities, such as relaxation, leisure, and engaging in hobbies, further perpetuates this cycle of stress and burnout.

Escaping the clutches of an unhealthy lifestyle necessitates a deliberate commitment to change. It commences with making small yet significant adjustments to our daily routines. Incorporating regular physical activity, even in the form of brisk walks or short workouts, can yield profound benefits for our health. Prioritizing a balanced diet that encompasses abundant fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins furnishes our bodies with the essential nutrients required for optimal functioning. Adequate hydration is also vital, as consuming a sufficient amount of water facilitates digestion, bolsters energy levels, and supports overall well-being.

Equally vital is nurturing our mental and emotional health. Engaging in stress-reducing activities like meditation, mindfulness, or practicing relaxation techniques can help restore equilibrium and enhance our resilience in the face of life’s challenges. Establishing boundaries and carving out time for self-care activities, be it pursuing a hobby, immersing oneself in nature, or simply indulging in moments of self-reflection, plays a pivotal role in maintaining emotional well-being.

It is essential to recognize that an unhealthy lifestyle not only jeopardizes our personal well-being but also places a burden on society as a whole. The healthcare system bears the brunt of preventable chronic diseases, while the economic impact of reduced productivity and heightened healthcare costs is significant. By embracing a healthier lifestyle, we not only enhance our own quality of life but also contribute to the construction of a healthier and more sustainable society.

In conclusion, an unhealthy lifestyle carries substantial risks for our physical and mental well-being. It is imperative that we break free from sedentary habits, poor dietary choices, and neglect of self-care that have become ingrained in our lives.

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Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle

What is an inactive lifestyle.

Being a couch potato. Not exercising. A sedentary or inactive lifestyle. You have probably heard of all of these phrases, and they mean the same thing: a lifestyle with a lot of sitting and lying down, with very little to no exercise.

In the United States and around the world, people are spending more and more time doing sedentary activities. During our leisure time, we are often sitting: while using a computer or other device, watching TV, or playing video games. Many of our jobs have become more sedentary, with long days sitting at a desk. And the way most of us get around involves sitting - in cars, on buses, and on trains.

How does an inactive lifestyle affect your body?

When you have an inactive lifestyle,:

You burn fewer calories. This makes you more likely to gain weight.
You may lose muscle strength and endurance, because you are not using your muscles as much
Your bones may get weaker and lose some mineral content
Your metabolism may be affected, and your body may have more trouble breaking down fats and sugars
Your immune system may not work as well
You may have poorer blood circulation
Your body may have more inflammation
You may develop a hormonal imbalance

What are the health risks of an inactive lifestyle?

Having an inactive lifestyle can be one of the causes of many chronic diseases. By not getting regular exercise, you raise your risk of:

Heart diseases , including coronary artery disease and heart attack
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Metabolic syndrome
Type 2 diabetes
Certain cancers, including colon , breast , and uterine cancers
Osteoporosis and falls
Increased feelings of depression and anxiety

Having a sedentary lifestyle can also raise your risk of premature death. And the more sedentary you are, the higher your health risks are.

How can I get started with exercise?

If you have been inactive, you may need to start slowly. You can keep adding more exercise gradually. The more you can do, the better. But try not to feel overwhelmed, and do what you can. Getting some exercise is always better than getting none. Eventually, your goal can be to get the recommended amount of exercise for your age and health.

There are many different ways to get exercise; it is important to find the types that are best for you . You can also try to add activity to your life in smaller ways, such as at home and at work.

How can I be more active around the house?

There are some ways you can be active around your house:

Housework, gardening, and yard work are all physical work. To increase the intensity, you could try doing them at a more vigorous pace.
Keep moving while you watch TV. Lift hand weights, do some gentle yoga stretches, or pedal an exercise bike. Instead of using the TV remote, get up and change the channels yourself.
Work out at home with a workout video (on your TV or on the internet)
Go for a walk in your neighborhood. It can be more fun if you walk your dog, walk your kids to school, or walk with a friend.
Stand up when talking on the phone
Get some exercise equipment for your home. Treadmills and elliptical trainers are great, but not everyone has the money or space for one. Less expensive equipment such as yoga balls, exercise mats, stretch bands, and hand weights can help you get a workout at home too.

How can I be more active at work?

Most of us sit when we are working, often in front of a computer. In fact, less than 20% of Americans have physically active jobs. It can be challenging to fit physical activity into your busy workday, but here are some tips to help you get moving:

Get up from your chair and move around at least once an hour
Stand when you are talking on the phone
Find out whether your company can get you a stand-up or treadmill desk
Take the stairs instead of the elevator
Use your break or part of your lunch hour to walk around the building
Stand up and walk to a colleague's office instead of sending an email
Have "walking" or standing meetings with co-workers instead of sitting in a conference room

Get Real about Getting Active (American Heart Association)
Overcoming Barriers to Physical Activity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Screen time and children (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Standing or Walking Versus Sitting on the Job in 2016 (Department of Labor)
What Are the Risks of Sitting Too Much? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

Journal articles references and abstracts from medline/pubmed (national library of medicine).

Article: Vulnerability to physical inactivity: evidence of content validity and response processes.
Article: Relationship between Sociodemographic and Health-Related Factors and Sedentary Time in Middle-Aged...
Article: Effectiveness of multi-component modular intervention on screen-based and non-screen-based sedentary time...
Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle -- see more articles

The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Healthy Lifestyle — Impact of Lifestyle on Health

Impact of Lifestyle on Health

Categories: Healthy Lifestyle

About this sample

Words: 766 |

Published: Jan 29, 2019

Words: 766 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Works Cited

Farhud, D. D. (2015). Impact of lifestyle on health. Iranian journal of public health, 44(11), 1442–1444.
World Health Organization. (2014). Noncommunicable diseases: Key facts. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases
Gopinath, B., Hardy, L. L., Baur, L. A., Burlutsky, G., & Mitchell, P. (2011). Physical activity and sedentary behaviors and health-related quality of life in adolescents. Pediatrics, 128(6), e1493–e1500.
Knutson, K. L. (2010). Sleep duration and cardiometabolic risk: A review of the epidemiologic evidence. Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 24(5), 731–743.
Richter, D., & Berger, K. (2016). Postmodern Health: Critical Perspectives and Issues. Routledge.
World Health Organization. (2021). Tobacco. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco
McEwen, B. S., & Gianaros, P. J. (2010). Central role of the brain in stress and adaptation: Links to socioeconomic status, health, and disease. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1186(1), 190–222.
Yazdani, S., Yaghoubi, A., & Mirzaei, M. (2017). Sleep quality and its relationship with lifestyle indices in patients with type 2 diabetes. The Scientific World Journal, 2017, 9805342.
Kandiah, J., Yake, M., & Jones, J. (2014). The relationship between dietary quality, serum vitamin D and depressive symptoms in an urban clinic. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 33(6), 481–486.
Thompson, W. G., Foster, R. C., Eide, D. S., Levine, J. A., & Fealey, R. D. (2008). Sleep duration and body composition in a nationally representative sample of adults. Sleep, 31(9), 1317–1326.

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Research article
Open access
Published: 06 September 2021

Unhealthy lifestyles, environment, well-being and health capability in rural neighbourhoods: a community-based cross-sectional study

Anabela Marisa Azul ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-3295-1284 1 , 2 , 3 ,
Ricardo Almendra 4 , 5 ,
Marta Quatorze 6 ,
Adriana Loureiro 4 ,
Flávio Reis 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 ,
Rui Tavares 1 , 2 , 3 ,
Anabela Mota-Pinto 6 , 9 ,
António Cunha 10 , 11 ,
Luís Rama 12 ,
João Oliveira Malva 2 , 6 , 7 , 11 ,
Paula Santana 4 , 5 ,
João Ramalho-Santos 1 , 2 , 13 &

HeaLIQs4Cities consortium

BMC Public Health volume 21 , Article number: 1628 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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Non-communicable diseases are a leading cause of health loss worldwide, in part due to unhealthy lifestyles. Metabolic-based diseases are rising with an unhealthy body-mass index (BMI) in rural areas as the main risk factor in adults, which may be amplified by wider determinants of health. Changes in rural environments reflect the need of better understanding the factors affecting the self-ability for making balanced decisions. We assessed whether unhealthy lifestyles and environment in rural neighbourhoods are reflected into metabolic risks and health capability.

We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study in 15 Portuguese rural neighbourhoods to describe individuals’ health functioning condition and to characterize the community environment. We followed a qualitatively driven mixed-method design to gather information about evidence-based data, lifestyles and neighbourhood satisfaction (incorporated in eVida technology), within a random sample of 270 individuals, and in-depth interviews to 107 individuals, to uncover whether environment influence the ability for improving or pursuing heath and well-being.

Men showed to have a 75% higher probability of being overweight than women ( p -value = 0.0954); and the reporting of health loss risks was higher in women (RR: 1.48; p -value = 0.122), individuals with larger waist circumference (RR: 2.21; IC: 1.19; 4.27), overweight and obesity (RR: 1.38; p -value = 0.293) and aged over 75 years (RR: 1.78; p -value = 0.235; when compared with participants under 40 years old). Metabolic risks were more associated to BMI and physical activity than diet (or sleeping habits). Overall, metabolic risk linked to BMI was higher in small villages than in municipalities. Seven dimensions, economic development, built (and natural) environment, social network, health care, demography, active lifestyles, and mobility, reflected the self-perceptions in place affecting the individual ability to make healthy choices. Qualitative data exposed asymmetries in surrounding environments among neighbourhoods and uncovered the natural environment and natural resources specifies as the main value of rural well-being.

Conclusions

Metabolic risk factors reflect unhealthy lifestyles and can be associated with environment contextual-dependent circumstances. People-centred approaches highlight wider socioeconomic and (natural) environmental determinants reflecting health needs, health expectations and health capability. Our community-based program and cross-disciplinary research provides insights that may improve health-promoting changes in rural neighbourhoods.

Peer Review reports

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are the leading causes of health loss globally, accounting for 91% of deaths and almost 87% of disability-adjusted-life-years (DALYs) in Europe [ 1 ], in part due to unhealthy diets and lifestyles [ 2 , 3 ]. A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease [ 4 ], undertaken by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Institute for Health, Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) highlight three metabolic risks among the five leading risks of DALYs worldwide: i) high systolic blood pressure (SBP), ii) high fasting plasma glucose and iii) body-mass index (BMI). In parallel, in 2019, a large-scale study including more than 112 million adults across urban and rural neighbourhoods estimated that BMI increased 2.1 kg/m 2 in both women and men in rural neighbourhoods over the past three decades; suggesting that the rising of rural BMI is currently the main health risk factor in adults [ 5 ].

Health loss risks in rural neighbourhoods may be amplified by wider determinants of health and well-being such as the geographic and historical factors across economic and socio-cultural characteristics [ 6 ]. Places are living organisms that produce dynamics, generate environments and create societies [ 7 , 8 ] They are a set of multiple, complex and overlapping environments that support life (e.g., home, social relationships, communities and neighbourhoods) [ 9 ]. The exposure to positive or negative environments, that occur in particular geographic locations, influence human health and well-being throughout the course of life [ 10 , 11 ]. Problems related with built, connective, and relational space present themselves when spatial planning and development models cannot be adjusted in face of a changing landscape, for instance, ageing phenomena [ 12 ]. A growing elderly population accentuates the ability to pursue health in place due to a combination of physical–cognitive and functional–social and psychological fragility [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ].

Communities have a deep understanding of their surrounding environments enabling them to better assess external factors [ 13 , 14 ] impacting health and the ability to make healthy choices. Comprehensive theories of health and social justice [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ] intersect individual-level data and broader structural and environmental circumstances, for mapping the conditions that reflect health needs, health expectations and health capability gaps at both individual and community levels. In this way, Ruger’ health capability mode of 2010 [ 18 ] includes the capability to reduce/prevent the exposure to metabolic risks factors, to reduce DALYs and early mortality, to pursue healthy lifestyles, or to gain health-related knowledge, which is viewed both as an end for individuals (intrinsic motivation) but also as a driving force for encouraging changes at the community level, e.g., socioeconomic development, built and natural environment, or social cohesion, particularly in rural areas [ 20 ].

Self-management of NCD remains poorly implemented in rural neighbourhoods despite self-adherence to healthy lifestyles evidence reflected in self-ability to make balanced decisions [ 21 , 22 ]. The community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a wide-ranging methodological approach that concedes the possibility of exploring gaps between what is expected and what is afforded and its interconnections and interdependencies [ 23 ], while evidence-based data can be helpful for assessing an individual’s health functionality. Therefore, we propose a qualitatively driven mixed-method design to assess unhealthy lifestyles of people living in rural neighbourhoods, which includes gathering evidence-based data about metabolic risks and health functionality and studying broader contextual determinants of health and well-being associated to place and neighbourhood. We ultimate expect to uncover health and well-being drivers in rural neighbourhoods, and determine whether community circumstances influence health capability at both the individual and community-level.

Study area, design and community setting

The cross-sectional study was conducted in 15 rural neighbourhoods from six municipalities in the Centre region of Portugal (Fig. 1 ), aiming at 1) assessing evidence-based data and describing lifestyles, 2) examining determinants of health and well-being in rural neighbourhoods, and 3) discuss how individuals’ conditions and population’ circumstances can contribute with a better understanding to improve health capability in rural neighbourhoods.

Location of rural neighbourhoods; basemap is provided by ESRI, available as part of the mapping platform ArcGIS Online

The selection of the rural neighbourhoods of the “ Terras de Sicó ” ( Lands of Sicó ) network (Sicó-network) was drawn on a CBPR approach. Given possible differences at the administrative level, which could influence local practices, we considered the three relevant levels of territory administrative structure: small villages, parish councils, and municipalities seats (hereinafter referred as municipality) (Fig. 1 ). According to the Portuguese National Statistics Institute, in 2011, 3879 individuals were living in the 15 rural neighbourhoods (Table 1 ), one third of the population was older than 64 years and with a high rate of limited literacy (e.g., the proportion of individuals that do not know how to read is almost the same as individuals with higher education); which are common characteristics in Portuguese rural areas [ 24 ].

The study encompasses a qualitatively driven mixed-method design, that is, simultaneously, qualitative (QUAL; inductive theoretical drive) and quantitative (quan): QUAL+quan [ 25 ]: quan to describe and examine individuals’ health functioning condition (evidence-based data and lifestyles); QUAL to document how individuals experience their neighbourhood in terms of health and well-being [ 26 ], and to better understand which local circumstances influence the ability to adopt healthier lifestyles and to pursue health [ 18 ].

Our CBPR approach involved the local representatives from the Sicó-network ( n = 20; among policymakers, local community members and stakeholders); advanced training students and young professionals ( n = 13), from biomedical sciences, medicine and sports sciences; a trans-disciplinary research and innovation team ( n = 18) involving researchers from life sciences, medical and health sciences, and social sciences, and developers of advanced technology for health monitoring and e-health services, including two international members of the HeaLIQs consortium and two members of the consortium Ageing@Coimbra. Two local consolidation meetings with local representatives of the Terras de Sicó network and the research and innovation team, held in two municipalities, Penela (May 28, 2019) and Alvaiázere (June 11, 2019), created the bases of the CBPR approach, and a roadmap for local itineraries and local community engagement. Triangulation between local representatives and researchers regarding the CBPR approach contributed to: better characterizing the demography in the 15 neighbourhoods; co-designing the community program adapted to each neighbourhood; co-constructing a health communication strategy and tailored healthy lifestyles-related messages for older adults with limited literacy; discussing the theoretical background [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ] and the QUAL+quan methodology connecting with a questionnaire [ 27 ] incorporated in pre-existing eVida technology [ 28 ]; and training volunteer students and young professionals to operationalize translational research and participatory approaches with community engagement in neighbourhoods. Local representatives collaborated actively in the dissemination of the program via national/regional media (i.e., newspapers, radio, television and flyers), social media (i.e., Facebook) and institutional websites (e.g., Sicó-network, municipalities, local stakeholders and university). Overall, the design took about 9 months, from January to September 2019.

Mobile healthy living room

The community program took place in a mobile Healthy Living Room (mHLR) (Fig. 2 ), designed as a mobile community service, to reach isolated rural neighbourhoods with lower access to health care facilities and awareness about healthy lifestyles. The mHLR was equipped with a healthy lifestyle assessment toolkit, which comprises medical devices and a questionnaire [ 27 ] incorporated in eVida technology. eVida is a tablet-based application centred on the input of the questionnaires (as discussed in detail below), provides a personalized summary of putative health risks associated with individual characteristics and behaviours [ 28 ].

Community program intervention design; credits: the research team

The community intervention involved 1) the assessment of evidence-based data (e.g., BMI, waist circumference, and self-assessment of illnesses or chronic diseases, medication and sleep habits), 2) lifestyle characterization (e.g., diet, active lifestyles, quality of life and self-assessment of health and well-being), 3) demographic information (i.e., sex, age, employment status and level of education), complemented with 4) the self-assessment of neighbourhood satisfaction, all incorporated in eVida technology, and 5) the individual in-depth interview about the contexts in place to pursue good health in the neighbourhood. Each participant was accompanied by a trained team member and community intervention included two to four team members and four to six students/young professionals, depending on the neighbourhoods’ population.

At the end, participants received the results of the eVida questionnaire and prevention recommendations in an individualised report as well as short cartoon-like active healthy lifestyles messages, about diet, physical activity, social cohesion, and mental health and well-being.

This research was part of a collaborative European research project, Healthy Lifestyle Innovation Quarters for Cities and Citizens (HeaLIQs4Cities), funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology for Health (EIT Health), that unite researchers and neighbourhoods from Coimbra (Portugal), Groningen (The Netherlands) and Copenhagen (Denmark), around the concept of health capability and drivers of health and well-being. Among the stakeholders, the consortium Ageing@Coimbra represents a reference site in Centro region of Portugal within the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA), that is founded on a quadruple helix-based innovation model for improving active and healthy ageing in Europe [ 28 ].

Data collection

One dimension of the data aimed at collecting evidence-based data, lifestyles and self-assessment of neighbourhood satisfaction incorporated in eVida, as mentioned above, while another dimension of the data aspired at documenting the contexts in place influencing the ability to pursue health and well-being in the neighbourhood. The weight and waist circumference were measured and BMI assessed; the factors associated with illnesses or chronic diseases, medication, and sleep habits were self-reported. The quality of life followed EQ-5D-5L questionnaire: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression (each dimension is rated on scale with 5 levels: no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems and extreme problems). We also considered two additional dimensions of self-assessment of health and well-being of ‘quality of life’ (with 5 levels, strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree, agree, strongly agree) and ‘health condition’ (with 5 levels, very good, good, reasonable, bad, very bad). Regarding the description of lifestyles, diet was categorized per food groups per day and per week (following 5 levels in the Likert scale).

Qualitative research advances the possibilities of a deeper understanding of people’s perceptions and expectations and exploring unique topics within the research aims. For that purpose, we conducted the open-ended question in an in-depth interview: “ What would you change in your neighbourhood to have a healthier life? ”. To reduce eventual desirability bias, participants were ensured prior the eVida questionnaire that were no right or wrong responses and a privacy environment was ensured during the interview; the eVida and interview took in between 45 to 60 min.

Through eVida, information was collected on a random sample of 270 individuals living in rural neighbourhoods from the Sicó-network, considering the dimension and location of the neighbourhood (small villages, parish council and municipalities), constituting a sample with a margin of error of 5.75% and confidence level of 95%. The sample size for the interviews was determined by applying the saturation point criteria, and was stopped after 107 testimonials were collected. This study design was considered the most appropriate way to describe individuals’ lifestyles and communities’ environments. The collection of QUAL+quan data was performed by researchers with background on life sciences, medical and health sciences, and social sciences; the CBPR approach from the very early stages revealed to be determinant for the research methodology and outcomes. Furthermore, the first day of intervention was followed by a preliminary assessment and discussion by the advanced training students (and young professionals) and the team, in order to identify personal bias, optimize the use of eVida and the interview, and minimize any other form of unintended coercion with participants. Data collection was conducted between September 4 and 23, 2019.

Ethical considerations

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Centre Regional Health Administration of Portugal: Reference 91/2019. Participants were required to be 18 years or older and were asked to sign a written informed consent before initiating the community intervention. At the end, participants received a bag with the individualised report and the short cartoon-like active healthy lifestyles messages, about diet, physical activity, social cohesion, and mental health and well-being.

Data analysis

Testimonies were documented in writing, and then transcribed and translated to English. Each participant was linked the age, sex and municipality council in order to present direct quotations (e.g., Female, 68, Small Village, Pombalinho 610). The first four authors performed an independent analysis in all testimonies developing a parallel codification on drivers of health and well-being at community level in the rural neighbourhoods. After several collective discussions rounds (over a period of 3 months), seven consensual dimensions were identified a priori: economic development, built environment, social network, health care, demography, active lifestyles and mobility. The a priori themes were used to code the qualitative data in which subtopics were built upon [ 29 ].

All testimonies were imported to MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2020 version 20.0.0 (Berlin, Germany: VERBI Software GmbH) for coding and analysis. The coding was done in three stages. In the first stage, the testimonies were coded based on the selected dimensions. In a second stage of coding, the resulting identification of sub-topics for each of the 7 dimensions based on mention frequency, and the identification of predominant topics, in both individual accounts and different neighbourhoods, was carried out independently across researchers. Any new codes were consensually debated during regular team meetings. In the third stage, all testimonies were coded once more by applying the final coding scheme. All coded testimonies were evaluated for emerging topics. We used several strategies to ensure quality in data coding. The composition of coding pairs was changed after 10 to 15 testimonies to reduce possible systematic bias. Using this approach, we were able to examine the in situ community needs in the 15 rural neighbourhoods. We also documented the clear individual positive perceptions of living in rural neighbourhoods: i) in terms of healthy living and well-being; ii) the different ways of describing and explaining lifestyles and daily habits; iii) the multiples ways of living and be engaged with community environment; iv) access to health care and health services.

Authors involved in the analyses maintained the explanatory map of the CBPR process from the research goals to data collection and analysis. The number and the frequency of subjects mentioned by participants in different topics support the reliability and credibility of our findings. We also used the lexical search on the MAXQDA program for key codes, to identify the frequency and number of mentions for consistency in participants’ responses.

To supplement the qualitative analysis, binomial logistic regression models were applied: BMI (classified in two categories: 1. overweight and obesity and 2. normal and low weight), waist circumference (classified in two categories: 1. and 2.), self-assessed health status (classified in two categories: 1. good and very good and 2. less than good), were assessed as dependent variables and sex, age (continuous), place of residence (classified in the three classes: 1. small villages, 2. parish councils and 3. municipalities), as independent.

Demographic characteristics

Two hundred seventy people participated (84 in small villages, 112 in parish councils and 74 in municipalities). Women made up a larger proportion of the participants (63%) in the three levels (Table 1 ). The median age was 69 years (1st quartile: 58 years; 3rd quartile: 77 years), with 78% of the participants above 55 years of age. Most of the participants were retired (64%), with a higher proportion (77%) in small villages. The level of education varied along the neighbourhoods, with a small proportion (9%) having receiving higher education (4 and 3% in small villages and parish councils, and 24% in municipalities); the largest share of participants completed the first two grades of basic education (69%), and 14% did not receiving primary education (29, 9 and 7% in small villages, parish councils and municipalities, respectively).

Individual health functionality

The proportion of participants with normal BMI was substantially lower above 55 years of age, with a higher proportion of women presenting normal BMI than men for the participants aged 55 to 74 years (Additional file 1 : Table S1). The proportion of participants with obesity was slightly higher in women aged 55 to 74 years and lower in the other range of ages (< 54 years, > 75 years). In terms of obesity data by rural neighbourhood, the proportion of participants with obesity was lower in municipalities (32%) than in small villages (38%) and parish councils (45%). For the participants aged 55 to 74 years (Fig. 3 a), excess weight was lower in women in all types of neighbourhoods (48 and 54% in small village; 27 and 55% in parish councils; 29 and 50% in municipalities; respectively); obesity was higher in men in municipalities (43 and 38%, respectively). Overall, men had a 75% higher probability of being overweight than women ( p -value: 0.0954), while waist circumference measurements reflected obesity over age, being consistently higher in participants > 75 years of age; the risk of having high waist circumference was 2.45 (IC: 1.1; 5.7) times higher in individuals living in small villages than in municipalities.

Evidence-based data by rural neighbourhood for participants aged 55 to 74 years

NCD risks associated to chronic diseases were reported by 25% of the participants aged 55 to 74 years (Fig. 3 b) including: (i) heart disease (heart failure, ischemia or angina, arrhythmia) was declared by 13% (17% in small villages, 15% in parish councils and 8% in municipalities); (ii) peripheral vascular disease (problems in arteries of the legs and feet, or varicose veins) was mentioned by 8% (7% in small villages, 8% in parish councils and 8% in municipalities); and (iii) respiratory disease (asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) was declared by 4% (7% in small villages and 4% in parish councils) (the information for all participants is presented in supplementary Table S1 ). The lowest prevalence of medication was documented in parish councils (33%) and municipalities (32%) (Additional file 1 : Table S1); overall, a substantial proportion of the participants (59%) reported were taking 2–5 medications a day, and a lower proportion (16%) reported taking > 5 medications a day.

Sleeping habits ranged from ≥7 h for 38% of the individuals and less than 5 hours for 17% of the individuals, with a clear trend of more sleeping hours in individuals living in municipalities (Additional file 1 : Table S1). Sleep without interruption was reported by 48% of the individuals, with higher prevalence (55%) in individuals living in municipalities. Consistently with sleeping hours, 35% of the individuals considered having poor sleep quality (41, 33 and 32%, in small villages, parish councils and municipalities, respectively; supplementary Table S1 ).

Self-rated health condition ranged from good (47%) to reasonable (42%), with little differences in neighbourhoods. About 5% of participants referred having very good health, consistently in all neighbourhoods, contrasting with the 5% of participants that mentioned having bad health, with lower incidence in municipalities (3%). Severe or extreme pain was reported by 6 and 1% of the individuals, respectively, with higher incidence from participants living in small villages. In terms of self-rated well-being, a large proportion of participants (74%) reported having a good quality of life, with 25% of the individuals attributing the highest score (18% living in small villages, 30% in parish council and 26% in municipalities). Across data, participants with higher waist circumference had a 2.21 (IC: 1.19; 4.27) higher probability of presenting a poor self-evaluation of their health status.

Unhealthy lifestyles according to rural neighbourhood type

The description of lifestyles in the 15 rural neighbourhoods is shown in Table 2 . A large proportion of participants (81%) reported eating fruit and vegetables 0–1 times per day. Only 1% of the participants mentioned eating fruit and vegetables fewer than once. A substantial proportion of individuals reported eating fish, meat and eggs (87%) 0–1 times per week in all neighbourhoods; also, a considerable share of individuals reported eating bread, pasta or cereal (82%) 0–1 per day, ranging from 78% in parish councils to 89% in small villages. Many participants reported drinking milk (66%) 0–1 per day, ranging from 50% of individuals living in municipalities to 60% of respondents from small villages; 6 and 9% mentioned drinking milk once a week or never, respectively, with little differences in all neighbourhood types. The majority of the population (69%) referred eating fried and salty foods once a week or less, in all neighbourhoods. Some participants (59%) mentioned eating sweets once a week or never, and 7% reported eating more than once a day (2% in small villages, 11% in parish council and 8% in municipalities). Regarding active lifestyles, a large proportion of participants (67%) reported having daily active routines. A lower proportion of participants (21%) reported regular vigorous physical activity, ranging from 11% doing gymnastics (e.g., fitness, Pilates, yoga), 4% water-based exercise (e.g., swimming or water aerobics), 2% bicycling, 1% running and 3% other sports. In general, those living in the municipalities assess better quality of life (following EQ-5D-5L questionnaire); regarding the self-assessment of health and well-being, the inferior levels were observed in small villages.

Characterization of community environment

Individual reflections pinpointed seven dimensions as the main drivers to pursue health and well-being in rural neighbourhoods. These include: economic development, built (and natural) environment, social network, health care, demography, active lifestyles and mobility (Fig. 4 ; supplementary Table S 2 ). Such reflections envision people-centred expectations and a deeper understanding of valuable surrounding environments connected to well-being, which contribute to unforeseen wider ‘needs’ and ‘benefits’ of rural areas.

Individual’s reflections about community circumstances influencing health and well-being in their rural neighbourhood

One third of the participants (86) stressed economic development as the main community need –financial, technological and digitalisation investment, high-value-added industry, industrial infrastructures, digitalisation for remote working–, with particular focus on economic innovation and diversification to encourage the establishment of young people in rural areas. Regional policies to improve investment and attractiveness of high-skilled young workers were mentioned by 12 participants.

Built environment, goods and services, underlined by 73 participants, emphasize the need for maintenance and conservation of (i) infrastructures for social interaction, ranging from cultural activities (24), green-blue areas for practicing physical activity and exercise, e.g., green public spaces, camping areas, river beaches, playing areas for children (18), to connected green-blue infrastructures for enjoying nature (14); (ii) infrastructures for promoting the inclusive walkability, namely for youth and elderly people with morbidities, such as smooth and safe walking paths and resting places (10) or sound barriers (2); and (iii) the patrimonial rehabilitation for tourism and habitation (3). Among the services needed, cafes, grocery stores or restaurants, bank, book stores and shopping facilities were mentioned. However, built environment reflected asymmetries in the neighbourhoods; some participants (7) underlined the accessibility to cafes, supermarkets and restaurants in their respective neighbourhoods as an additional benefit of living in rural areas, while others (11) mentioned safe streets, infrastructures for practicing exercise, e.g., gymnasium, swimming pool, tennis court and walking routes, and cultural activities, e.g., folk activities, folk music, cinema and theatre.

Social relationships and networks in neighbourhoods, mentioned by 81 participants, included local community-based initiatives and means of communication to reinforce social connections and dynamics. Asymmetrically, other participants (20) reinforcing local networks and dynamics as a benefit of living in their neighbourhoods, exemplifying with the active participation in collective grape/olive picking, or cultural and recreation activities.

Health care, mentioned by 42 participants, was mostly associated to elderly dependency and included the need for better and long-term health care services (39), support in transport to health care services (1) and pharmacies (2). Asymmetrically, the suitable health care support and services, primary health care services and pharmacies, emphasized by 9 participants, reflected the beneficial aspects mentioned in some neighbourhoods. Adult social care support, particularly day centres and nursing homes, underlined by 21 participants, including childcare and family care were also among the needs reported in rural neighbourhoods.

Demographic factors, mentioned by 37 participants, focused particularly on population ageing and the need of (young) people (30) as social pressure to improve education and (re)open schools (3) and kindergartens (3). The local education, stressed by 2 participants, was reported as a main benefit in their own neighbourhood, to promote well-being.

Active lifestyles, emphasized by 35 participants, include the need for (i) lifelong learning opportunities and digital inclusion, e.g., internet, information and communication technologies (ICTs) (17 participants); (ii) access to places for practicing physical activity and exercise, e.g., soccer, yoga, Pilates, fitness, pool, and walking (10 participants); and (iii) cultural activities, e.g., dance, music, cinema (8 participants). Mobility, mentioned by 30 participants, included the need of accessible public transport (25) and safe accessible walking routes (5). Asymetrycally, several participants (16) underlined the functionality in mobility –public transports systems– and accessibility and linkages (highways) to villages and cities nearby as a main benefit of their neighbourhood.

Natural resources and natural environment were in the centre of health and well-being in rural neighbourhoods. The majority of the individuals (237) mentioned to like living in their neighbourhood and 55 participants featured the natural environment was as the main community benefit to improve quality of life, describing their neighbourhood as calm, beautiful, healthy and safe. The prioritisation on quality of life include (i) daily routines linked to land use, e.g., gardening, agriculture, silvo-pastoral practices; (ii) biodiversity; (iii) connectivity with nature, e.g., swimming and fishing in rivers, walking in green spaces, woodlands and mountains; and (iv) environmental quality, e.g., lower exposure to air / noise pollution. More than two thirds of the participants (192) mentioned they would not live elsewhere if they could and one third (92) revealed they would not change anything in their neighbourhood. Overall, 216 participants underlined that their own neighbourhood is a good place to live. Specific testimonies on these issues are sampled below (Table 3 ).

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first qualitatively driven mixed-method approach to assess whether unhealthy lifestyles and surrounding environments are reflected into metabolic risks and health capability at individual and community-level in rural neighbourhoods.

In terms of the main findings, excess weight and obesity are more prevalent in men between 55 to 74 years and in individuals younger than 54 years, respectively, while in women obesity predominates between 55 to 74 years while excess weight is more predominant in individuals younger than 54. Considering the overall population, NCD risk linked to BMI was superior in small villages than in municipalities. NCD risk associated to unhealthy lifestyles was less evident for diet and sleep habits than for (lack of) physical activity. Diet habits reported by the participants strongly evidenced the adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern, which is linked to healthy lifestyles due to its protective effect against several metabolic risks and NCD, namely type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD), obesity, cancers and total mortality [ 30 ]. Diet and metabolic risks were described as the second and third leading risks factors of early mortality in a recent survey for Portugal [ 31 ]; but it did not address rural and urban neighbourhoods separately. In Europe, DALYs and risks evidences from NCD also often expose dietary and metabolic risk factors [ 12 ], but again little is known about the relationship between NCD burden and community environment. Healthy diet habits reported in our study suggest that the accessibility to healthy food in own gardens and farms as well as in local markets enable the ability to make healthy choices. Indeed, several participants from small villages mentioned they produce their own food (e.g., vegetables and legumes, fruits and nuts, cereals, meat, eggs, cheese, olive oil), whereas participants from parish councils and municipalities mentioned obtaining local products in grocery stores or the local weekly markets.

Low level of regular physical activity and exercise was admitted by most of the participants in all neighbourhoods. Physical inactivity has been recognized as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality [ 32 ] and the most pressing public health burden of the current century [ 33 ]. Portugal is the second country in the euro-area with higher physical inactivity in people over 60 years of age and among the countries with higher prevalence of multi-morbidity in people between 60 and 65 years [ 34 ]. Two previous reviews have highlighted that physical inactivity may be explained by pursuing health focused on individual-level determinants, such as self-motivation or literacy, whereas surrounding environment also determines the ability to prevent metabolic risks and choose healthy lifestyles [ 35 , 36 ].

The qualitative research revealed people-centred health and well-being expectations, allowing us to identify seven main dimensions in community circumstances: economic development, built and natural environment, social network, health care, demography, active lifestyles, and mobility, affecting the options to improve or pursue healthier lifestyles, with asymmetries among the neighbourhoods. In fact, participants reframed the narratives, “ I like where I am! ”, underlining the benefits of living in their own neighbourhood; while two thirds of the participants revealed they wouldn’t live elsewhere if they could. Several studies have previously researched the effect of place of residence in terms of availability and accessibility in order to improve health [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ].

Economic development and built environment emerged as the main community needs, namely via financial, technological, and digitalisation investment to attract high-skilled young workers to rural areas, and social interaction and lifelong learning activities, respectively, given that built and natural environment are the setting for the development of human activities [ 41 ]. Natural resources and natural environment were stressed as the main value of rural well-being. However some participants mentioned missing planned and oriented structures to connect with nature, such as functional green-blue areas to exercise / be physically active, or socialize, which can be also an opportunity to come with co-benefits for biodiversity and nature protection and conservation [ 42 ]. Some rural neighbourhoods have been associated with less vigorous physical activity due to socio-economic disadvantages, including less availability to, and use of, facilities for sports and recreational activities [ 43 , 44 ]. By contrast rural neighbourhoods with available green spaces and higher accessibility or walkability tend to contribute to metabolic risk prevention, namely for T2DM [ 36 ]. However the (perceived) accessibility of walkability in rural and urban neighbourhoods may vary in different parts of the world. The low use of the bicycle as a mode of transportation reported in our study can be associated with the absence of specific infrastructures for cycling safety (e.g. on-road bike routes, on-road marked bike lanes), mentioned by some participants, but could also be due to the (high) average participant age. Notably, previous qualitative studies have stressed the positive association between adapted designing interventions in the environment for promoting active lifestyles and PA in rural adults, with gains to social cohesion and individual health conditions [ 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ].

Rural neighbourhoods in Portugal are characterized by a higher ageing index, lower geographical access to health care, lower average income and declining population [ 48 , 49 ], but there still is an underestimation of health capability versus disease burden and environment. DALYs have been relevant in terms of the costs to direct health care, namely to the public sector [ 50 ]; however, the translation of such knowledge rarely results into positive contributions and policies to rural neighbourhoods [ 20 ]. Some key subjects need to be considered in further research, including whether the 1) prevalence of women is associated with the demographic uneven structure of the elderly populations, or with women involvement in community, such as agriculture and social activities; 2) increase in evidence-based health and well-being is accompanied by an improvement in community environment, and whether common causes of choosing to live in rural neighbourhoods, such as greater food security, safety, connection with nature, quality of environment, improve metabolic risks and NCD over time [ 8 ] and thus health capability. The ambition of creating accessibility of ‘health-promoting environments’ in green and public areas, to reduce the NCD is well reflected on goal 11.7 of the World Health Organization’s sustainable development goals (2016) [ 51 ]. Populations in rural areas have access to, among other things, healthy food and healthy environmental resources; however rural structural capacities are often under-represented in developing and implementing socioeconomic policies.

In fact, rural marginalization affects health and social justice [ 52 ] and impacts metabolic risks and co-morbidities in populations [ 5 ]. BMI and waist measures observed in this study combined with the participatory approach about lifestyles and community environment, configure an opportunity to act differently in terms of improving health capability in Portuguese rural neighbourhoods, and these findings could thus serve as a driving force for encouraging healthy changes at both individual and community levels [ 18 ].

There are some limitations to this study. The approach was conducted in a single region of the country; thus, results cannot be generalized to other rural neighbourhoods or remote regions. Moreover, data was collected during standard working hours of the week, which might have influenced the sample, including ageing index and the prevalence of women participating. However, we did cover a representative sample of rural populations in Portugal. The eVida has been designed to be user friendly and of almost immediate understanding to participants (10 to 20 min to complete) [ 27 ]. Although the eVida has been re-designed to record information about external environment factors, testimonies were mostly documented in writing and then transcribed. Future research in health innovation devices should also focus on developing programs that can incorporate context-based information, and with it, a better understanding of how ability to pursue health come as a whole from internal and external factors. The use of technology-based devices is increasingly modifying resources and support of health care services and health monitoring, traditionally carried out by health providers in medical facilities. Such innovative devices and adapted strategies have been suggested to encourage active self-management and to ‘empower’ behaviours, and as a way to acquire reliable health-related knowledge to make self-balance decisions [ 28 ].

The qualitative driven mixed-method design allowed us to gather data concerning unhealthy lifestyles of individuals but also to collect in-depth information about community environments that facilitate / weaken individual health and well-being, and their ability to make healthy choices (data saturation was achieved by characterizing broader determinants of health and well-being in neighbourhoods). We believe that the mixed-method described is one way to combine multiple components acting independently and inter-dependently, in order to better understand health capability at both the individual and community levels. The main strengths of the study include the co-designing community program involving the local representatives of the Sicó-network and advanced training students (and young professionals), working together with a trans-disciplinary research team. With the advantages of CBPR, the involvement of community in the early stage of the study provided the opportunity for discussing and adapting the health-related messages for a population with a high ageing index and limited literacy living in the Sicó-network (Portuguese National Statistics, 2019). Such involvement of community and its degrees of negotiation, and flexibility, enabled researchers to uncover gaps regarding (natural) environment contextual-dependent circumstances influencing the ability of individuals to pursue health in their own neighbourhoods.

Our findings are relevant for raising healthy lifestyles awareness and health seeking-skills to improve the self-ability to make balanced decisions, for implementing technology-based devices combined with participatory dynamics, as well as for encouraging the active engagement of local representative planners (governments and other stakeholders) in research to enhance the capacity building and thus the capability for improving heath in rural areas. There are specific contexts of marginalized rural areas for whom the (itinerant) health promotion services and support seem to be an important component of cohesion and equity [ 53 , 54 , 55 ]. The impact of design and intervention with community representatives is planned and further reflexion on follow-up of the healthy lifestyle assessment in rural (and urban) neighbourhoods is required, which is feasible using the tools in a reference site of the collaborative network European innovation partnership on active and healthy ageing (EIP on AHA) [ 28 , 56 , 57 , 58 ].

Revisiting our initial research aim to assess whether unhealthy lifestyles and environment in rural neighbourhoods are reflected into metabolic risks and health capability, we observed that NCD risk in overweight individuals (aged 55 to 74 years) was higher in men in all neighbourhoods; and metabolic risks were more associated to BMI and physical activity than diet (or sleeping habits). The qualitative research allowed us to uncovering seven environmental circumstances reflecting health needs, health expectations and health capability at community-level: economic development, built (and natural) environment, social network, health care, demography, active lifestyles, and mobility, which also underline the asymmetries among neighbourhoods. Notably, participants often reframed their narratives to express the benefits of living in rural areas. Natural resources and environment were pinpointed as the main value of rural well-being, with a particular focus on land use, biodiversity and connectivity with nature, as well as environmental quality. Our CBPR approach contributed for the active involvement of the local representatives and to adapt the health-related messages for older adults with limited literacy. The co-benefits from this co-designing community program and cross-disciplinary research provide further evidence to support people-centred approaches for pushing health and well-being at a broader social, health care and natural environment agenda in rural neighbourhoods.

Availability of data and materials

Datasets used in the study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Abbreviations

Active and Healthy Ageing

Body Mass Index

Cardiovascular Disease

Community-Based Participatory Research

Disability-Adjusted-Life-Years

European Innovation Partnership

European Institute of Innovation and Technology for Health

Healthy Lifestyle Innovation Quarters for Cities and Citizens

Information and Communication Technologies

Institute for Health, Metrics and Evaluation

mobile Healthy Living Room

Non-Communicable Diseases

Systolic blood pressure

Type 2 diabetes mellitus

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Acknowledgements

Advanced training students and young professionals that helped in the implementation of the community program in the 15 neighbourhoods of the Sicó-network: Adriana Caldo, Ana Pedrosa, André Caseiro, Beatriz Vaz, Carlos Farinha, Catarina Santos, Fernanda Silva, Inês Cipriano, Larissa Theil, Lilian Merini, Márcio Cascante, Rafael Rodrigues and Rafael Neves; the members of the Association Terras de Sicó (Lands of Sicó) and all the local stakeholders that helped implementing and disseminating our activities. HeaLIQs4Cities Consortium involved, which is composed by António Cunha, André Pardal, Eugénia Peixoto, Diana Guardado from the Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN, Coimbra, Portugal); Marieke Zwaving from Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (The Netherlands); Eduardo Briones Pérez De La Blanca from Servicio Andaluz de Salud (SAS, Seville, Spain); Roel A. van der Heijden, Ruth Koops van ‘t Jagt and Daan Bultje from University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG, The Netherlands); João Malva, Flávio Reis, Luís Rama, Manuel Veríssimo, Ana Teixeira, Margarida Lima, Lèlita Santos, Filipe Palavra, Pedro Ferreira, Anabela Mota Pinto, Paula Santana, Ricardo Almendra, Adriana Loureiro, Inês Viana, Marta Quatorze, Anabela Marisa Azul, João Ramalho-Santos from the University of Coimbra (Portugal); Catharina Thiel Sandholdt and Maria Kristiansen from University of Copenhagen (UCPH, Denmark). We thank to the Reviewers the comments, which contributed for improving the manuscript. This research work was also developed under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the COMPETE 2020 – Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation and Portuguese national funds via FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, the project UID/NEU/04539/2019, the Centro 2020 Regional Operational Programme: project CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000012-HealthyAging2020, the FOIE GRAS project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020, Research and Innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 722619, and the Decree Law 57/2016 (amended by Law 57/2017).

This research was developed in the scope of the European project Healthy Lifestyle Innovation Quarters for Cities and Citizens (HeaLIQs4Cities), funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology for Health (EIT Health) [Project Number 18036]. The funder had no role in the study design, data collection, analysing or interpreting data, or in writing the manuscript.

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, André Pardal
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, Diana Guardado
, Marieke Zwaving
, Eduardo Briones Pérez De La Blanca
, Roel A. van der Heijden
, Ruth Koops Van’t Jagt
, Daan Bultje
, João Malva
, Flávio Reis
, Luís Rama
, Manuel Veríssimo
, Ana Teixeira
, Margarida Lima
, Lèlita Santos
, Filipe Palavra
, Pedro Ferreira
, Anabela Mota Pinto
, Paula Santana
, Ricardo Almendra
, Adriana Loureiro
, Inês Viana
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, João Ramalho-Santos
, Catharina Thiel Sandholdt
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AMA was involved in the conceptualization and design of the study, all stages of data collection, curation, and analysis and led on writing the paper: original draft. RA, MQ, AL, PS and JRS were involved in the conceptualization and design of the study, all stages of data collection, curation, and analysis and writing the paper. FR, AMP, AC, LR, JOM, were involved in the conceptualization and design, data collection and writing the paper. RT was involved in the visual content. AC, JOM and HeaLIQs4Cities Consortium were involved in the funding acquisition. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Supplementary Information

Additional file 1: table s1..

Evidence-based data by neighbourhoods’ type.

Additional file 2: Table S2.

Characterization of the community environment needs by neighbourhoods’ type and self-assessment of neighbourhood’ satisfaction.

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Azul, A.M., Almendra, R., Quatorze, M. et al. Unhealthy lifestyles, environment, well-being and health capability in rural neighbourhoods: a community-based cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 21 , 1628 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11661-4

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cause and effect of unhealthy lifestyle essay

Essay on Unhealthy Lifestyle

Students are often asked to write an essay on Unhealthy Lifestyle in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Unhealthy Lifestyle

Introduction.

An unhealthy lifestyle is a way of living that increases the risk of being seriously ill or dying early. It includes habits like eating junk food, not exercising, and smoking.

Effects of Unhealthy Lifestyle

An unhealthy lifestyle can lead to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. It can also affect mental health, causing stress and depression.

Preventing an unhealthy lifestyle involves eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, avoiding smoking, and getting enough sleep. It’s important to start these habits early in life.

In conclusion, an unhealthy lifestyle can have serious consequences. However, it is never too late to start living healthily.

250 Words Essay on Unhealthy Lifestyle

An unhealthy lifestyle has become an epidemic in today’s society, characterized by sedentary behavior, poor diet, stress, and lack of sleep. These habits not only affect our physical health but also our mental and emotional well-being.

The Perils of Sedentary Living

Prolonged inactivity, a hallmark of modern life, is linked to various health issues. The advent of technology has led to an increase in sedentary jobs, which promotes obesity and related illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Implications of Poor Diet

The Western diet, high in processed foods and low in fruits and vegetables, is another significant contributor to health problems. It leads to nutrient deficiencies, obesity, and diseases like hypertension and cancer.

Stress and Sleep Deprivation

Stress, a common byproduct of our high-paced lives, can lead to mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Lack of sleep, often overlooked, can exacerbate these issues and also contribute to physical ailments like heart disease.

An unhealthy lifestyle poses a serious threat to individual and public health. It’s crucial to promote and adopt healthier habits, such as regular physical activity, a balanced diet, stress management, and adequate sleep. By doing so, we can improve our quality of life and prevent the onset of chronic diseases.

500 Words Essay on Unhealthy Lifestyle

An unhealthy lifestyle is one of the principal causes of many diseases and conditions that afflict humanity today. It is a global problem, transcending geographical boundaries, age, and socioeconomic classes. This essay aims to explore the concept of an unhealthy lifestyle, its causes, consequences, and possible solutions.

Understanding Unhealthy Lifestyle

An unhealthy lifestyle is characterized by habits that negatively impact physical and mental health. It includes poor dietary choices, lack of physical activity, excessive consumption of alcohol, smoking, and inadequate sleep. These habits are often a result of modern living, characterized by sedentary jobs, convenience food, and high-stress levels.

The causes of an unhealthy lifestyle are multifaceted. Society’s fast-paced nature often leads individuals to prioritize convenience over health. Fast food, for example, is quick and easy but lacks the nutritional value of home-cooked meals. Similarly, technology has rendered many tasks sedentary, reducing physical activity levels.

Psychological factors also play a significant role. Stress, anxiety, and depression can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as overeating, smoking, or excessive alcohol consumption. Furthermore, societal pressure and media influence can distort perceptions of body image, leading to unhealthy dieting practices.

Consequences of an Unhealthy Lifestyle

The repercussions of an unhealthy lifestyle are dire and far-reaching. Physically, it can lead to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. These diseases not only reduce life expectancy but also significantly diminish the quality of life.

Mentally, an unhealthy lifestyle can lead to conditions like depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. The link between physical health and mental health is well-established, with each influencing the other in a cyclical relationship.

Possible Solutions

Addressing unhealthy lifestyles requires a comprehensive approach. Education is a critical first step. Individuals need to understand the importance of a balanced diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and the dangers of substance abuse. Schools, workplaces, and community centers can play a pivotal role in disseminating this information.

Policy changes can also facilitate healthier lifestyles. For instance, urban planning that promotes walkability, access to recreational facilities, and availability of fresh produce can encourage physical activity and healthy eating.

Lastly, mental health support is vital. Providing resources for stress management, counseling services, and promoting a culture of openness about mental health can help individuals make healthier lifestyle choices.

In conclusion, an unhealthy lifestyle is a pressing issue with severe physical and mental health implications. It stems from a complex interplay of societal, technological, and psychological factors. Addressing it necessitates a multi-pronged approach involving education, policy changes, and mental health support. As we advance into the future, it is crucial that we prioritize health and well-being, recognizing that they are the foundations of a prosperous society.

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Poor Nutrition

Measure Breastfeeding Practices and Eating Patterns

Support breastfeeding in the hospital and community, offer healthier food options in early care and education facilities and schools, offer healthier food options in the workplace, improve access to healthy foods in states and communities, support lifestyle change programs to reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes risk.

Good nutrition is essential to keeping current and future generations healthy across the lifespan. A healthy diet helps children grow and develop properly and reduces their risk of chronic diseases. Adults who eat a healthy diet live longer and have a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Healthy eating can help people with chronic diseases manage these conditions and avoid complications.

However, when healthy options are not available, people may settle for foods that are higher in calories and lower in nutritional value. People in low-income communities and some racial and ethnic groups often lack access to convenient places that offer affordable, healthier foods.

Most people in the United States don’t eat a healthy diet and consume too much sodium, saturated fat, and sugar, increasing their risk of chronic diseases. For example, fewer than 1 in 10 adolescents and adults eat enough fruits or vegetables. In addition, 6 in 10 young people aged 2 to 19 years and 5 in 10 adults consume at least one sugary drink on any given day.

CDC supports breastfeeding and works to improve access to healthier food and drink choices in settings such as early care and education facilities, schools, worksites, and communities.

In the United States:

3 IN 4 INFANTS

are not exclusively breastfed for 6 months.

9 IN 10 AMERICANS

consume too much sodium.

1 in 6 PREGNANT WOMEN

have iron levels that are too low.

NEARLY $173 BILLION

a year is spent on health care for obesity.

The Harmful Effects of Poor Nutrition

Overweight and obesity.

Eating a healthy diet, along with getting enough physical activity and sleep, can help children grow up healthy and prevent overweight and obesity. In the United States, 20% of young people aged 2 to 19 years and 42% of adults have obesity, which can put them at risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

Heart Disease and Stroke

Two of the leading causes of heart disease and stroke are high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. Consuming too much sodium can increase blood pressure and the risk for heart disease and stroke . Current guidelines recommend getting less than 2,300 mg a day, but Americans consume more than 3,400 mg a day on average.

Over 70% of the sodium that Americans eat comes from packaged, processed, store-bought, and restaurant foods. Eating foods low in saturated fats and high in fiber and increasing access to low-sodium foods, along with regular physical activity, can help prevent high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Type 2 Diabetes

People who are overweight or have obesity are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those at a healthybecause, over time, their bodies become less able to use the insulin they make. Of US adults, 96 million—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes , and more than 8 in 10 of them don’t know they have it. Although the rate of new cases has decreased in recent years, the number of adults with diagnosed diabetes has nearly doubled in the last 2 decades as the US population has increased, aged, and become more overweight.

An unhealthy diet can increase the risk of some cancers. Consuming unhealthy food and beverages, such as sugar-sweetened beverages and highly processed food, can lead to weight gain, obesity and other chronic conditions that put people at higher risk of at least 13 types of cancer, including endometrial (uterine) cancer, breast cancer in postmenopausal women, and colorectal cancer. The risk of colorectal cancer is also associated with eating red and processed meat.

CDC’s Work to Promote Good Nutrition

CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity uses national and state surveys to track breastfeeding rates and eating patterns across the country, including fruit, vegetable, and added sugar consumption. The division also reports data on nutrition policies and practices for each state. Data from these surveys are used to understand trends in nutrition and differences between population groups.

CDC partners use this information to help support breastfeeding and encourage healthy eating where people live, learn, work, and play, especially for populations at highest risk of chronic disease.

Breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for most infants. It can reduce the risk of some short-term health conditions for infants and long-term health conditions for infants and mothers. Maternity care practices in the first hours and days after birth can influence whether and how long infants are breastfed.

CDC funds programs that help hospitals use maternity care practices that support breastfeeding . These programs have helped increase the percentage of infants born in hospitals that implement recommended practices 1. CDC also works with partners to support programs designed to improve continuity of care and community support for breastfeeding mothers.

Nearly 56 million US children spend time in early care and education (ECE) facilities or public schools. These settings can directly influence what children eat and drink and how active they are—and build a foundation for healthy habits.

CDC is helping our nation’s children grow up healthy and strong by:

Creating resources to help partners improve obesity prevention programs and use nutrition standards.
Investing in training and learning networks that help child care providers and state and local child care leaders meet standards and use and share best practices .
Providing technical assistance, such as training school staff how to buy, prepare, and serve fruits and vegetables or teach children how to grow and prepare fruits and vegetables.

The CDC Healthy Schools program works with states, school systems, communities, and national partners to promote good nutrition . These efforts include publishing guidelines and tips on how schools and parents can model healthy behaviors and offer healthier school meals, smart snacks , and water access.

CDC also works with national groups to increase the number of salad bars in schools. As of 2021, the Salad Bars to School program has delivered almost 6,000 salad bars to schools across the nation, giving over 2.9 million children and school staff better access to fruits and vegetables.

Millions of US adults buy foods and drinks while at work. CDC develops and promotes food service guidelines that encourage employers and vendors to increase healthy food options for employees. CDC-funded programs are working to make healthy foods and drinks (including water) more available in cafeterias, snack shops, and vending machines. CDC also partners with states to help employers comply with the federal lactation accommodation law and provide breastfeeding mothers with places to pump and store breast milk, flexible work hours, and maternity leave benefits.

People living in low-income urban neighborhoods, rural areas, and tribal communities often have little access to affordable, healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. CDC’s State Physical Activity and Nutrition Program , High Obesity Program , and Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health program fund states and communities to improve food systems in these areas through food hubs, local stores, farmers’ markets, and bodegas.

These programs, which also involve food vendors and distributors, help increase the variety and number of healthier foods and drinks available and help promote and market these items to customers.

CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) is a partnership of public and private organizations working to build a nationwide delivery system for a lifestyle change program proven to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in adults with prediabetes. Participants in the National DPP lifestyle change program learn to make healthy food choices, be more physically active, and find ways to cope with stress. These changes can cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 58% (71% for those over 60).

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The Different Lifestyle Issues that Affect People’s Health Essay

Introduction, works cited.

This essay discusses the different life style issues that affect people’s health. Many diseases and disorders result from lifestyle choices. Through life style changes, individuals can afford a life free from diseases. Physical exercise and proper relaxation have been identified as critical to avoiding stress, obesity and even other complicated conditions like cancer.

By avoiding smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, individuals avoid associated diseases and social problems. This essay covers issues to do with stress, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, drug abuse, diabetes and cancer. For each of the mentioned issues, I consider the causes and best ways of stopping or limiting related destructive behavior.

Stress happens when we are stretched or straining. Straining can happen in the psychological, physical, emotional or mental self. When one thinks a lot, it will translate into stress. The same happens when one does too much physical activity. Stress can largely be associated with unhealthy lifestyles. Unhealthy lifestyles are characterized by overdoing of some things and neglect of given aspects of self. For example, people who over eat are likely to suffer from stress induced by effects of overweight.

Stress often registers both as a feeling and a physical condition (Ratcliff 69). Some people realize they are stressed when they start to behave in certain awkward ways e.g. making simple mistakes at work.

Stress induces sleeplessness, headaches, stomachaches, general tension in the body, general fatigue, bouts of anger, nervousness, lack of appetite, overeating, mood swings, loss of enthusiasm for life and unexplained anxiety (Ratcliff 52). The signs and symptoms vary from individual to individual. In extreme cases, individuals turn to drug abuse or alcoholic tendencies when stressed.

To avoid stress, individuals have to learn to balance work and relaxation. Life is neither about work nor leisure. Everything has to be done in the right dose i.e. work hard but also relax enough. For students, stress management would require budgeting well for time. The timetables should allow for study time, physical exercise time and some time of pure relaxation.

Tobacco smoking has been practiced for a very long time. Many people smoke tobacco for pleasure. Smoking is an addiction that people take to out of influence especially from company. Tobacco has chemical properties so that when inhaled they activate the body and make the body alert (Connolly 22).

Smoking tobacco has been scientifically proved to be the cause of many breathes system related complications and cancer. Smoke particle perforate the lungs in the long run leading to lung failure or lung cancers (Connolly 37). It is also known that tobacco smoke contains carcinogens which affect body cells making them cancerous.

Widespread smoking is associated with advertisement or marketing campaigns by tobacco companies. In the advertisement, thought currently, highly restricted, smokers were depicted as the cool guys (Connolly 75). Smoking was associated with achievement or being super.

Currently, despite antismoking campaigns, smoking continues. As an individual, I can not imagine myself smoking because there is no recorded benefit that one gains from smoking. More sensitization and legislation against tobacco smoking is a sure way of stopping and limiting smoking.

Alcohol is used almost world wide. Continued use of alcoholic drinks results in addiction and development of health problems. Individuals who are addicted to alcohol have a compulsion to be drunk always. Stress, socio-economic problems or frustration is the key reason why people become alcoholics. Those who start taking alcohol at a young age are more likely to become alcohol dependent (Goodwin 18).

Alcoholism has many negative effects in the life of an individual. Continued dependence on alcohol translates into an individual draining his or her finances. Alcohol is one of the greatest expenditure for alcoholics. Alcoholics develop ill health due to the effect of alcohol on the liver (Goodwin 10).

There are also a number of cognitive problems associated with excessive consumption of alcohol. Alcoholics also develop negative social behavior e.g. withdrawing from social activity, becoming abusive and intolerant. In the extreme conditions, alcoholism makes individuals to develop suicidal behavior; when drunk, the fear of doing the unthinkable is found. Furthermore, alcoholics tend towards violence and such deviance as rape or other crimes.

Alcoholism is managed through use of medicines and therapy (Goodwin 133). It is considered that given the effects of alcohol on the body, detoxification or purification is necessary. Group therapy or counseling is necessary to help people confront and acknowledge that alcoholism is a problem they have. Group therapy is encouraging as it helps one realize there are others suffering from the same but breaking from it is possible. The best way of dealing with alcoholism is avoiding alcohol completely.

Drug abuse is use of generally associated with use of certain drugs that make an individual psychoactive or enhances performance (Abadinsky 2). There are a number of drugs that produce unhealthy reactions in the human body. They suppress the nervous system, induce over secretion of fight or flight hormones, or generally lead to over-excitement.

In the long run, such drugs either impair ones mental capacity or physical performance. Examples of such drugs include opium, cocaine, heroine etc. although the drugs, on the short term, induce a happy feeling in the user; in the long run they are addictive and affect the individual adversely.

Drug abuse often causes individuals a lot of problems. When found out, drug abuse often carries some form of criminal penalty. People who abuse drugs also have high propensity towards violence, unprotected sex, lawlessness, crime, and suicide. Drug abuse also leads to addiction or dependence that makes individuals virtually unproductive. It has been proved that some drugs when used cause physiological damage to the brain and the nervous system (Abadinsky 18). Many psychiatric problems result from drug abuse e.g. smoking of bhang.

Generally, efforts to limit or control abuse of drugs are effected through legislation and harmful effect sensitization. It is criminal to handle or use certain substances such as heroine or cocaine (Abadinsky 37). Government, non governmental organizations and even religions do a lot to sensitize community against drug abuse. As an individual, being principled and avoiding peer pressure comes in handy in avoiding the drug abuse traps.

Diabetes is a condition that results in the body not being able to regulate blood sugar. This is caused by the pancreas producing less or too much insulin (Moran and Merriman 3). Due to the insulin available being in abnormal amount, it does not work properly producing an abnormal condition in the body. This happens when one eats too many sugary food stuffs, due to bacteria attack or exposure to chemical toxins.

Although diabetes is sometimes inherited, many cases of the disease are acquired due to lifestyle related issues. Eating of sugary things contributes in a big way to occurrence of diabetes cases (Moran and Merriman 41). From very early ages, parents often find themselves trapped in appeasing their children with sweet things as cakes and sweets.

However, these sweet foods only increase blood sugar to the level where the pancreas becomes overworked or the insulin produced is not enough to facilitate breakdown of sugar. Lack of physical exercise also contributes in a big way to sugar levels going high (Moran and Merriman 73). Physical exercise uses energy which is obtained from breakdown of sugar thus leading to reduction of blood sugar levels.

To avoid diabetes, one has to regulate the amount of sugary foods he or she takes. Physical exercise is critical for proper metabolism and catabolism in the body. This helps towards breakdown or use of much blood sugar, reducing risk of overworking pancreas.

Cancer refers to a condition when body cells grow uncontrollably forming a lump called a tumor. There are different kinds of tumor that register in the body in different ways. Some cancerous cells (cells that are growing abnormally and replicating out of control) spread around the body while others are often localized. When cancerous lumps or tumors form, they affect the normal flow in the body. They normal destroy the body system within which they grow.

Cancer is believed to be hereditary i.e. it inherited through the genetic disposition in families. Old age is the second uncontrollable factor that disposes people to cancer.

In old age the immune system becomes weaker and possibility of cell mutations I higher. However, it also largely depends on exposure to certain risks in life. Carcinogens are known to increase likelihood of getting cancer as they damage DNA thus leading to cells growing uncontrollably (Anderson 29). Smoking is widely believed to be the number one contributor to carcinogens presence in the human body.

Carcinogen is also accessed through inhaling exhaust fumes. Many sexually transmitted disease causing viruses are also closely associated with cancer and they lower body immunity. Eating a poor diet puts an individual at the risk of cancer because body immunity and proper cell formation is depended on diet. Lack of exercising and obesity are associated with cancer because proper functioning of body is affected.

Cancer can be prevented through avoiding of certain destructive behaviors. Smoking and drinking alcohol only raise the risks of getting cancer. Individuals have to avoid expressing themselves to the chemicals and radiation that is also associated with cell mutation (Anderson 123). Individuals have to eat right because health largely depends on what individuals eat.

This essay considers the different destructive behaviors that people engage in. From the different issues discussed, it is clear that lifestyle choices play a critical role in ensuring health living. It is advisable that individuals eat well, avoid smoking, resist any form of drug abuse, do physical exercises and avoid exposure to harmful chemicals or radiation to avoid risk of disease or other social defects.

Abadinsky Howard. Drug Abuse: An Introduction. 3 rd Ed. Chicago: Nelson-Hall Publishers, 1997

Anderson, Greg. Cancer: 50 Essential Things to Do. 3 rd Ed. New York: Plume, 2009.

Connolly, Sean. Tobacco . Mankato: Black Rabbit Books, 2006.

Goodwin, Donald W. Alcoholism, the Facts. 3 rd Ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000

Moran, Katherine, and Merriman Lisa. Diabetes: The Ultimate Teen Guide. New York:Scarecrow Press, 2004

Ratcliffe, Gail. Take Control Of Your Life: The Five Step Stress Management Plan. London: Simon & Schuster, 1995

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IELTS Task 2 Writing – Unhealthy Lifestyle – with Planning

***TIP – Make sure to do FULL Writing Section Practice – this means, write a task 1 in 20 minutes followed by a task 2 in 40 minutes – no more than 60 minutes. (Task 1 is either an expository or narrative essay, depending on academic or general module respectively, and task 2 is a persuasive essay)

IELTS Writing Task 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Many people do not pay enough attention to their mental and physical well-being. What are the causes of this? Support your opinion with explanations and examples and provide possible solutions. Write AT LEAST 250 words.

STEP 1 – Paraphrase – Lots of individuals neglect their mental and physical health. What leads to this situation and what are some solutions? Give support to your perspective and provide examples.

What type of question is this? This is an open question, meaning you can have many possible answers (as opposed to closed questions, like do you agree or disagree), and it is causes and solutions.

STEP 2 – Identify the “Topic” and “Controlling Idea(s)”

TOPIC = mental and physical health

CONTROLLING IDEA = The causes and solutions for neglecting mental and physical health

STEP 3 – Brainstorming – critically thinking of the Topic and Controlling Ideas

What is mental and physical health?

TIP*** When you define the topic, do it as concise as possible – few words

TIP*** Avoid defining the topic from the contra/negative perspective (Ex. metnal health is when people do not feel sad – this is a poor definition à it is when people feel happy.)

A: Mental health is a generally happy and satisfied mood, in control of one’s feelings. Having a strong self-esteem and image is positive mental health.

(Visualize – how does a doctor assess your physical health) Physical health means that a person’s metabolism and vital signs function appropriately for their given age, gender, height and weight. Strong metabolism, good immune system, strong muscles, appropriate weight.

Controlling Ideas

TIP – especially for open questions, think and work hard to identify the top 3 reasons. Think, “If I asked 100 people this question, what would most of them answer.”

What are the causes for neglecting mental and physical health?

A: too busy with work, financial burden, laziness, distraction with entertainment

Why do people neglect their mental and physical health?

A: lack of foresight, able to survive

How is mental and physical health neglected?

A: physical – people sit and eat unhealthy foods, mental – people do not socialize enough face-to-face, they do not exercise and eat healthy, they do not express their emotions. Sedentary (does not move around) life-style

Solutions? Exercise and diet, community, family support and communication.

THESIS – The most common causes for people to neglect their mental and physical health are work and entertainment, and the solutions are better time and diet management.

INTRODUCTION

There is an alarmingly high rate of individuals globally who are unfit mentally and physically. Many people suffer from mood disorders and poor conditioning which not only leads to a lower quality of life but also makes individuals vulnerable to environmental pressures. These persons underperform on a variety of medical indexes such as the Body Mass Index and are susceptible to depression and infection. The most common causes for people to neglect their mental and physical health are work and entertainment, and the solutions are better time and diet management.

BODY 1 (topic sentence – causes – work and entertainment) ailments

People do not invest enough time in their wellbeing because of hectic work schedules and lazy entertainment choices. (Explanation) Many hard-working individuals spend 10 to 12 hours at the office five days a week to make ends meet as sustenance costs around the world are skyrocketing. When these people finally have time for themselves, they opt to watch a movie or read a book instead of spending time with loved ones or going to the gym for a workout. This behavior leads to eventual deterioration of both mental and physical fitness. According to the World Health Organization, one in every three adults suffers from high blood pressure and being overweight due to lack of exercise and poor diet. Fortunately, there are some very effective solutions to these challenges.

BODY 2 (solutions – time and diet management)

A couple of ways to overcome mental and physical weaknesses, and gain attention for a healthier lifestyle are establishing a fitness and diet schedule. This means that individuals should set aside at least one hour a day, five days a week to do exercises such as going for a jog and the gym. Also, people should pay careful attention to record and manage the foods they eat, avoiding unhealthy junk foods, as well as excessive sugar and carbohydrates, while paying attention to eating more greens and fiber. In fact, a recent study by the famous diet program Weight Watchers discovered that people who create monthly fitness and diet routines report an overall high level of satisfaction with both their physical and mental conditioning. Clearly, these are effective measures to counteract the hectic work life and sedentary entertainment choices of people.

In conclusion, many people face serious challenges in paying attention to their overall health due to job pressure and sedentary enjoyment. Nevertheless, these obstacles can be met head-on with some dedicated time to managing exercise as eating habits. After all, a sound body and mind are fundamental to the overall high quality of life for all humans.

Remember to practice your writing by clicking, “Task 1 and Task 2” green buttons, in your My Student Account at https://www.aehelp.com/ (Use code A8TW9 to get a 10% discount when you join the Premium Package) Good studies.

2 Responses to “IELTS Task 2 Writing – Unhealthy Lifestyle – with Planning”

can I write a cause and its solution in the same paragraph?

Yes, you can Viraj, especially if you have multiple causes and solutions. In this case it makes sense to do a cause + it’s solution in one paragraph.

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Cause/Solution Essay Topic: Some activities are good for health and others are bad

Updated On Mar 05, 2024

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Cause/Solution Essay Topic: Some activities are good for health and others are bad

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Scientists tell us that some activities are good for health and others are bad. Despite knowing that, millions of people still continue doing unhealthy activities. What are the causes and what are the solutions for this?

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Cause-Solution essay

Introduction

Paraphrase the topic of the essay.

Clearly state the intent of the essay and what could be expected from it.

Paragraph 1- There are some reasons why there is still a prevalent habit of doing unhealthy activities. This can be, firstly, explained by the fact that most people are prone to undue optimism. Although powerful and constant reminders of what unsound lifestyles can bring are readily available everywhere, people still keep the faith that they would hardly be inflicted.

Even for those who are aware, they are often in denial and convince themselves that unhealthy habits are not as terrible as the media want them to believe. Secondly, once people are addicted to unhealthy habits, it is very difficult for them to break.

Paragraph 2- To address these problems, multiple solutions can be proposed. One of which is imposing higher taxes on unhealthy products, such as food with a high concentration of fat, alcohol, or cigarettes. This solution promises direct impacts. Moreover, healthy lifestyles should be further promoted, and likewise, unhealthy lifestyles should be strictly criticised in the media.

Give a conclusion of the essay written and the inference made from it.

Sample Essay

Modern people are regularly informed about the dangers of leading unhealthy lifestyles. Despite the spectacular advances in the medical field, many people are still suffering from and being killed by diseases, most of which are preventable.

There are some reasons why there is still a prevalent habit of doing unhealthy activities. This can be, firstly, explained by the fact that most people are prone to undue optimism. Although powerful and constant reminders of what unsound lifestyles can bring are readily available everywhere, people still keep the faith that they would hardly be inflicted. Even for those who are aware, they are often in denial and convince themselves that unhealthy habits are not as terrible as the media want them to believe. Secondly, once people are addicted to unhealthy habits, it is very difficult for them to break. For example, people with smoking habits cannot reduce their dependency on cigarettes due to their high addictiveness, or people with sedentary lifestyles are unable to bring themselves to be more active on the simple grounds that exercises are not pleasurable.

To address these problems, multiple solutions can be proposed. One of which is imposing higher taxes on unhealthy products, such as food with a high concentration of fat, alcohol, or cigarettes. This solution promises direct impacts. Moreover, healthy lifestyles should be further promoted, and likewise, unhealthy lifestyles should be strictly criticised on the media. With a sense of self-protection and knowledge that everybody around them practices the same habit, I believe that people would find it easier to break their old self-destructive lifestyles.

In conclusion, it could thus be inferred that the menace of unhealthy lifestyle and people’s cohesion with it could be recuperated with the prudential and aware health measures.

Spectacular advances: Huge advances.
Prevalent habit: a habit that many people have.
To be prone to undue optimism: Feel too optimistic
Unsound lifestyle: unhealthy lifestyle.
To be inflicted: to suffer.
Sedentary (adj.) not involving many physical exercises.
To reduce their dependency on something: To become less dependent on it.
On the simple grounds that …: For a simple reason that…
Impose higher tax: to increase tax.
To break the old self-destructive lifestyles: To give it up.

Band 9 Sample Essay

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People generally tend to corner all the deleterious habits that could take a toll on their health statuses and hence, the increasing diseases and health hazards come bumping by. In this essay, I shall be talking about the various causes for this behaviour of people and the possible solutions to overcome this problem.

When we talk about the causes of certain unsafe and harmful health patterns encompassing physical rigour or nutritional aspects, etc., the first point that pops up is the denial mode of human beings. Despite recognizing the impacts of resorting to unhealthy lifestyles, people tend to think that they are invincible to such an extent where they should think about switching on with their precautionary and meticulous life regime. Moreover, the avoidance and rubbishing off the guidelines that tend to acknowledge them with the severe ramifications and corollary consequences of filthy and detrimental ways that imperil their health is yet another reason for people continuing with such habits. In addition to that, the whole efforts and rigmarole of planning to tread on healthier ways may seem a bit onerous to people for which, they become apprehensive to that.

The effectual solutions to that would be the more vigorous media usage in transmitting and disseminating the awareness and essence of healthy lifestyles, making people cognizant with the figures and indexes of health statuses of the people today, the number of fatalities that have emerged owing to the sedentary lifestyles and junk-binging, so on and so forth. As people tend to be more influenced by knowing the repercussions, rather than the prevention. Additionally, promoting certain apps and devices that keep track of the health activities of people could be a great aid to keep their over the top unhealthy patterns under check. Most importantly, levying heavy taxes on fast food and junk meals shall make people spend less on such life-threatening items.

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Posted on Oct 25, 2021

One of the greatest asset one can have is good health. Some activities are beneficial and the rest are not, which is being actively advocated by the scientists. Still many people ignore this fact and continue doing activities that deteriorates their health. This essay will discuss the causes and possible solutions for such an attitude.

Firstly, albeit advances in the medical facilities, there is plethora of reasons why people are suffering from various diseases. One of the major causes of this is the negligence of healthy lifestyle. Moreover, lack of motivation and awareness also contributes towards people not understanding the difference between healthy and unhealthy choices. Addiction to life threatening substances is also responsible for such behaviour as people feel helpless and tempted to get into such activities. For an instance, people addicted to smoking may argue that if they stop smoking then it could affect their performance and mood.

Despite of all this, there are certain solutions that can be adopted in order to tackle this problem. Media needs to cover the complications of not having a healthy lifestyle on a large scale. Strict action needs to be taken against the media houses and advertisements promoting culture which leads to physical and mental disgrace. Steps taken by the local administration such as establishment of public sports complex to promote exercise, campaigns to educate people about the horrendous effects of sedentary lifestyle and consumption of certain things, can widely impact in bringing positive changes.

In a nutshell, by being considerate and aware about one’s actions, people can change their perception towards their life choices and improve their overall well-being.

erall band: 5.0

Grammar: Learn the usage of “One of the” When using noun phrases, learn their correct usage. Some of them require a determiner while others don’t. Plethora requires “a” before it while For instance does not require “an”. Concentrate on subject verb agreement. Learn the usage of prepositions

Posted on Oct 24, 2021

Even if humanity is well informed about the effects of a vast range of unhealthy activities, there are still lots of people who stick with these deleterious habits. The following essay will explain why people can‘t get rid of their unhealthy lifestyle choices and what could be done to change that situation.

One of the main reasons for unhealthy habits is the huge influence of the industry that produces Luxus products like sweets, cigarettes or alcohol – all very damaging for the human body. These industries are extremely powerful because their products make people addicted so that they can not stop consuming them. Because of this, the industries gain a lot of money and correspondingly pay a lot of taxes. Therefore they are important for a country‘s income and are not strictly regulated in their actions and can go on and on promoting and selling their unhealthy products with few to no restrictions.

Another reason for unhealthy behaviour is laziness. It‘s much more comfortable to stick to your habits than to change them. Hence it is easier to skip the appointment at the fitness studio to stay at home and eat some snacks than getting up to actively change something – even if the person knows that it would be better for their health and wellbeing to do so.

To fight against these unhealthy habits that intercept our society from reaching greater goals there are different ways to start. Firstly the governments could intervene and regulate the market of unhealthy products by labelling them as unhealthy or addictive or let the industry pay higher taxes for these kinds of products. Secondly, the industries themselves could change their products to make them more healthy, mind you this is very unlikely to happen. And lastly, every individual could start with pondering about their habits and how they affect their body and mind, and eventually conclude from it to refuse some unhealthy behaviour in the future. As a side effect, they would be a positive example to others, too, so it is a fantastic option to start changing the world a little bit for the better.

With all these options in mind it sounds achievable to begin a healthy revolution, does it not?

Overall band: 5.5

Coherence: Your essay is lacking a proper conclusion. In a conclusion, you should restate points and not add anything new.

Wide range of” is better than “vast range of”. Avoid using colloquial language like “mind you”

Posted on Oct 18, 2021

Avoid using colloquial language like mind you. Coherence: Your essay lacks a proper conclusion. You restate both the cause and solution here, which you have not done.

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What Are the Effects of an Unhealthy Diet?

When you come home after a long day of work, it can be tempting to order some food or grab takeout and relax. After all, who wants to go through all the effort of cooking and cleaning up when you're tired? Consuming fast food occasionally isn't harmful, but eating too much can result in an unhealthy diet. Unhealthy diets can be harmful and have long-term effects on your health.

An unhealthy diet can lead to health issues such as malnutrition, poor digestion, inflammation, unwanted weight gain and obesity. It can also increase your risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, and impact your mental health.

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What Is a Healthy Diet?

You've probably heard the saying a million times — "eat a balanced diet." But what exactly is a balanced diet ? According to the Office of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention , the American dietary guidelines state that most people should consume:

‌ Grains, including bread, pasta and rice. ‌ Nine to 11 servings per day are recommended.
‌ Vegetables. ‌ Four to five servings each day are recommended.
‌ Fruit. ‌ Three to four servings each day are recommended.
‌ Protein, including beans, fish, meat and nuts. ‌ Two to three servings per day are recommended.

Consumption of all of these constitutes a balanced, healthy diet. Together, these foods give you all of the recommended vitamins and minerals you need each day. This includes vitamins A, C, E and K as well as B-complex vitamins. It also includes quite a few minerals, including calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc. There is no single food that can give you all of these nutrients.

What Is an Unhealthy Diet?

Now that we know what a balanced diet is, what is an unhealthy diet ? There are actually many types of unhealthy diets. Traditionally, fast food products are linked to unhealthy diets, as one in three Americans eats fast food each day . Rich in carbohydrates and high-fat content, frequent consumption of fast food products like fries, fried chicken and pizza can definitely contribute to an unhealthy diet. However, fast foods aren't the only cause of unhealthy diets.

Unhealthy diets can involve eating only one type of food. Recently, an extreme diet called the carnivore diet received attention from the media because the diet involves eating only meat. A person who is consuming only meat products is likely not getting the daily vitamins and minerals he or she needs. This can be easily rectified by adding fruits, vegetables and grains to the diet. A diet involving one single type of food of any kind is likely going to be bad for you in the long run.

Another example of an unhealthy diet is a diet involving excessive consumption of a certain product or nutrient. An example of this is a diet high in sodium . Someone who chooses to eat bacon, cold cuts and other salt-preserved products with frequency will likely be consuming too much sodium. This can result in a variety of health issues , like increased blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease. While a little extra salt here and there may not seem like a big deal, 9 out of 10 Americans eat too much sodium. In general, consuming too much of anything can result in an unhealthy diet with negative health benefits.

The Dangers of Unhealthy Eating

The effects of unhealthy eating can sometimes result in obvious physical changes, such as acne, bloating and weight gain. Certain unhealthy diets, like those linked to too much fast food, can result in obesity and related diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control , having overweight or obesity can increase the risk for diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, stroke and many other conditions. Obvious physical changes don't occur to everyone. However, just because the effects of unhealthy eating aren't obvious doesn't mean they aren't happening.

It's possible to consume an unhealthy diet for a long time and suddenly experience its effects. According to a Civil Eats interview with Hilal Elver , the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, fast foods are a leading cause of malnutrition. Malnutrition is one of the biggest dangers of unhealthy eating and can lead to diseases like scurvy. Caused by a deficiency in vitamin C , scurvy can happen to people who prefer carbohydrate-rich diets, avoiding fresh fruit and vegetables. An unhealthy diet won't immediately cause scurvy. You'd have to be vitamin C-deficient for about three months before getting this disease.

Nutrient deficiencies can also have long-term effects. According to the book Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease , written by Department of Nutritional Sciences researchers at Pennsylvania State University, certain vitamins and minerals can reduce your chance of diseases that appear later in life, like osteoporosis. Calcium and vitamin D contribute to bone health and can reduce the risk of osteoporosis as you age.

The effects of your eating habits are more important than you may realize. Every food that you eat has the potential to change your gut microbiome. According to a 2014 study in Nature , trillions of microorganisms reside in your digestive system. The microbes that live in these communities are influenced by the foods you eat every day. Unhealthy diets can cause an imbalance in these microbial communities and allow too many of a certain type to live in your gastrointestinal tract. This can negatively impact digestion, metabolism and cause diseases like inflammatory bowel disease. Because your gut is directly linked to your brain through a cranial nerve, your diet can even impact your mental health.

The effects of eating habits may be more influential than you think. It's important to be aware of both the short-term and long-term effects of unhealthy eating, and to always try to consume a balanced diet.

Harvard Medical School: Listing of Vitamins
CDC: Fast Food Consumption Among Adults in the United States, 2013–2016
Popular Science: Please Do Not Try to Survive on an All-Meat Diet
American Heart Association: 9 out of 10 Americans Eat Too Much Sodium
American Heart Association: Get the Scoop on Sodium and Salt
CDC: Disability and Obesity
Civil Eats: In the Battle Against Malnutrition, UN Expert Says Junk Food is the Real Culprit
Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings: Scurvy in 2017 in the USA
American Journal of Medicine: Scurvy, a Not-So-Ancient Disease
Public Health Nutrition: Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Osteoporosis
Nature: Diet Rapidly and Reproducibly Alters the Human Gut Microbiome
Frontiers in Neuroscience: The Vagus Nerve at the Interface of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis
CAB Direct: Modern nutrition in health and disease

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How to write cause/effect essays in IELTS?

Cause and effect essay questions in IELTS Writing task 2 give you a problem and ask you to state the main causes of this problem and discuss its possible effects .

In this lesson you will see:

how to generate ideas for causes and effects
band 9 answer structure for causes/effects essay
cause/effect model essay

This is an example of cause/effect IELTS writing task 2 question:

Today more people are overweight than ever before.

What in your opinion are the primary causes of this?

What are the main effects of this epidemic?

Generating ideas

After you’ve read the question, you can clearly determine the problem: growing number of overweight people .

But before you start to write your essay, it’s a good idea to think of 2-3 causes and 2-3 possible effects of the problem.

Causes of obesity :

inactive lifestyle (relying on cars instead of walking, fewer physical demands at work, inactive leisure activities)
unhealthy eating habits (eating fast-food, drinking high-calorie beverages, consuming large portions of food, eating irregularly)

Effects of obesity :

physical health problems
loss of productivity
depressions and mental disorders

Now, after we’ve generated the main ideas for causes and effects, it’s time to use these ideas in our essay.

Band 9 answer structure

As you know, there are many ways to structure your essay, but we’ll use a structure that has been approved by many IELTS examiners to be high-scoring and coherent .

Band-9 essay structure :

Introduction

Body paragraph 1 - causes

Body paragraph 2 - effects

Let’s take a look at each of these sections in detail.

Write your introduction in two sentences:

Nowadays the number of overweight people is constantly growing.

This essay will discuss the main reasons of this epidemic and then describe the possible effects of the problem.

In my opinion, the foremost causes of obesity are inactive lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits.

Today more and more people rely on cars instead of walking, have less physical demands at work and prefer inactive leisure activities. This results in burning less calories and gaining weight.

Moreover, the problem is accentuated by the growing number of people, who eat irregularly and consume large portions of high-calorie food. For example, about 50% of the adult population in Europe with so-called disordered eating suffer from obesity.

The possible effects of this problem include physical health problems and loss of productivity.

First of all, obesity results in incorrect functioning of the human body and contributes to the risk of developing some chronic illnesses. For example, as body fat percentage increases, the person’s metabolism worsens, which in turn may result in diabetes or heart diseases.

Secondly, overweight people are very unhealthy and often suffer from stress and tiredness. This lessens their work capacity and results in lower productivity. For example, it has been proven that an obese person needs to put more effort to complete some task than a person with normal weight.

For the conclusion you need simply to restate the problem and sum up the causes and effects that you described in your body paragraphs:

To sum up, obesity is a big problem that affects a lot of people nowadays. It’s mainly caused by inactive lifestyle and eating disorders and results in severe health problems and loss of productivity.

Model essay

Nowadays the number of overweight people is constantly increasing. This essay will discuss the main reasons of this epidemic and then describe the possible effects of the problem.

In my opinion, the foremost causes of obesity are inactive lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits. Today more and more people rely on cars instead of walking, have less physical demands at work and prefer inactive leisure activities. This results in burning less calories and gaining weight. Moreover, the problem is accentuated by the growing number of people, who eat irregularly and consume large portions of high-calorie food. For example, about 50% of the adult population in Europe with so-called disordered eating suffer from obesity.

The possible effects of this problem include physical health problems and loss of productivity. First of all, obesity results in incorrect functioning of the human body and contributes to the risk of developing some chronic illnesses. For example, as body fat percentage increases, the person’s metabolism worsens, which in turn may result in diabetes or heart diseases. Secondly, overweight people are very unhealthy and often suffer from stress and tiredness. This lessens their work capacity and results in lower productivity. For example, it has been proven that an obese person needs to put more effort to complete some task than a person with normal weight.

(251 words)

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Obesity: causes, consequences, treatments, and challenges

Obesity has become a global epidemic and is one of today’s most public health problems worldwide. Obesity poses a major risk for a variety of serious diseases including diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD), cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer ( Bluher, 2019 ).

Obesity is mainly caused by imbalanced energy intake and expenditure due to a sedentary lifestyle coupled with overnutrition. Excess nutrients are stored in adipose tissue (AT) in the form of triglycerides, which will be utilized as nutrients by other tissues through lipolysis under nutrient deficit conditions. There are two major types of AT, white AT (WAT) and brown AT, the latter is a specialized form of fat depot that participates in non-shivering thermogenesis through lipid oxidation-mediated heat generation. While WAT has been historically considered merely an energy reservoir, this fat depot is now well known to function as an endocrine organ that produces and secretes various hormones, cytokines, and metabolites (termed as adipokines) to control systemic energy balance. Studies over the past decade also show that WAT, especially subcutaneous WAT, could undergo ‘beiging’ remodeling in response to environmental or hormonal perturbation. In the first paper of this special issue, Cheong and Xu (2021) systematically review the recent progress on the factors, pathways, and mechanisms that regulate the intercellular and inter-organ crosstalks in the beiging of WAT. A critical but still not fully addressed issue in the adipose research field is the origin of the beige cells. Although beige adipocytes are known to have distinct cellular origins from brown and while adipocytes, it remains unclear on whether the cells are from pre-existing mature white adipocytes through a transdifferentiation process or from de novo differentiation of precursor cells. AT is a heterogeneous tissue composed of not only adipocytes but also nonadipocyte cell populations, including fibroblasts, as well as endothelial, blood, stromal, and adipocyte precursor cells ( Ruan, 2020 ). The authors examined evidence to show that heterogeneity contributes to different browning capacities among fat depots and even within the same depot. The local microenvironment in WAT, which is dynamically and coordinately controlled by inputs from the heterogeneous cell types, plays a critical role in the beige adipogenesis process. The authors also examined key regulators of the AT microenvironment, including vascularization, the sympathetic nerve system, immune cells, peptide hormones, exosomes, and gut microbiota-derived metabolites. Given that increasing beige fat function enhances energy expenditure and consequently reduces body weight gain, identification and characterization of novel regulators and understanding their mechanisms of action in the beiging process has a therapeutic potential to combat obesity and its associated diseases. However, as noticed by the authors, most of the current pre-clinical research on ‘beiging’ are done in rodent models, which may not represent the exact phenomenon in humans ( Cheong and Xu, 2021 ). Thus, further investigations will be needed to translate the findings from bench to clinic.

While both social–environmental factors and genetic preposition have been recognized to play important roles in obesity epidemic, Gao et al. (2021) present evidence showing that epigenetic changes may be a key factor to explain interindividual differences in obesity. The authors examined data on the function of DNA methylation in regulating the expression of key genes involved in metabolism. They also summarize the roles of histone modifications as well as various RNAs such as microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, and circular RNAs in regulating metabolic gene expression in metabolic organs in response to environmental cues. Lastly, the authors discuss the effect of lifestyle modification and therapeutic agents on epigenetic regulation of energy homeostasis. Understanding the mechanisms by which lifestyles such as diet and exercise modulate the expression and function of epigenetic factors in metabolism should be essential for developing novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of obesity and its associated metabolic diseases.

A major consequence of obesity is type 2 diabetes, a chronic disease that occurs when body cannot use and produce insulin effectively. Diabetes profoundly and adversely affects the vasculature, leading to various cardiovascular-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, arteriosclerotic, and microvascular diseases, which have been recognized as the most common causes of death in people with diabetes ( Cho et al., 2018 ). Love et al. (2021) systematically review the roles and regulation of endothelial insulin resistance in diabetes complications, focusing mainly on vascular dysfunction. The authors review the vasoprotective functions and the mechanisms of action of endothelial insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling pathways. They also examined the contribution and impart of endothelial insulin resistance to diabetes complications from both biochemical and physiological perspectives and evaluated the beneficial roles of many of the medications currently used for T2D treatment in vascular management, including metformin, thiazolidinediones, glucagon-like receptor agonists, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibitors, as well as exercise. The authors present evidence to suggest that sex differences and racial/ethnic disparities contribute significantly to vascular dysfunction in the setting of diabetes. Lastly, the authors raise a number of very important questions with regard to the role and connection of endothelial insulin resistance to metabolic dysfunction in other major metabolic organs/tissues and suggest several insightful directions in this area for future investigation.

Following on from the theme of obesity-induced metabolic dysfunction, Xia et al. (2021) review the latest progresses on the role of membrane-type I matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), a zinc-dependent endopeptidase that proteolytically cleaves extracellular matrix components and non-matrix proteins, in lipid metabolism. The authors examined data on the transcriptional and post-translational modification regulation of MT1-MMP gene expression and function. They also present evidence showing that the functions of MT1-MMP in lipid metabolism are cell specific as it may either promote or suppress inflammation and atherosclerosis depending on its presence in distinct cells. MT1-MMP appears to exert a complex role in obesity for that the molecule delays the progression of early obesity but exacerbates obesity at the advanced stage. Because inhibition of MT1-MMP can potentially lower the circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of cancer metastasis and atherosclerosis, the protein has been viewed as a very promising therapeutic target. However, challenges remain in developing MT1-MMP-based therapies due to the tissue-specific roles of MT1-MMP and the lack of specific inhibitors for this molecule. Further investigations are needed to address these questions and to develop MT1-MMP-based therapeutic interventions.

Lastly, Huang et al. (2021) present new findings on a critical role of puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase (PSA), an integral non-transmembrane enzyme that catalyzes the cleavage of amino acids near the N-terminus of polypeptides, in NAFLD. NAFLD, ranging from simple nonalcoholic fatty liver to the more aggressive subtype nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, has now become the leading chronic liver disease worldwide ( Loomba et al., 2021 ). At present, no effective drugs are available for NAFLD management in the clinic mainly due to the lack of a complete understanding of the mechanisms underlying the disease progress, reinforcing the urgent need to identify and validate novel targets and to elucidate their mechanisms of action in NAFLD development and pathogenesis. Huang et al. (2021) found that PSA expression levels were greatly reduced in the livers of obese mouse models and that the decreased PSA expression correlated with the progression of NAFLD in humans. They also found that PSA levels were negatively correlated with triglyceride accumulation in cultured hepatocytes and in the liver of ob/ob mice. Moreover, PSA suppresses steatosis by promoting lipogenesis and attenuating fatty acid β-oxidation in hepatocytes and protects oxidative stress and lipid overload in the liver by activating the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, the master regulator of antioxidant response. These studies identify PSA as a pivotal regulator of hepatic lipid metabolism and suggest that PSA may be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for treating NAFLD.

In summary, papers in this issue review our current knowledge on the causes, consequences, and interventions of obesity and its associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes, NAFLD, and cardiovascular disease ( Cheong and Xu, 2021 ; Gao et al., 2021 ; Love et al., 2021 ). Potential targets for the treatment of dyslipidemia and NAFLD are also discussed, as exemplified by MT1-MMP and PSA ( Huang et al., 2021 ; Xia et al., 2021 ). It is noted that despite enormous effect, few pharmacological interventions are currently available in the clinic to effectively treat obesity. In addition, while enhancing energy expenditure by browning/beiging of WAT has been demonstrated as a promising alternative approach to alleviate obesity in rodent models, it remains to be determined on whether such WAT reprogramming is effective in combating obesity in humans ( Cheong and Xu, 2021 ). Better understanding the mechanisms by which obesity induces various medical consequences and identification and characterization of novel anti-obesity secreted factors/soluble molecules would be helpful for developing effective therapeutic treatments for obesity and its associated medical complications.

Bluher M. (2019). Obesity: global epidemiology and pathogenesis . Nat. Rev. Endocrinol . 15 , 288–298. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Cheong L.Y., Xu A. (2021). Intercellular and inter-organ crosstalk in browning of white adipose tissue: molecular mechanism and therapeutic complications . J. Mol. Cell Biol . 13 , 466–479. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Cho N.H., Shaw J.E., Karuranga S., et al. (2018). IDF Diabetes Atlas: global estimates of diabetes prevalence for 2017 and projections for 2045 . Diabetes Res. Clin. Pract . 138 , 271–281. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
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Huang B., Xiong X., Zhang L., et al. (2021). PSA controls hepatic lipid metabolism by regulating the NRF2 signaling pathway . J. Mol. Cell Biol . 13 , 527–539. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Loomba R., Friedman S.L., Shulman G.I. (2021). Mechanisms and disease consequences of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease . Cell 184 , 2537–2564. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
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The physical sensations of watching a total solar eclipse

Regina Barber, photographed for NPR, 6 June 2022, in Washington DC. Photo by Farrah Skeiky for NPR.

Regina G. Barber

Science writer David Baron witnesses his first total solar eclipse in Aruba, 1998. He says seeing one is "like you've left the solar system and are looking back from some other world." Paul Myers hide caption

Science writer David Baron witnesses his first total solar eclipse in Aruba, 1998. He says seeing one is "like you've left the solar system and are looking back from some other world."

David Baron can pinpoint the first time he got addicted to chasing total solar eclipses, when the moon completely covers up the sun. It was 1998 and he was on the Caribbean island of Aruba. "It changed my life. It was the most spectacular thing I'd ever seen," he says.

Baron, author of the 2017 book American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World , wants others to witness its majesty too. On April 8, millions of people across North America will get that chance — a total solar eclipse will appear in the sky. Baron promises it will be a surreal, otherworldly experience. "It's like you've left the solar system and are looking back from some other world."

Baron, who is a former NPR science reporter, talks to Life Kit about what to expect when viewing a total solar eclipse, including the sensations you may feel and the strange lighting effects in the sky. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Baron views the beginning of a solar eclipse with friends in Western Australia in 2023. Baron says getting to see the solar corona during a total eclipse is "the most dazzling sight in the heavens." Photographs by David Baron; Bronson Arcuri, Kara Frame, CJ Riculan/NPR; Collage by Becky Harlan/NPR hide caption

Baron views the beginning of a solar eclipse with friends in Western Australia in 2023. Baron says getting to see the solar corona during a total eclipse is "the most dazzling sight in the heavens."

What does it feel like to experience a total solar eclipse — those few precious minutes when the moon completely covers up the sun?

It is beautiful and absolutely magnificent. It comes on all of a sudden. As soon as the moon blocks the last rays of the sun, you're plunged into this weird twilight in the middle of the day. You look up and the blue sky has been torn away. On any given day, the blue sky overhead acts as a screen that keeps us from seeing what's in space. And suddenly that's gone. So you can look into the middle of the solar system and see the sun and the planets together.

Can you tell me about the sounds and the emotions you're feeling?

A total solar eclipse is so much more than something you just see with your eyes. It's something you experience with your whole body. [With the drop in sunlight], birds will be going crazy. Crickets may be chirping. If you're around other people, they're going to be screaming and crying [with all their emotions from seeing the eclipse]. The air temperature drops because the sunlight suddenly turns off. And you're immersed in the moon's shadow. It doesn't feel real.

Everything you need to know about solar eclipse glasses before April 8

In your 2017 Ted Talk , you said you felt like your eyesight was failing in the moments before totality. Can you go into that a little more?

The lighting effects are very weird. Before you get to the total eclipse, you have a progressive partial eclipse as the moon slowly covers the sun. So over the course of an hour [or so], the sunlight will be very slowly dimming. It's as if you're in a room in a house and someone is very slowly turning down the dimmer switch. For most of that time your eyes are adjusting and you don't notice it. But then there's a point at which the light's getting so dim that your eyes can't adjust, and weird things happen. Your eyes are less able to see color. It's as if the landscape is losing its color. Also there's an effect where the shadows get very strange.

Crescent-shaped shadows cast by the solar eclipse before it reaches totality appear on a board at an eclipse-viewing event in Antelope, Ore., 2017. Kara Frame and CJ Riculan/NPR hide caption

You see these crescents on the ground.

There are two things that happen. One is if you look under a tree, the spaces between leaves or branches will act as pinhole projectors. So you'll see tiny little crescents everywhere. But there's another effect. As the sun goes from this big orb in the sky to something much smaller, shadows grow sharper. As you're nearing the total eclipse, if you have the sun behind you and you look at your shadow on the ground, you might see individual hairs on your head. It's just very odd.

Some people might say that seeing the partial eclipse is just as good. They don't need to go to the path of totality.

A partial solar eclipse is a very interesting experience. If you're in an area where you see a deep partial eclipse, the sun will become a crescent like the moon. You can only look at it with eye protection. Don't look at it with the naked eye . The light can get eerie. It's fun, but it is not a thousandth as good as a total eclipse.

A total eclipse is a fundamentally different experience, because it's only when the moon completely blocks the sun that you can actually take off the eclipse glasses and look with the naked eye at the sun.

And you will see a sun you've never seen before. That bright surface is gone. What you're actually looking at is the sun's outer atmosphere, the solar corona. It's the most dazzling sight in the heavens. It's this beautiful textured thing. It looks sort of like a wreath or a crown made out of tinsel or strands of silk. It shimmers in space. The shape is constantly changing. And you will only see that if you're in the path of the total eclipse.

Shots - Health News

Watching a solar eclipse without the right filters can cause eye damage. here's why.

So looking at a partial eclipse is not the same?

It is not at all the same. Drive those few miles. Get into the path of totality.

This is really your chance to see a total eclipse. The next one isn't happening across the U.S. for another 20 years.

The next significant total solar eclipse in the United States won't be until 2045. That one will go from California to Florida and will cross my home state of Colorado. I've got it on my calendar.

The digital story was written by Malaka Gharib and edited by Sylvie Douglis and Meghan Keane. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at [email protected].

Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify , and sign up for our newsletter .

NPR will be sharing highlights here from across the NPR Network throughout the day Monday if you're unable to get out and see it in real time.

Correction April 3, 2024

In a previous audio version of this story, we made reference to an upcoming 2025 total solar eclipse. The solar eclipse in question will take place in 2045.

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