Introduction
In Miami, obesity continues to affect the health outcomes of many adults. Similarly, adulthood obesity remains a critical health issue in Florida. Statistics show that many adults in Miami have obesity. The adult obesity rate in the county exceeded the 35 percent mark in 2010 (The obesity epidemic and Miami-Dade County, 2016). New campaigns and policies are critical to addressing this health problem. The proposed campaigns should focus on the best approaches to deal with the condition and ensure more people lead healthy lifestyles. The legislator to be contacted is Joe Gibbons. He is currently the House of Representatives for District 100.
Formulating a Healthcare Policy
Public-Health Policy
The public-health policy targeted for this exercise is adulthood obesity. This issue is of much interest because obesity remains a major challenge in Miami and across the country. The prevalence of obesity continues to affect the health outcomes and lifestyles of many people. Ogden, Carroll, Kit, and Flegal (2014) show clearly that “obesity increases the risk of many health conditions such as stroke, liver disease, respiratory problems, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and osteoarthritis” (p. 807).
Background of the Issue
Obesity is a health condition associated with unhealthy eating practices and sedentary lifestyles. Many states in the United States have outlined obesity as one of the health issues affecting their citizens. Within the past four decades, obesity has remained a major health problem in the country. New laws and campaigns should, therefore, be considered in order to support the needs of more people. Specific racial groups such as African Americans and Hispanics are affected the most by this condition (The obesity epidemic and Miami-Dade County, 2016). Modern studies have outlined new measures and approaches that can be used to deal with obesity.
Thoughts About the Policy Issue
In terms of context, adulthood obesity is a major health challenge in the United States. Obese adults have increased chances of developing diseases such as diabetes and cancer (Ogden et al., 2014). Current initiatives have been unable to tackle the health issue successfully. New goals have been considered in an attempt to deal with the issue. Some of these goals include minimizing the number of people with obesity. The second goal is to ensure more people engage in healthy practices and lifestyles.
Several options such as campaigns, laws, and policies can play a positive role in dealing with obesity. The best option is the one that has the potential to reduce the prevalence of this disease (Blanck et al., 2012). The best recommendation, therefore, is to implement evidence-based campaigns that can empower more people in society to deal with obesity.
Information
Useful information will be obtained from the state government’s website. The website provides timely updates and alerts about the prevalence of obesity. The strategy will support the needs of more obese persons in different communities (Blanck et al., 2012).
Targeted Level of Government
The immediate target for this policy issue is the local government (Blanck et al., 2012). This approach will ensure the targeted legislator is on the frontline to support the proposed campaign.
Legislator
As mentioned earlier, the legislator to be contacted is Joe Gibbons. He is currently the House of Representatives for District 100.
Critique of Empirical Evidence
Healthy People 2020 outlines obesity as a major health concern affecting many people in America. One of the agency’s goals is “to reduce the proportion of obese adults to less than 30.5 percent” (Allman-Farinelli, 2015, p. 812). This goal shows conclusively that obesity continues to affect the health outcomes of many citizens in the country. Around 78 million individuals aged 20 years and above are obese in the United States (The obesity epidemic and Miami-Dade County, 2016).
These individuals are forced to deal with the psychological, emotional, and physical challenges associated with the condition. The eating habits and sedentary lifestyles embraced by many people in the country have contributed a lot to this health issue. Experts indicate that the problem might get out of hand unless new measures are undertaken by the government.
The above evidence explains why the selected healthcare policy-priority issue should be taken seriously. The current information shows conclusively that obesity is a risk factor for many health challenges in the country. The proposed campaign will, therefore, be guided and supported by different policymakers (Ogden et al., 2014). Many citizens in Miami will be involved in the process in order to address this health problem.
Impact of the Policy-Priority Issue
The role of nurses is to provide evidence-based and timely medical support to patients from diverse backgrounds. The increased prevalence of obesity in Miami makes it impossible for the current number of nurses to support the health needs of the targeted patients. This is the case because obesity has been associated with diseases such as cancer, pulmonary infection, cancer, and obesity. These conditions force nurses to work hard in order to support the health needs of more patients (Allman-Farinelli, 2015). For very many years, nurses and caregivers have been forced to work overtime in an attempt to address the health issues facing different communities.
With such challenges affecting Miami-Dade County, the proposed policy-priority issue will definitely transform the experience of many nurses. This is the case because the campaign will make it easier for more people to deal with obesity. Consequently, the number of health issues associated with obesity will reduce significantly. More communities, citizens, and policymakers will support the issue (Chan & Woo, 2010). The practice will make it easier for more people to achieve their health outcomes.
Since the nursing shortage is a major challenge affecting the United States, a new focus on obesity will ensure more people receive timely support. The proposed campaign will support the health needs of obese adults and eventually make it easier for them to lead healthy lives. The nurses in the county will use their competencies to support the campaign (Allman-Farinelli, 2015). These approaches will address the challenges affecting more people in Miami. By so doing, the current burden encountered by nurses will reduce significantly.
Concluding Statements
Adulthood obesity is a critical health concern in Miami and across the country. The prevalence of this disease affects the health outcomes and lifestyles of many people in the community. The policy-priority issue will result in new behaviors and practices to address the problem of obesity (Chan & Woo, 2010).
Joe Gibbons will present powerful incentives and insights in an attempt to make the campaign sustainable. Members of the community, stakeholders, and healthcare institutions will be requested to be part of the campaign. Throughout the process, specific conditions associated with obesity will be identified and addressed. When implemented successfully, the campaign will ensure more people in Miami overcome the burden of obesity. More nurses will be empowered and supported to deliver timely care to more Miamians.
References
Allman-Farinelli, M. (2015). Nutrition promotion to prevent obesity in young adults. Healthcare, 3(1), 809-821.
Blanck, H., Allen, D., Bashir, Z., Gordon, N., Goodman, A., Merriam, D.,…Rutt, C. (2012). Let’s go the park today: the role of parks in obesity prevention and improving the public’s health. Childhood Obesity, 8(5), 423-428.
Chan, R., & Woo, J. (2010). Prevention of overweight and obesity: how effective is the current public health approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 7(3), 765-783.
Ogden, C., Carroll, M., Kit, B., & Flegal, K. (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. JAMA, 311(8), 806-814.
The obesity epidemic and Miami-Dade County. (2016). Web.