Fresno County Of Fresno City

California has always held a special place in my heart for many different reasons. I was born and raised in this state and although there has been many drawbacks to being Californian, it has always been a place of comfort for me. California has played a huge role when it comes to the person I am today and why I have such an open mind, love for different cultures, and my willingness to work hard for the so called “California Dream.”

I enjoyed taking these walk on the neighborhood streets because it brings so many memories. Life had made it that sometimes we can be so busy with work or school that we tend to miss the little things that life has to offer; the fresh air reminds me of my high school days. I went to Hightower High School located here at Fresno and my school consists of African Americans and Hispanics so I enjoyed the best of both worlds and cultures. As I walk past my old high school, I noticed that the school buses were parked outside ready to pick up the students to take them back home. It is very easy to notice the diversity of students, which consists of blacks and Hispanic plus few others races. I also noticed the closeness of the two dominate race. I see a couple of interracial couples amongst the students. Personally, I love to see the harmony of different race coming together as one or at least accepting and learning from each other. I think that the world will be a much better place if we can all accept and love each other as we love ourselves. It is very easy to find this pure love amongst the younger generations then the older generations. On a lighter note, I think that the community should expand a little more. The community needs more infrastructure, more developments, middle schools, businesses and organizations. For example, Fresno is divided into two visible sections, the first half of the section has residential and the

This chapter informs its audience of how health disparities occurs such as obesity, and diabetes, and what the United States is doing eliminate health disparities. It discusses which culture is more vulnerable to these health disparities.

In 2013-2014 37.7% of adults 20 years of age and older in the U.S were obese. Among racial ethnic groups white Non -Hispanics had the lowest rate of obesity at 36.4%. Black and Hispanics populations had rates of 48.4% and 42.6% nationally. The rate for Black non- Hispanic groups were 1.5 times higher than the rate for white non- Hispanic groups.("Healthy People 2020," 2014, p. 3).

The health issues resulting from health disparities present on the Latinos and Hispanics in America are diverse. In the Hispanic community, diabetes is one of the major causes of death and illness. The language barrier, hard access to health and preventive care and cultural barriers are factors that contribute to this disparity. (Ritter & Hoffman, 2010).

Socioeconomic factors, social environment, lifestyle behaviors and access to preventive health-care services contribute to health disparities in the Hispanic community (CDC.gov, 2004). Lack fluency with the English language and differences in cultural attitudes between the U.S. health-care system and Hispanic patients also contribute to health disparities.

The information cited in this paper provides an insight into the health disparities that exist in the Hispanic population. It shows that Hispanics have increased rates of health problems when compared to other racial groups in the United States. These disparities have been shown to be connected to socioeconomic status. The information cited in this paper show that Hispanics have lower socioeconomic status than whites and their low socioeconomic status is implicated as a risk factor for health status. Furthermore, Hispanics face increased barriers to accessing care, receive poorer quality care, and ultimately experience worse health outcomes. For example, Hispanics have higher morbidity rates for diabetes, obesity, cancer, asthma and proliferative

A common theme among the concerns of today’s American citizens is that of obesity. Obesity, identifiable by abnormal fat accumulation, can be defined in absolute terms by one who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30. It is estimated that over 30 percent of American adults are clinically obese. This number has shown a dramatic increase from the 15 percent of American adults suffering from obesity in 1980. Globally, 400 million adults are obese, while predictions place this number at 700 million by 2015. The major issue confronting this adiposity is the health conditions that accompany states of extreme obesity. These include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis among others. The escalating number of obese and

The medical conditions associated with Latinos include diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. Diabetes is a large problem for Latino communities: it affects them almost double the amount that it does non-Hispanic whites (Rodriguez, 2013). Although there is no cure for diabetes, it can be treated and controlled. A large problem with this is that 25% of Latina women do not believe there is a problem with their weight and see being overweight as “normal” while only 15% of non-Latino white women (Rodriguez, 2013). This creates an idea that since there is no problem, there is nothing to fix; Latinos believe they do not have to visit a healthcare professional to either test for diabetes or to treat it if they are aware they have the condition.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported since 1960 adult obesity has tripled and since 1970 childhood obesity rates have also tripled (May, Freedman, Sherry & Blanck, 2013). However, in comparison with national averages, obesity rates amongst minorities remains exceedingly high. Currently, 38 percent of adults in America are obese (Segal, Rayburn & Martin, 2016). Meanwhile, 48.4 percent of Blacks are obese, 42.6 percent of Latinos are Obese and 36.4 percent of Whites are obese. Furthermore, childhood obesity rates for American children is 17 percent. Examination of the data reveals 21.9 percent of Latino children are obese, 19.5 percent of Black children are obese and 14.7 percent of Whites are obese (Segal, Rayburn & Martin, 2016). These gaps are significant and represent a major health disparity. Health disparities are the quantifiable variances in health outcomes amongst groups of people. Obesity

There are a variety of factors that can cause an individual to accumulate such high stores of fat (Wright & Aronne, 2012). Early researchers of obesity argued that the most common cause of obesity is a high caloric intake, or the consumption of high-calorie foods, that outstrips calories burnt via exercise (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). In other words, people accumulate excess body fat when they eat more calories than they burn, meaning obesity is caused primarily by the consumption of foods that are high in calories but low in nutritional value, and a sedentary lifestyle (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). More recently, however, researchers are recognizing the complex array of variables that interact to cause obesity, including environmental, social, and political factors known collectively as the social determinants of health (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). For example, research finds that our lived environments have been restructured in recent years to promote a culture of overeating: today, high-calorie fast foods are often more affordable than nutritious options, and are made conveniently accessible in the form of food trucks, pubs, and vending machines strategically placed on school grounds, college campuses, and near apartment buildings (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). Often, these foods are served in excessively large portions intended to promote the very over-eating that causes obesity (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). Moreover, the low priced, processed, ready-to-eat meals available in grocery stores tend to appeal to low-income families who cannot afford to purchase more expensive produce or take the time away from their work to prepare home cooked meals (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). Thus, recent research suggests that the

Obesity is a growing problem and concern in American households today. However it cannot be narrowed down to one main problem. The most prominent underlying issues are psychological and environmental. These issues in turn create deteriorating health and economic problems degrading one’s self-esteem.

Obesity has been on the rise in America and is reaching all time heights. Obesity in America is at 27.7 percent and 1 in 5 children in America are obese currently and many will have to deal with it throughout their lifetime. With almost a third of our population struggling with this problem, the increasing obesity rates are becoming a major concern. Even though there isn’t a single answer to why obesity has become so prevalent, there are many contributing factors such as socio-economic status, the rise in technology, fast food, car culture, politics, socio-economic status, stress, and biology.

Since the 1980’s, obesity has been a huge issue in America. Obesity is the condition of being extremely overweight. Several Americans today are eating too much food and not exercising enough. Americans today fail to realize how important it is to stay healthy and fit. Obesity is a result of the body receiving more calories than needed. Once a human consumes too many calories, the body stores these additional calories which becomes body fat. Over time, these excess calories will result in weight gain. Individuals will gain less weight if they ingest fewer calories. The obesity epidemic is getting worse day by day and it’s beginning to control the lives of Americans. Therefore, it is our job as Americans to rid of this epidemic before it seizes

San Luis Obispo County, is one of California’s 27 original counties created in 1850, is located along the Pacific Coast, approximately 235 miles south of San Francisco and 200 miles north of Los Angeles (Slocounty.ca.gov). Most of the county’s 3,326 square miles are unincorporated. The greater number of residents live along the corridor of Highway 101 or along the coast. The eastern region is sparsely populated