The Shape Program: A Case Study

Obesity is defined as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduce life expectancy and/or increased health problems. “The problem of obesity is increasing in the United States. Understanding the impact of social inequalities on health has become a public health priority in the new millennium. Social, political, and economic factors now are acknowledged to be "fundamental" causes of disease that affect behavior, beliefs, and biology.” (Goodman, 2003)  In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. Obesity has not always been seen as a medical

B3. Description of Target Population Obesity was significantly more prevalent amongst female African Americans in this community. With the highest rate affecting women between the ages of 45 to 64. Obesity was also higher amongst Black females who’s educational attainment was lower

Uncontrolled diabetes can affect nearly every organ of the body; of which, heart disease and kidney failure are most commonly impacted. Known as diabetes mellitus, a collective term for various blood abnormalities, the term diabetes refers to either a scarcity of insulin in the body or the body’s inability to

An estimated 97 million adults in the United States are overweight or obese (Klein 2000). “"Affecting one in five Americans – or more than 22 percent of the U.S. population – obesity is one of the most pervasive health problems in our nation right now," said George L. Blackburn, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of surgery and associate director of the Division of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. "We need to implement steps to slow the progression of this national epidemic” (NAASO 1999). But the problem of obesity does not only affect the United States. "We now know that the growing prevalence of obesity is creating major health problems worldwide," said Dr. James O. Hill, president of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) and Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Obesity was once regarded as unique to Americans, but it is now seen as a global health risk affecting developing and underdeveloped countries (AOA 2000). Obesity is increasing at an epidemic rate in the United States - 1.3% a year for women over 20. Rates of obesity among minority populations, including African-Americans and Hispanic Americans are especially high (AOA 2000). There is also a marked increase in obesity among children.

Help with Obesity for Low-income Families Victoria Rock AIU Online Abstract Obesity has become a major problem here in America. Although millions of American’s are affected by it, from all levels of society, the biggest problem seems to be focused with low-income families.

Subjects Recruited were a total of 28 African-American women to participate in this faith-based weight loss study by word of mouth, fliers in the church, and pastoral encouragement. Inclusion criteria included ages 18 to 80, self-identified as African-American, female, at least 25% above ideal body, and in reasonable health. However, the researcher randomized only 16 women; 8 into the faith intervention group and 8 into the control group.

Living in Chicago, Illinois the third biggest city in America one is blessed with the ability to see a lot of different aspects of life. Chicago is said to be the most segregated city in America (cbslocal.com). Almost every neighborhood of a different race in Chicago is divided by a

Obesity in African American Women Despite the well-publicized health and emotional consequences of obesity, a successful weight-loss industry, and a high rate of voluntary dieting, the prevalence of obesity in African American women continues to increase. For the most part, African American women are aware of the serious health risks related to obesity. Honest attempts to diet and exercise properly usually resulted in gaining of the weight loss and additional pounds in the process. A limited number of studies suggest that African American women maybe less motivated to control their weight because of culturally determined, permissive attitudes toward obesity (Kumanyika & Guilford-Davis, 1993). In fact a select few of obese African

Nationally, 20.5 percent of African American girls of ages 2-11 were obese compared with 15.6% of White girls and 19.9% of African American boys 2-11 were when compared with White boys. In looking at the statistics the African American population continues to suffer

African Americans The most notable problem that has intensified the problem of diabetes and obesity among African Americans is diet. The trajectory of African American lifestyle is characterized by misfortunes rendering their dietary situation vulnerable (Borrell&Samuel, 2014). From the historical factors that led to their presence in the foreign country, the Africans were subjected to a diet that was not friendly to their health. Used as machines by their masters, Africans found their eating habits in a cultural framework that emphasized on proteins to make them energetic and able to work. Therefore, the unprecedented subjection to unbalanced diet started from the moment they set foot on the new land. According to Heuman, Scholl, & Wilkinson (2013), unavailability of healthy food and the destitute amount of resources to secure healthy eating has been inimical to healthy living among African Americans. Indeed, owing to the poor economic background, most Africans rely on fast food outlets and takeaways that comprise unhealthy and chemical-induced meals concentrated with calories and fats.

Community Health Improvement Plan DeSoto County John J. Merrill State College of Florida Community Health Improvement Plan, DeSoto County The data has shown that there is an ongoing problem with obesity in DeSoto County and many counties in Florida. The State of Obesity, reports that Florida 's adult obesity rate is 26.4 percent, up from 20.7 percent in 2004 and from 11.4 percent in 1990("Florida", 2014). In 2011 for DeSoto County, the percentage of obese females was in the worst 25% of all counties at 44%, while the percentage of obese males was in the middle 50% of all counties at 38.2%. The national average in 2011 was 36.1% for females and 33.8% for males. Excess weight is considered to be one of the major causes and determinates of future health problems. These problems include diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease among others. These issues cut across race, gender and age. If you are a black person aged 45-64 you are more likely to either have one of the diseases attributed to obesity or have the highest risk of developing one of these diseases. There is some good news among the data when it comes to children, the CDC reports that between 2008 and 2011 Florida 's rate fell from 14.1% to 13.1%, a statistically significant decrease according to the CDC analysis. The goal is to continue in this same direction by focusing on the education and intervention of children so they do not become a member of this statistical population and eventually fall into

Fried chicken, mash potatoes and collard greens mixed with fatback meat was my family’s favorite Sunday meal. Soul food, as it has been called, is valued by many African American families. Given the worldwide obesity epidemic that appears to be affecting most ethnic groups, there is an appreciation that the causes of obesity among African American families and others must lie in the fundamental aspects of the food supply (Capers, C et al. 2011). In my opinion, African Americans in the United Sates are more likely to be obese because there is a large number of low-income families’ and many are uninsured. According to the Office of Minority Health, African American women have the highest rates of being obese compared to other groups in

According to one of my classmates where he resides Hispanic and African-American people who resides in the Bexar, Texas area obesity which is a condition that involves an accumulation of too much body fat to an extent that it will negatively affected someone’s health. There are lots of things that give to obesity like too many calories, lack of exercise and physical activity and in some cases its simply genetic. Obesity in this area is a public health problem because of cost and the effects on health. It increases the chances of getting diseases like, “hypertension, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, stroke, Type 2 Diabetes, sleep apnea, and some cancers. It is estimated that African-Americans 39.7 and Hispanics are 29.00 percent of

The theory of weight management explores the statistics behind obesity in various cultures and environments within the United States (Pickett, Peters, & Jarosz, 2014). This theory, derived from the theory of self-care, can be classified as descriptive due to the theory’s observational and informative nature. In the theory of weight management, the researchers discuss their findings; individuals need motivational input for weight loss, personal perspectives regarding obesity play a large role in weight control, and factors such as nutrition and exercise are largely influenced by one’s family and society. The authors conclude that the largest percentage of obese individuals living in the United States can be located within the African American female population. The hope for the

More specifically, the family-based program ‘The Bright Bodies’ that combines nutrition education, behaviour change and supervised physical activity has shown to have positive clinical outcomes, improving BMI, body composition and insulin sensitivity, which were maintained over a 12-months period (Savoye, Shaw, Dziura et al., 2007; Whitlock et al., 2008).