Introduction
Multiple health issues affect communities, which results in the fact that residents of the same area are subject to similar problems. This information demonstrates that certain epidemiological and environmental factors contribute to this state of affairs. That is why it is possible to address all these risk factors to protect individuals from various problems. This essay focuses on what epidemiological and environmental issues contribute to obesity in California and offers an effective and evidence-based approach to address the problem.
Environmental and Epidemiological Data
The available evidence allows for identifying specific risk factors of obesity. According to epidemiological data, this health issue is more prevalent among Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic adults (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022). Thus, it is not surprising that adult obesity is widespread in California, where over 12% are Blacks, while Hispanics constitute almost 19% of the population (United States Census Bureau, 2021). Simultaneously, environmental risk factors are also essential, and the problem is caused by physical inactivity, socioeconomic status, and eating behaviors. This information is relevant to California because obesity rates are higher among low-income individuals and people who do not follow healthy diets or were subject to prolonged breastfeeding in their infancy (Let’s Get Healthy California, 2022). Thus, obesity is a challenging issue for the community since the latter is forced to spend over $15 billion yearly on obesity-related costs (Let’s Get Healthy California, 2022). That is why it is necessary to develop a suitable intervention plan to address the problem.
Health Improvement Plan
It is reasonable to develop a health improvement initiative that will address the identified risk factors. Even though it is impossible to change people’s race or ethnicity, specific interventions can help these individuals maximize their chances of avoiding the problem. Furthermore, the given improvement plan aims to solve the environmental risk factors. According to scientific knowledge, a multi-faceted treatment approach should be utilized to achieve positive outcomes that refer to the reduction of weight among individuals. A study by Semlitsch et al. (2019) demonstrates that this objective can be obtained with the help of reduced calorie intake, intense physical activity, and sustained behavioral change. Wadden et al. (2020) also support this suggestion, and the scholars stipulate that the combination of behavioral therapy, diet, and physical activity allows people to lose weight. Another argument for this versatile improvement plan is found in the article by Tseng et al. (2018) because these scientists stipulate that physical exercise and diet are not effective when applied in isolation. Consequently, this evidence reveals that the proposed health improvement plan is suitable.
It is possible to admit that the suggested plan is effective because it is flexible. In particular, it does not rely on any culturally-specific practices, which denotes that diverse individuals can freely participate in it. Simultaneously, the plan does not include any challenging concepts that result in barriers or misunderstandings for patients. Sufficient attention should also be drawn to the fact that the suggested intervention strategy comprehensively addresses the existing environmental factors. This condition denotes that specific steps are designed to solve the challenges that exist in the community and contribute to the problem. That is why it is possible to expect that the community needs are addressed, which will eventually lead to improvement in the community’s health.
Justifying the Evidence Quality
There is no doubt that the health improvement plan above relies on valuable and relevant data. Firstly, the information has been extracted from scientific and peer-reviewed journals. This condition denotes that evidence is of the highest quality and credibility. Secondly, the articles focus on the specified population because all three sources address obesity among adults. That is why it is possible to state that the findings can be applied to the selected community. Thirdly, the synthesized information is reliable because all three articles support the same idea. On the one hand, the studies by Semlitsch et al. (2019) and Wadden et al. (2020) highlight that a comprehensive approach is needed to address obesity. On the other hand, Tseng et al. (2018) indirectly prove this statement by showing that these interventions are useless when implemented in isolation. That is why the suggested health improvement plan should reduce obesity prevalence.
Evaluating Outcomes
It is worth admitting that a specific evaluation measure should be available to determine whether the suggested health improvement plan leads to expected improvement. The proposed interventions can only be considered effective if they help people lose weight. This statement denotes that it is reasonable to look at a body-mass index (BMI). One can state that this metric is used to measure the amount of body fat based on a person’s height and weight. Using BMI is also widespread in the scientific sphere because Semlitsch et al. (2019), Tseng et al. (2018), and Wadden et al. (2020) rely on this instrument. This index is measurable because it clearly indicates whether the intervention has helped an individual lose weight. In other words, participants’ BMIs should be calculated pre and post-intervention. Thus, the proposed measurement tool can help evaluate the intervention because significantly reduced BMIs will be characteristic features of an effective health improvement plan.
Communication
It is also reasonable to draw sufficient attention to proper communication of the health improvement plan to various stakeholders. In the beginning, the developed strategy should be presented to healthcare professionals so that numerous experts can assess the plan’s effectiveness. It is reasonable to organize a specific meeting where I can present my initiative. If the plan is approved, it will be necessary to communicate it to the community members who deal with obesity. At this point, I will ensure to avoid using insulting language not to offend individuals. I will also compose my speech so that it does not include any complex medical terms, which is needed to prove that everyone understands the initiative. Finally, I will ensure that all my communication activities promote cultural values and data privacy to make individuals interested in my proposals.
Conclusion
The given evidence-based population health improvement plan offers a specific intervention to reduce the prevalence of obesity among adults in California. In the beginning, professional and credible evidence has been analyzed and synthesized to prove that the health condition is significant for the selected community. Information from scholarly articles has also demonstrated that a comprehensive approach is necessary to solve the issue. Thus, a suitable option is to rely on lifestyle modification, physical exercise, and a healthy diet to help people lose weight. Combining these interventions is necessary because they do not lead to expected outcomes when used in isolation. The body-mass index calculations will be used to determine whether the suggested health improvement plan has achieved positive results. Finally, a specific communication plan should be developed to ensure that the given initiative is effectively delivered to healthcare professionals and the community.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Adult obesity facts. Web.
Let’s Get Healthy California. (2022). Reducing body mass index (BMI) by 5 percent could save California billions. Web.
Semlitsch, T., Stigler, F. L., Jeitler, K., Horvath, K., & Siebenhofer, A. (2019). Management of overweight and obesity in primary care – A systematic overview of international evidence‐based guidelines. Obesity Reviews, 20(9), 1218-1230. Web.
Tseng, E., Zhang, A., Shogbesan, O., Gudzune, K. A., Wilson, R. F., Kharrazi, H., Cheskin, L. J., Bass, E. B., & Bennett, W. L. (2018). Effectiveness of policies and programs to combat adult obesity: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 33(11), 1990-2001. Web.
United States Census Bureau. (2021). California remained most populous state but growth slowed last decade. Web.
Wadden, T. A., Tronieri, J. S., & Butryn, M. L. (2020). Lifestyle modification approaches for the treatment of obesity in adults. American Psychologist, 75(2), 235-251. Web.