The Battle Against Obesity Is A Health Issue Of Great Importance

Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" (1920, C.E.A. Winslow). This therefore infers public health is the preventing and controlling of disease within communities, to prolong life and promote health through organised society. The keys aspects of public health …

It is crucial to understand what makes a community healthy, as public health is concerned with health promotion of population rather than an individual focus (Department of Health (DOH) 2012). Wanless (2004) defines public health as a “science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting through the organised effort and informed of the society, organisations, communities and individuals”. It focuses on an entire population addressing the health needs of the population, working in a partnership with an individual, communities, health worker, health agencies and

Public health refers to all organized measures (whether public or private) to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole (WHO, Int., 2015).

Obesity is a national epidemic with wide consequences and cost to America’s health and productivity. In recent years, policymakers, medical health experts and parents have expressed alarming concerns about the growing problem of childhood obesity in the United States, especially among Hispanic children. While most agree that this critical issue deserves attention, consensus dissolves around how to respond to the problem. This research paper examines one approach to treating childhood obesity: Taxing companies that manufacture foods with low nutritional value “junk food” companies. The paper reviews the effectiveness in children and adolescents of taxing food companies that provide foods with low nutritional value versus parent/child

Obesity in adults can lead to an increased chance of obesity in children (Yipu, de Groh, M & Morrison, H, 2013). It is important that nurses focus on educating and preventing childhood obesity, and not just treatment or medication solutions. Providing benefits and support to families through public policies forms a base for healthy childhood development. Nurses can prevent obesity by providing high quality early child education regardless of parents’ wealth. Nurses should focus on a primary heath care setting in order to look at the situation as a whole and emphasize health promotion and prevention care in a community/population. It is also important for parents to understand the health risks their children face by them being obese, such as hypertension, risk of stroke, etc. Nurses should advocate for laws that protect the rights of minority groups, particularly concerning employment rights and health care accessibly. Nurse should be aware on the social determinants of health so they can educate and provide the tools to be successful. By understanding how the social determinants of health can affect their patient, nurses can strengthen their communication and also advocate for their patients by finding strategies to assist them. Public health nursing is essential to provide awareness and education to promote the health of the community. Nurses need to

One of the most important health issues in the nation today is obesity, especially among children. The statistics are staggering. According to the Center for Disease Control, “Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure…In a population-based sample of 5-17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.” Since public administrative laws play a substantial role in obesity, public administration laws must be toughened in order to safeguard the public from becoming obese.

Over the period of this course there has been a few topics that I have really learned about and either it has influenced me to change my lifestyle, and/or attribute to develop healthier patterns for myself whether it be in my marriage, for my child, or for my health. I will discuss the topics that mattered the most to me, that we covered throughout the duration of the semester. Which includes; The Common Challenges to a Healthy Lifestyle, Marital Expectations, and Income.

Obesity is a prevalent public health epidemic that we face today. Billions of dollars in the United States alone are being spent yearly to cover medical treatment for ailments triggered by this disease (Lee, Sheer, Lopez and Rosenbaum 2010). According to Public health Reports, federal and state governments currently are accountable for at least half of the medical expenses encountered from one being overweight and obese (Lee et al., 2010). Medicaid has the highest popularity of obese customers when compared to Medicare, private insurances, or even those uninsured. In 2004 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) acknowledged obesity as a medical condition. Children receiving Medicaid benefits are covered by the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) program (Lee et al., 2010). This program covers health assessments from birth to age 21. Obese children under the (EPSDT) are eligible to receive free nutritional and behavioral education regarding this disease. Evidence based guidelines have proven that regular screenings and early intervention can have a great impact on decreasing childhood obesity. Unfortunately, not all states enforce these guidelines and this is where children often fall into the cracks. It is still an individual’s choice to follow through.

The obesity epidemic remains a public health concern worldwide. Obesity rates remain high in the United States, where one third of adults are obese.1 According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the percent of children (ages 2-19 years) who are obese rose from 14.5% in 1999 to 17.3% in 2012.1 A recent study based on the 2012-2013 NHANES suggests a stabilization in obesity rates since 2003-2004, with a significant decrease among 2-5 year olds but no significant changes observed in other age groups.2

Did you know that 31.6 % of South Carolina population is obese? Over the last few decades’ obesity has gotten out of control, more than 30.5% of adults and 17% of children are considered obese. What is Obesity? Obesity is a diseased connected to improper nutrition a way that the amount of the fatty tissue of the body stored from the food taken starts being completely unhealthy. I believe Americans aren’t getting sufficient exercise and are consuming too much unhealthy food. Obesity is a major health topic today, due to the rate of obesity it has turned into a rapid epidemic. The biggest possible reason for obesity in children and adults are poor eating habits and lack of physical exercise.

Obesity in the United States is a major public health issue. According to prevalence data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES) 2011-2012, 34% of US adults are overweight (BMI 25-29.9), 35.1% obese (BMI 30-39.9) and 6.4% morbidly obese (BMI ≥40). NHANES does not include incarcerated individuals in the surveys. The 2011-2012 United States Bureau of Justice, National Inmate Survey, indicated the prevalence of overweight, obesity and morbid obesity for state and federal inmates was 45.7%, 25.5% and 2.4% respectively. Although males in prisons and jails were more likely than females to be overweight, females were more likely to be obese or morbidly obese. The health risks for individuals who are overweight or obese are clear. If obesity is not managed, chronic health conditions will develop and this will impact public health resources and communities when offenders are released. They are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer and mental health problems.

Throughout the world, the obesity epidemic is growing with dramatic magnitude. Childhood obesity is no different. In the United States, 36.5% of adults are overweight or obese, 17.0% among U.S. youth.1 Childhood obesity rates have continued to soar over the recent years, along with the health problems resulting from obesity. While there is no question about the rapid increase in overweight or obese children in the United States, the causes and solutions are less transparent. Children are more susceptible to the obesity epidemic, they have fewer tools to deal with the increasing and overwhelming number of factors that contribute to the epidemic.3 Some of which include the limited access to healthy affordable foods in low-income areas, increased portion sizes, and greater available of sugar-sweetened foods and beverages.1 There are a plethora of health problems that are caused by obesity. To name a few, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems such as asthma, fatty liver disease, low self-esteem and low quality of living, and impaired social, physical, and emotional function.1 Additionally, childhood obesity leads to premature mortality in adulthood as well as physical morbidity. The effects of childhood obesity do not end when a child outgrows an age, it continues with them and has impacts for the rest of their lives.2

Over the past few decades in the United States the disease obesity has become a national epidemic. In the Encyclopedia of Nursing it states the following “The latest projections of the World Health Organization (2010) indicate that globally in 2005, 1.6 billion adults were overweight and 400 million were obese, and that by 2015, 2.3 billion will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese” (1). This was from 2010 the current obesity rate in the United States among adults is roughly 36.5% according to the Center for Disease and Control Prevention. The CDC is the nation’s health protection agency which protects against disease. With this epidemic continuing to grow and no

Obesity is a major public health and economic problem within populations. The complex interactions between environment, individual factors and genetic variability have escalated the issue to the top of policy and programme agendas worldwide, with prevention of childhood obesity providing a particularly compelling mandate for action.1, 2 There is an undisputed understanding that this epidemic is in need of urgent action that is both comprehensive and sustainable. Often upstream legislative and funding decisions are subject to socio-political and economic influences and scrutiny; a framework for defining their evidence base is essential.3

Obesity is a health issue that we are going to discuss in this case. The target population is children are most prone to diabetes. The Center for Disease Control asserts that roughly 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and juveniles aged 2—19 years suffer from obesity. Since 1980, obesity frequency amid boys and teenagers has virtually tripled (CDC, 2012). Nurses in the present day face a significant challenge an ever growing trend in overweight and obese children, and they have more responsibility to advocate for help and even support them. Promotion of health is one of the most significant aspects of nursing and regardless of the circumstance a nurse finds himself in; they have the authority and power to incite change. The issue of childhood obesity is discussed throughout the paper including relevant programs and policies that advocate for ameliorating the pandemic. Public policy nonetheless ought to address the rising concern provoked by childhood obesity in the contemporary society.