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Essay on Obesity in San Diego County: A Winnable Battle

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Obesity in San Diego County; A Winnable Battle. B. Community: San Diego County is located in the south eastern corner of California and lies geographically north of the Mexican Border and south of Orange and Riverside County. (Appendix 1, Fig 1.) It covers an area greater than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined, measuring 4,525.52 square miles.("San Diego County," 2010) In addition to San Diego City, the county comprises of 18 incorporated cities. It is has 193 square miles that are home to 18 Native American reservations. While not the largest in population or in acreage, San Diego has most reservations of any county in the country. The county has many diverse and unique district areas, (Appendix 1, Fig 2) which range …show more content…

Nationally the obesity rates have increased 7.2% in females and 29.1% in males over the last twenty years. (Healthy People 2020, 2010) In San Diego, the Health and Human Services Department (SDHHSA) has identified that obesity is an area of focus with a goal of reducing the problem by 20% by 2010 and currently that 34.4% of the county’s population is classified as overweight and 22.1% is obese with a BMI greater than 30. Other findings reveal that there the problem is disproportionally larger in the Hispanic, African American and low income communities. (Appendix 1. Figure 5 & 6) Although San Diego boasts of a climate that encourages outdoor pursuits and an abundance of recreational spaces and parks, 13.9 % of the population report no physical activity and that 25.5 % of children do less than an hour of physical activity daily, which corresponds with a threefold increase in childhood obesity in the last 30 years. Statistical data points to greater consumption of fast food in areas where obesity is highest and that Retail Food Environment Index (RFEI) which is the ratio of grocery stores and availability of fresh produce to fast food and convenience food outlets are higher in areas where obesity levels are greater than the county norm. B3. Heath Concern: Obesity is a condition where an individual’s weight is disproportionate to their height. There are many factors

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