Problem Statement
The number of people suffering from obesity is increasing. This applies for both the young and the old. Obesity is becoming a major problem in the United States as a whole, with the current changes in nutrition. Defined as the statistical measure referred to as body mass index (BMI), obesity has been attributed to many problems in the United States, including social consequences and likely deaths.
Data reveals that obesity is a serious problem in Clark County. In 1996, one out of six (sixteen percent) grown-ups were obese, but by 2006, the prevalence of obesity increased to one out of four grown-ups (twenty-five percent) in Clark County (Clark County, 54). This calls for a quick solution in order to control and reduce the rates of increase of obese cases in the country. It is estimated that by the end of 2010, Washington State and Clark County will have above the national target for no more than fifteen percent obese grown-ups. Overweight, a predecessor to obesity has also increased in Clark County with about thirty-eight percent of the adults overweight, while twenty-five percent of kids have abnormal weights or are susceptible to adding to more weight.
Of particular concern would be to understand the underlying causes of the abnormality, how it can be counteracted, and the expected results. Study of problem would lead to a further understanding of the same, which would lead to the handling of the specific problem as concerns the Clark County. Understanding of the actual intensity of the problem would lead to the devising of a proper and adequate solution to the problem. The solution of the problem would be expected to salvage a lot of children who are at the risk of becoming obese at old age. Already, many old people are suffering from obese in Clark County.
At the same time, it would be expected that the factors contributing to the problem occurrence or dominance or continuation would be slightly specific for different regions and counties, and this warrants a study for the case of Clark County. The reluctance to solve the current obese problem also warrant the investigation of special mechanisms that could be employed regarding obese, and which diverge from the current situation so as to salvage more young people who are at risk of becoming obese. Parents in Clark County may be regarded as too busy to check the dietary lifestyle of their kids. Therefore, the kids have resorted to consuming too many calories for their energy needs. This is the leading cause of the modern obesity epidemic in the county. In addition, fast-food chains are spread throughout the county, which makes many kids to consume foods that are high in fat. Currently, few people living in the county are physically active. This has been caused by a large change towards less physically demanding work, increased use of mechanized transportation, and taking up less active recreational pursuits. In kids, there seems to be a reduction in the levels of physical activity. The revelation of the problem intensity and cause in Clark County would be essential in determining the changes in healthcare policy pointing to the problem as well as healthcare reforms.
Introduction
World Health Organization recognizes, in their discussion “Obesity and Overweight”, that obesity as a disease and defines it as a ‘as the state of excess body fat to the extent that health is impaired’ (WHO). According to this organization, in 2005, global rate for the disorder reached 400 million people (WHO; cited in Healthtree). Obesity is assessed by BMI -body mass index, which is got from the division of ones total weight (in Kilograms) and height (in square meters). One is seen to be overweight with a BMI of 25kg/m2 and becomes obese at 30kg/m2. The WHO report- Obesity and Overweight, notes that adult average body mass index ranks in Africa and Asia are at 22-23kg/m2, whereas in North America and Europe the ranking is at 25-27kgs/m2. This is inclusive of USA. In the world today, there are over a billion grown-ups who are considered overweight and over a quarter a billion have been medically ascertained to be obese. According to the WHO report “Obesity and Overweight”; this conditions amounts to 2-6% of most developed nation’s annual budgets in terms of health-care. There is an upsurge in the amount of fats in the foods eaten nowadays with fewer body exercises is a precursor to one being overweight or obese.Cases of obesity and overweight are very evident in both children and adults and have far reaching consequences that includes contracting diseases like hypertension among others.
This is attributed to increased modernization of lifestyles, globalization of food fairs where people have foods with excessive compound starches that contain high proportions of fats and inundated fats which can be avoided (Nieman; cited Jadavji and Christopher). It has been associated with a number of problems such as “obstructive sleep apnea” (Canadian Press; Anrig; cited in Jadavji and Christopher).
These two conditions generate difficulties in digestion that affects the blood pressure and other insulin release. There are a myriad of other complications that include breathing troubles, skin troubles and sterility in some cases. As one generates more fats and becomes fat the chances of contracting diabetes, definite kinds of cancers especially those that are hormonally associated, breast, kidney and gallbladder as the report on Overweight and obesity notes, and hypertension are high. Obesity can be classified as an independent disease but it brings with it many other chronic ailments whose effect on one’s health is disastrous. Lifestyles and peoples increased earnings continually influence their diet that eventually may make one become obese; medically it’s the result of increased fats than the way they are consumed. There was recorded an upsurge of 17% in obese cases amongst boys in the USA while 15% for girls between 1986 and 1991.
Yaufa Wang and May A. Beydon (2007) in their article “The obesity epidemic in the United States”, note that “in 2003–2004, among men and women aged 20 years or older, approximately two thirds (66.3 percent) were overweight or obese, 32.42 percent were obese, and 4.8 percent were extremely obese (BMI ≥40 kg/m2). The combined prevalence increased with age. Of persons in the United States aged 60 years or older, more than 70 percent were overweight or obese, and the trend was similar for men and women. However, there was no such clear trend with respect to obesity. More men than women were overweight or obese (68.8 percent vs. 61.6 percent in 2001–2002)”. This shows critical statistics in recent years in the USA. Of importance to note is that this trend varied between sexes and ethnic groups in the years that followed up to 2007.
The article continues to note that the rate of obesity increased more among the learned women than it was among the unschooled counterparts.
This explains more on the effects of increased incomes that shapes one’s lifestyle.Also it is clear from the article those2005 BRFSS factsindicate considerable variances in the occurrence of obesity through differentstates. In overall, those federal states found in the south of US hadgreateroccurrenceproportions than those found ‘on the West Coast, Midwest, and on the northeast coast’ the report notes. It’s also clear from the studies made that in 2005, Colorado, Hawaii, Vermont, and Connecticut were the only states whose obesity occurrence proportions were below 20%, whereas 17 other states had occurrenceproportions going beyond 25% and worth to note is that Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia, had occurrence degrees of 30% and above- as it is in the article- “The obesity epidemic in the United States” by Yaufa Wang and May Beydon. This research is invaluable in illustrating the persistence of the obesity cases across the entire nation and the proportions within various states, although the statistics tendered indicate adult levels only.
In children, the report notes that between 2003 and 2004 above 35% of children between 6-19 years of age were at the danger of being overweight and in actual sense 17% were already overweight. The occurrence of overweight and obesity was observed to be higher among children of 6-9 years and their adolescence counterparts in cities than it was in the remote areas. Of all the US children a third are obese or overweight whereas two thirds of the adults are obese or overweight the article notes.This data shows an annual increase of between 0.3-0.8% in the cases of obesity hence making it become notorious in causing the loss of life of many Americans.
Analysis
Various professionals at the Health Assessment and Evaluation Unit of Clark County Public Health compiled and edited the report. The report includes community health indicators that provide a snapshot of the health of the people within the Clark County. The data in the report highlights some significant problems that are facing the County such as increased prevalence of obesity, nutritional problems, and sedentary lifestyle. The findings in the report emphasize that obesity is a chronic medical condition that has really affected the lives of the people living in the county. Therefore, concerted efforts should be made to address the spread of this epidemic (Clark County).
Kumanyika and Brownson) renowned experts who have written on obesity and related disorders, the book assess the intricate causes of obesity, and establish concrete, multilevel strategies for meeting it head-on.
Comprehensive in scope and painstakingly researched, the authors give an elaborate description of obesity in clinical, epidemiologic, and financial terms, and focus on new opportunities for its prevention, successful intervention, and initiatives. Currently, with the advance in scientific knowledge, treating obesity is much easier. However, although there is going to be a considerable impact on the patient health, the persons suffering from this condition should be ready to address the problem and change their lifestyles. This innovative handbook is a bedrock sourcebook for accurate, up-to-date information on obesity prevention strategies.
Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh and Merchant are researchers at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada examine the increasing levels of childhood obesity in developed countries. They note that since overweight and obesity affect the physical and the psychological health of children, prevention is the key strategy for managing the present epidemic in developed and developing countries.
Prevention strategies may include prevention of overweight or obesity, lifestyle changes to modify dietary habits and frequency of physical exercise, and averting more addition of weight in obese individuals. Children ought to be considered as the priority population for prevention and treatment of this condition since it is difficult to manage the condition in adults, as it is difficult to control when it has become established in them than in the young people. The adoption of these prevention strategies is able to manage the condition.
Jean-Philippe et al. are researchers at the Department of Human Nutrition, University of Copenhagen, discuss the critical role that physical exercise play in body weight regulation with the intention of motivating people to exercise and adopt healthy lifestyles. The authors illustrate the importance of physical exercise in fighting the modern sedentary type of lifestyle. The benefits include improvement of energy and micronutrient balance regulation in the body, enhanced appetite control, and lowering the risk of stress-induced weight gain. The authors’ emphasis on the importance of physical exercise as a means of having a healthier population will support my own view on the necessary initiatives that should be adopted to curb the rising cases of obesity in Clark County.
Causes
It is imperative to note that Obesity and overweight have been interchangeably used since one leads to the other, and that they have been a problem in the developed world for decades. They are caused by a myriad of intricate factors. No one single factor may be the sole course of obesity, many of them come into play to result into the menace, but as stated earlier, the trouble comes when there is too much calories unused and no body exercises. Some research shows that obesity is hereditary and that the probability that your parent was obese and you will be obese is almost sure. It shows that inheriting the disease from parents contributes with between 6-25% of the cases according to Music4lifenutrition.com article on Child Obesity. Worth to note at this point is that parents play as hero’s to their children, provide food to them apart from the genes, and this makes the kids to easily emulate their parents behavior shaped by their circumstances’.
Eating too much is another cause. In the US, the growing desire for fast foods has made it possible to provide them in most food canteens in schools, sodas and candies are also available in the canteens. Kemper 2000 also notes that in specified meal, on the bare minimum, 30% of children consume fast food which is roughly 200 or above calories, and this adds up on the aggregate pounds per annum, neglecting fruits and vegetables essential for better growth.
Most people do not exercise even after eating this much. It’s evident that in institutions of learning and at home there is no stress on the importance of physical education, making most kids and adults included to watch movies and TV that displays commercials for fast food that influences behavior towards buying and eating them, play games which rises the chances of one being obese by 17-44% yet physical acitivity reduces obesity by 23-43% as noted by Nafisa M. Jadavji in “A 21st Century Epidemic: Childhood Obesity in North America”. Since most of the time kids are playing computer and other kinds of games, they retain most of the calories taken hence become obese since most of them don’t exercise. Even going to school is by car and not walking or cycling to school. Much of what technology has done is blamed to encouraging idleness that is breeding obesity.
Ones’ income and family background informs what they will eat and in most cases fast food is preferred to fruits and vegetables. As noted earlier most junk foods are expensive and delicious and so one’s income dictates that. Again we noted that those kids and adults found on the south coast that are more urban have higher prevalence rates for obesity as compared to those on the west coast. This is attributed to urbaneness of the place that influences ones amount of salary. There are those family backgrounds known to have obese people, so they may bear a child who becomes obese. Nowadays, tutors and parents give prizes to their kids as exceptional foodstuffs and delicacies. Kids once presented with such choices will always prefer fast foods to any other. Studies have also shown a correlation between parents overweight to that of the kids.
Remedies
It’s important for parents to be keen on what they are feeding on and what their kids are feeding on too since this helps to regulate the intake of too much calories. It is also important for the school teachers and parents to cooperate and assess the growth of the child at regular levels. This may involve regular Body mass index checking and in cases of excesses devise ways of dealing with it. The monitoring of BMI must begin at an early age in life and continued until one is in depended to take care of self.
Physical exercises are helpful in generating the best/required bodyweight. Lack of exercises causes inhibited growth of bones especially in children.
Feeding a kid on breast milk when young reduces the chances of being obese by 35% at age 6 and 7. Since kids spend a lot of their time in school, physical education needs to be emphasized there. This could involve an assortment of games and spots full of fun involving both adults and kids. This helps to burn the calories in the body making one physically fit. Parents could take an initiative and encourage their kids to walk to school, or cycle their instead of going by car or bus. Adults need to control the lengthy of time taken playing computer games or watching TV similarly doing so for their kids. Instead of too much TV they can go out to take a walk, Cycle, climb a mountain or swim.
Good eating habits should be developed by adults to be emulated by kids that include eating well balanced diets with a lot of fruits and vegetables. Kids can be encouraged to carry fruits and eat instead of candies and soda. Its’ imperative for the government agencies and institutions to generate helpful population-based strategies which guarantee and encourage the availability and convenience to get a range of little fat but rich fiber diets that aids in metabolism and replaces junk food as well making available occasions where the adults and kids can play. These policies need a change in attitude from a craving for junk food to a desire for healthy living.
Since it is an issue we have to live with, then there is need for medical treatment of the victims, and nurses together with other medical practitioners to offer support for the victims as well as having continuous training on the dynamics of obesity in order to give effective help.
For parents and adults, it is important to spot obesity in kids and take up the responsibility of knowing how to deal with it. That is the most challenging bit. From the involvements seen while handling obese people, it is noted that for them to lose heaviness after a recurrent dieting is very difficult. And since its risky for the kid to lack potential nutrients while growing up, it is imperative to handle every case uniquely and avoid harsh language on the kid or an obese person. Stunted growth is likely to occur when a kid is dieted by a parent; therefore need to handle an obese kid with a lot of care and understanding.
The negative effects that obesity causes cannot be over emphasized. Awareness of the consequences’ of one is obese need to be carried out, good advertisements that encourage healthy living be put in place. We have deliberated so much on the origins and effects of obesity both for children and adults and made a few remedies which are easy to apply, they need the efforts of everyone involved. The current family nature of the structure does not allow more time for family bonding since adults are busy working to improve their livelihoods and that of their family, and therefore it calls for all stakeholders like foster parents, clinicians, tutors school administrators to pull resources together as a team to fight obesity. It is needful also to have health campaign strategies at school level with regard to food stuffs consumed, the need for play or physical education to be incorporated in the curriculum for kids, backup from food manufactures in producing healthy foods, local government and national support in coming up with entertainment facilities and stadiums with the necessary laws will help in preventing the adverse effects of obesity right from childhood helping the child to grow and live a healthy life without fear of diseases associated with Obesity.
This calls for a strong governance structure and direction from both government and health practitioners coupled with activism for healthy living, preventative measures taken into consideration to deal with the obese menace. Since behavioral and attitudinal change is hard, more individualized approaches can be considered especially by use of testimonies of people who have been helped out of it and are living healthy lives. Community initiatives are essential in implementing some of these initiatives.