Analyze the definitions of physical disability in reference to obesity.
It is quite hard to define exactly what a physical disability is; it is very crucial to not make the mistake that it is only having to use a wheelchair of wear a brace. There are many conditions, which are considered a physical disability such as multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue syndrome (Wen,1999). When talking about physical disability it is easy to categorize it into a number of things, some of which are talked about here, these include limited control or some or all voluntary muscles, meaning in the arm, which ranges from no control to normal coordination, in the legs which ranges from total inability to difficulty standing or walking. In the upper body which includes the inability or difficulty to sit straight, in the face and throat, which includes the difficulty, to eat and speak and finally the bladder and bowel which means having issues using the toilet. Other physical disabilities can include an underdeveloped skeletal structure and dysfunctional joints (Accardo, 1996). There are a number of causes as to why someone has a physical disability. Accidents which could result in spinal injury, amputation, acquired brain injury affecting motor skills and limb control. Another cause is medical conditions which include, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy/atrophy, multiple sclerosis, nervous system diseases, circulatory diseases, respiratory diseases, arthritis, other musculo-skeletal disorders head injury/stroke, post-polio syndrome and finally inherited conditions passed on genetically (for example limb deficiency) exposure to drugs or chemicals during pregnancy (for example, thalidomide) (Accardo, 1996). The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated that in 1993, 2,251,200 people or about 12.8 percent of the Australian population had a "physical" disability (Wen,1999).
While looking at disability broadly it seems that a number of conditions, which cause disability, are left out.