Chronic Diseases: Community Analysis

According to Healthy People 2020, “The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (PAG) released in 2008, was the first-ever publication of national guidelines for physical activity. The physical activity topics and objectives for Healthy People 2020 reflect the strong state of the science supporting the health benefits of regular physical activity among youth and adults, as identified in the PAG”, (United States Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], Healthy People 2020, 2016).

Informational approaches concentration on increasing physical activity by providing information that will motivate and enable people to change behavior and to maintain that change over time. The focus is fundamentally on the cognitive skills that are thought to precede behavior. The interventions primarily use educational approaches to present both general information, including information about cardiovascular disease prevention and risk reduction, and specific information about physical activity and exercise. Physical activity regimens were originally established to complement a medical model of disease management by involving communities in understanding the cognitive antecedents of behavior. Information is focused on changing knowledge about the benefits of physical activity, increasing awareness of opportunities for increasing physical activity, explain styles for overcoming barriers and negative notions about physical activity and increase physical activity behaviors among the community members(Kemper,Hernandez & Grossman,

According to report of survey of 2007-2008 by National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) by Ogden (2010) approximately 32.4 percent of adult population of US above 20 years of age have a basal metabolic interest (BMI) over 25 which indicate that they are overweight. About 33.8% of adults above 20 years of age are obese (BMI>30) and 5.7% are extremely obese (BMI > 40). These figures are alarming and obesity is of serious health concern. Americans are less physically active. The price of food in America has declined significantly due to changes in technology which have improved the effectiveness of food production and its distribution. Additionally, technology has reduced the requirement for physical activity during work or for movement. For most Americans, doing physical exercise requires a conscious dedication to exercise, which comes

This writer agrees that the strategies are effective in increasing physical activity. The Task Force conducted reviews of community intervention and recommended six interventions. Additionally, they recommend community-wide campaigns strategy to be effective in increasing physical activity and improving physical fitness among adults and children because it promotes a healthier lifestyle, it prevents life-threatening diseases, and its positive effects include increases both in knowledge about exercise and physical activity and in intentions to be physically active.

In light of this information, promoting exercises and physical activity for obese and diabetic individuals will be beneficial. One of the possible ways for a successful health promotion is to support leadership and resources from institutions who are committed to listening and understanding the issues and concerns of the neighborhood such as church ministries, volunteers, and other non-profitable organizations and charities. The New York Cares (n.d.) is an organization that supports year-round volunteer opportunities for those individuals who wants to make a real difference in the community. They provide services for many varying fields of prevention and wellness with very limited program related to endorsement of physical activity. This is a good opportunity to volunteer and pose a proposal to this organization that will help middle age individuals to combat diabetes, obesity, and other complications that may arise from the dangers of inactivity. Inclusion criteria may be established: (1) age of 35-65 years old, (2) pre-diabetic (HbA1c > 39- < 47 mmol/mol and/or fasting glucose >5.6 mmol/l), and (3) body mass index of 25 and above. Some of the

“To enjoy the glow of good health, you must exercise”- Gene Tunney. In this society, which we live in, this population lacks health. According to the CIA’s list of obese countries in the world, America ranks 18. Our population is 35% obese, which is very big compared to the rest of the world. Today I see this fat world, and we can change it. The youth of America is our future. If you want a free fulfilled future it is important to build your fitness.

It is a well-documented fact that all individuals need to be physically active to prevent adverse health consequences and to maintain optimal health and fitness levels. Jeff McCubbin states in his article, “Adapted Physical Activity: Influential Impacts to Establish a Field of Study,” that there is sufficient research-based evidence that indicates that adolescences and young adults who engage in routine physical activity realize improvements in “cardiovascular and muscular fitness, bone health, and obesity and related biomarkers.”1 Though there has been a significant effort made to educate the public about the positive impact of exercise on health and fitness many individuals still remain inactive. In 2015, for instance, 47.9% of adults with

This text, “At-A-Glance”, developed as a presentation by the CDC, describes the health benefits of exercise for each major age group. It provides examples of moderate physical activity, gives statistics about activity in the US among different groups of people, and convinces its reader of the numerous benefits of partaking in regular physical activity. According to this text, physical activity doesn’t have to be extremely vigorous to be beneficial to one’s health. This is supported by examples of moderate physical activity, such as bicycling (for 30 minutes, about 5 miles), taking walks (2 miles in 30 minutes), shoveling snow (for 15 minutes), and participating in sports such as volleyball and basketball for 45 minutes and 15 minutes, respectively. This is important for me,

For example, a person may choose not to walk or bike to the store or to work because of a lack of sidewalks or safe bike trails. Community, home, child care, school, health care, and workplace settings can all influence people's daily behaviors and it’s hard for people to be physically active. Moreover, work schedules of people often say that they don't have time to be physically active because of long work hours and time spent commuting. Genes and family history, diseases, drugs, emotional factors, smoking, and lack of sleep also lead to obesity.

Most of the people have to deal with their daily problems and seems that exercise is not a priority for them. Many do not afford to go to gym or not motivated enough to do street exercises. Many other complain of cold weather that makes hard to go outside and be physically active. There are people that do not have enough knowledge about the importance of exercise and its relation to their heart problems. These factors lead into poor health, which is causes health risks such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. As per statistic from government of Canada, about 2.4 million Canadian aged “20 years and older live with ischemic heart disease. Heart disease is also the second leading cause of death in Canada, claiming more than 48,000 lives in 2012”

Since human existence, physical exercise was a part of human nature even though it was essential for survival. Now, during the twenty-first century, physical exercise has become crucial not only for survival, but perhaps, existence and longevity. According to the website President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, they claim that “about one-third of U.S. adults (33.8%) are obese and approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents (aged 2-19 years) are obese” (President’s). With these frightening statistics, it is fundamental to understand that physical exercise not only “prevent[s] chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke[s], control[s] weight… [and] reduce[s] fat”; however, it can “…improve sleep,

The obesity epidemic has been associated with many of the chronic diseases prevalent today. As the number of obese Americans has increased, so has the number of Americans who have been diagnosed with some form of diabetes8. Two thirds of all people with weight problems also have conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure9. While not all forms of illness are caused by excess weight, this statistic does show a disturbing trend—America is getting both fatter and sicker.

Table 6 shows the patterns of chronic disease in elderly persons crossed by gender. By reviewing the documents of the study sample, the most prevalent (34.5%) chronic disease was arthritis, which was more prevalent among females compared with males (43.2% vs. 23.4%). The second prevalent chronic disease was eye problem (14.2%) and female had a high percentage as compared with male (16.8% vs. 11.0%). The third prevalent chronic disease was bronchial asthma (10.9%) and there was no appreciable difference between the genders (10.3% vs. 10.9%). The prevalence of diagnosed hypertension was reported in 9.7% of the total study population. Among the interviewed, 5.5% reported diabetes mellitus. Other chronic health problems were chronic peptic ulcer

Today's world is full of modern conveniences. Communication is at the touch of a button, you can drive right to the window and get handed a greasy, hot meal, and even walking has become bothersome. Trying to find that spot closest to the door is worth driving around the lot five times. Kids play more in virtual reality than outdoors, and parents who are strapped for time settle on quick, processed meals for dinner. Unfortunately, we've created an environment fit for the lazy. Instead of having to preform physical activities to function throughout the day, we must find time for physical activity, which might not be realistic for everyone. The fast food industry and quick processed dinners feed the consumer with no time for exercise, and the

Us humans are a very interesting species, we can do just about anything; however, we also have needs just like animals. Like animals we must eat, we must sleep, we must drink, so on and so fourth. We live in an amazing country, however it is not without it’s faults. Did you know in the state of Pennsylvania 30% of adults are obese? This is why I want to talk with you today, I want to share with you my passion for staying active and how it could benefit all of us.