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Most people stereotype obese individuals as lazy, eating too much, and exercising too little. But truthfully, for many obese people the problem lies with genetic predisposition, digestive problems, medications, Cushing's syndrome, and many other reasons. According to the Research Chair in Obesity, "Obesity risk is two to eight times higher for a person with a family history as opposed to a person with no family history of obesity." No individual can choose what family they are born into or change their genes. Digestive conditions such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis are treated with steroids and steroids can cause weight gain. Also, patients with acid reflux or an ulcer tend to eat more frequently to decrease the pain, leading to weight gain. Many medications can use weight gain such as birth control pills, blood pressure medication, hormones for hormone therapy, anti-seizure medications, and even some migraine and heartburn medications. In fact, many anti-depressant medications cause weight gain. Cushing's syndrome is caused by prolonged exposure to cortisol leading a patient to have rapid weight gain mostly in the abdominal. These examples make dieting nearly impossible because these issues cannot be resolved simply by cutting calories and fat intake. .
Airlines cannot just deem individuals as obese without knowing the reason behind the individual's obesity. Therefore, obesity should be considered a medical condition and treated as such. Obese passenger should be catered to the same way airlines cater to the blind, disabled, service animals, and oxygen-dependent individuals.
According to the Independent Travel, "The standard seat pitch has decreased almost industry-wide from 33-34 inches to more like 31 inches." In a society where the obesity rate is increasing, why are airline seats getting smaller? The answer is simple; airlines are making seats smaller in order to have room to add extra seats and rows to make more revenue.
