Introduction
This paper is written to suggest that the state committee address the question of obesity on the discussion board to meet the goals set by Healthy People Project 2030. There is an urgent necessity to review the current policies implemented to promote healthy lifestyles and achieve specific goals, like reducing the consumption of sugar by each individual in Illinois. If prevention does not start now, obesity can reach a dangerous number in the population health indexation and will become harder to resolve through policies or simple promotion.
Literature Review
Although obesity is a significant issue for future health development, it cannot be tackled directly. Rather, some factors lead to poor health conditions, as can be seen in the state statistics. Lotfata and Tomal (2022) found a correlation between high housing expenses in Chicago and the obesity level. They pointed out three significant factors associated with obesity: affordability, housing stability, and neighborhood environment.
Another study by Lotfata et al. (2022) revised the correlation of poor and criminal suburbs with obesity, finding the social factor as the most essential in this question. However, obesity is not only an issue of the state but a concern for the whole country. Skinner et al. (2018) note that the childhood obesity epidemic has been influencing the country for decades. This question has not improved significantly, and Illinois should be at the forefront of the movement.
Link to Personal Experience
The obesity issue is directly connected to my personal experience. My childhood friend was suffering from obesity from an early age, and that impacted her social and medical well-being. The severe case of obesity caused her other medical conditions to worsen, which also impacted her low self-esteem. She shut herself from the world and started feeling social anxiety from any interactions with the community. Obesity became not only her physical condition but also her mental condition. This issue is gradually resolved as she passes through numerous therapies and operations, but the scar that obesity left on her will never be healed.
Application of Healthy People 2030
As pointed out in the beginning, there is a strong necessity to address the obesity question with the help of Healthy People 2030 project indicators. However, it is understandable that this question cannot be resolved over one discussion meeting. Instead, this paper proposes to pay attention to poorer neighborhoods, especially to the children who live there. It is impossible to raise welfare for each of these kids, but it is possible to provide them with a stable and healthy meal course until a certain period. It can be through vouchers or school canteens, but these children should have the opportunity to eat healthily and take other preventive measures against obesity.
Conclusion
This paper is written to stress the issue of obesity prevailing in the state. The board should address the question of obesity so that it will be gradually reduced in homes for many US citizens in Illinois. If there were interesting points for the committee, there is a solid incentive to hear a reply. As obesity stands to be the national pandemic, the only thing citizens can do is cooperate to tackle it. There is also great importance in the governmental response to the question since all states, including Illinois, should achieve the goals of the Healthy People Project 2030.
References
Lotfata A., Georganos S., Kalogirou S. & Helbich M. (2022). Ecological associations between obesity prevalence and neighborhood determinants using spatial machine learning in Chicago, Illinois, USA. International Journal of Geo Information, 11(11), 550. Web.
Lotfata A., & Tomal M. (2022). Exploring housing determinants of obesity prevalence using multiscale geographically weighted regression in Chicago, Illinois. The Professional Geographer. 1-10. Web.
Skinner A.C., Ravanbakht S. N., Skelton J. A., Perrin E. M., & Armstrong S. C. (2018). Prevalence of obesity and severe obesity in US children, 1999-2016. Pediatrics, 141(3). Web.