Introduction
The northern part of Miami, Florida is characterized by a relatively small number of conflicts and low criminality. In general, the atmosphere there is peaceful and friendly. Most people are middle-aged, married, and with children. A significant number of citizens are seniors. The main health problem in the area is obesity. The vulnerable group consists of young and middle-aged adults. The purpose of this essay is to assess the vulnerable population, describe the risk factors, evaluate several organizations helping deal with the problem, and find out what a community health nurse could do to cope with the issue.
Vulnerable Population Overview
As it has already been mentioned, the group under consideration is young and middle-aged grown-ups. Their common behavioral features are a slow manner of walking, eating a lot of fast food, and doing little or no exercise. According to Chang (2017), the number of obese adults in Florida is approximately 24 percent. Although it is lower than the average percentage for the United States, it is still one-quarter of the whole population of the region. That is why this figure is terrifying.
What can be the possible reasons for this? First of all, a person may gain weight because of the lack of movement and sedentary life. If one sits all day long, it is hard not to gain extra weight. The second reason may be stress. It is known that many people are prone to weight-gaining when stressed-out. The third factor of obesity and general health-destruction may be the wrong diet. As this reason is mentioned in various sources concerning the state of health in the region, it may be viewed as the main one. For instance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013), “only 22.1% of adults in the county meet the Federal government’s guidelines for fruit and vegetable consumption, and 24.5% of the adult population reported no physical activity in the last 30 days” (p. 1). By watching people in the street and restaurants, one may conclude that many prefer fast food to a balanced diet.
Strengths and Risk Factors
Strengths that impact the chosen population’s health are mostly based on possible solutions to the problem. One can easily get the help needed without making much afford. The most valuable thing is that everybody can find an individual professional that will help to solve the problem.
To what extent is obesity dangerous? By now, studies have shown that overweight does not only aggravates the risk of heart and vessel diseases but also may be one of the causes of them. According to Rahmouni (2014), extra weight may “promote stroke, heart disease, and end-stage organ damage which are major causes of death and disability” (p. 215). It means that obesity causes serious damage to one’s capacity to work and may even lead to a painful death.
On the other hand, De Schutter, Lavie, and Milani (2014) prove that overweight may be a consequence of an inborn heart disease, which, in turn, may be genetically determined. In this case, there is no use trying to get rid of extra weight. On the contrary, one should take clinical measures to cure the inborn illness. Without this, there will be a vicious circle in which one malady aggravates the other on and on. That is why it is necessary to identify the initial cause of the health problem. If it is the lifestyle, more exercise should be done, and the diet should be corrected. If the roots of overweight are deeper, more serious measures should be applied.
Community Resources
What help may one get in Miami to lose excess weight? First of all, one may connect with Miami Obesity Support Groups. This organization can give adequate help as it practices the individual approach. Specialists analyze the problem and its roots and recommend a suitable form of therapy. Further on, one may look through the website and find private obesity therapists with their professional portfolios and phone numbers. One may quickly choose a specialist who will help. Finally, in the organization Quick Weight Loss Centers, they do not only take measures for their patients to lose excess weight but also work out a program of nutrition and personal health-management to prevent gaining extra kilos in the future.
Community Health Problem Diagnosis
One of the goals promoted by Healthy People 2020 is to “reduce chronic disease risk through the consumption of healthful diets and achievement and maintenance of healthy body weights” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2017). In this respect, a health nurse could positively influence this problem by examining the patients’ lifestyles and working out individual programs aimed at improving the diet and losing weight. A program may include both actual and preventive measures.
Summary
To conclude, one may say that overweight is a burning problem for adults in the northern part of Miami. This disease causes other mortal illnesses such as heart attacks and strokes. However, obesity may also be caused by heart and vessel problems, that is why the approach to its treatment should be thorough and complex. In Miami, there are clinics and other organizations whose profile is helping the obese cope with the problem. A community health nurse may help them by making an instruction based on simple rules which will lead to the loss of excess weight.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Miami-Dade County, Florida: Obesity prevention. Web.
Chang, D. (2017). More American adults are dangerously overweight, obesity survey says. Web.
De Shutter, A., Lavie, C. J., & Milani, R. V. (2014). The impact of obesity on risk factors and prevalence and prognosis of coronary heart disease – The obesity paradox. Progress in Cardiovascular Disease, 56(4), 401-408. Web.
Rahmouni, K. (2014). Obesity-associated hypertension: Recent progress in deciphering the pathogenesis. Hypertension, 64(2), 215-221. Web.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2017). Healthy People 2020: Topics and objectives. Web.