Introduction
Obesity belongs to one of the most common health issues of the current time. It impacts all groups of people, notwithstanding their age, sex, ethnicity, or social circumstances. Overweight may be connected with the family history, sedentary lifestyle, emotional distress, unhealthy food consumption, or family nutrition preferences. The specific populations discussed in this essay are children and elderly people. These two groups have common and distinctive features concerning the origin of the disease and the ways of treatment.
Similarities in Obesity in Childhood and Elderly Age
- Similar causes of disease: little movement, family food preferences, family history;
- Common outcomes: respiratory and heart disease, sleep interruption, high chances of developing diabetes, low self-esteem (Sbraccia, Nisoli, & Vettor, 2016);
- Both specific populations require particular attention and support from family and society members (Sbraccia et al., 2016);
- Children and elderly people are the most vulnerable groups whose welfare depends on other people rather than on themselves (Sbraccia et al., 2016).
Divergences in Childhood and Elderly Obesity
- Specifically, childhood causes: bad food choices (Waters, Swinburn, Seidell, & Uauy, 2010);
- Particular causes for elderly people: emotional distress, sedentary lifestyle (Sbraccia et al., 2016);
- Specific dangers for elderly people: functional impairment, chronic morbidities, deterioration of cognitive processes (Sbraccia et al., 2016);
- Childhood obesity can be controlled at the early stages, while elderly age obesity can only be supervised (Waters et al., 2010);
- Nursing home admissions are more frequent among elderly patients (Sbraccia et al., 2016);
- While both specific populations are very sensitive, children demand more care. If childhood obesity is carefully analyzed and effective ways of prevention are found, there will be less danger for other population groups (Waters et al., 2010).
Plan of Refining Practice to Meet the Specific Needs of the Two Communities
To modify my practice to meet the needs of people suffering from obesity, I shall need to address community stressors, family impact, and socioeconomic factors. The plan is similar for both specific populations. While improving family and society influence, promotion of healthy food and active lifestyle is necessary. Also, families should be instructed about the importance of their support. They should reconsider their eating patterns even if other members do not suffer from overweight. I shall educate the families to spend more time actively for the sake of close people suffering from the disease.
On the part of socioeconomic factors, I can take part in promoting more active leisure commodities, such as parks and other open-space areas, easily accessible for sports activities and recreation. I shall use community resources to give obese people access to rehabilitation programs. Spreading information about the dangers presented by obesity should also be included in my plan of refining practice.
Conclusion
Both children and elderly people are affected by obesity. The causes of the illness are various in these two groups. While the problem of childhood overweight is mostly concerned with wrong food choices, elderly people become obese due to sedentary lifestyle or stress rates. Although the causes of the disease are different in specific populations, the outcomes are similar: such patients develop high chances of diabetes, heart diseases, respiratory issues, interrupted sleep, and some types of cancer. Adjusting practice to meet the needs of the specific populations is required in order to eliminate the cases of the illness and promote healthy habits and lifestyles.
References
Sbraccia, P., Nisoli, E., & Vettor, R. (Eds.). (2016). Clinical management of overweight and obesity. Rome, Italy: Springer.
Waters, E., Swinburn, B., Seidell, J., & Uauy, R. (Eds.). (2010). Preventing childhood obesity: Evidence policy and practice. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.