Unit 4 - Individual Project
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UNIT 4 – INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
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Unit 4 – Individual Project
Kristine Cameron
08 December 2023
Systems in Healthcare: HCM632
Colorado Technical University
UNIT 4 – INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
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Unit 4 – Individual Project
There are far too many public health issues affecting people in the United States today. One of the more common public health issues is
obesity, both in adults and in children. The Mayo Clinic defines obesity as being a complex disease that involves having too much body fat (Mayo Clinic, 2021). The main reason that obesity is such a major health problem is that it can increase a person's risk of a plethora of other health issues. Some of these health issues can include diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, heart disease, liver disease, and high blood pressure (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Obesity can also lead to the risk of contracting certain forms of cancer.
There are well over one-hundred million adults in the United States that are affected by obesity. This means that there are approximately two obese adults out of every five people in the U.S. (
Make a Plan with Your HCP to Lose Weight & Maintain It / Truth about Weight®,
n.d.). These statistics do not even include the number of obese youth in the country. If a person has a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, they are considered to be obese (
Make a Plan with Your
HCP to Lose Weight & Maintain It / Truth about Weight®,
n.d.). There are a multitude of different BMI calculators on the web, but they all follow the same formula to determine a person’s BMI. A person would first take their weight in pounds and multiply it by seven-hundred
and three. They would then take this number and divide it by their height in inches, and then finally divide that number by their height in inches again (Mayo Clinic, 2021). This will give a person their approximate BMI in order to determine if they are considered obese. The following is a chart that depicts a reasonable estimation of a person’s BMI if one were to follow the formula above:
UNIT 4 – INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
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Body Mass Index (BMI)
Status of Weight
BMI Below 18.5
Considered to be Underweight
BMI Between 18.5 and 24.9
Considered to be Healthy
BMI Between 25.0 and 29.9
Considered to be Overweight
BMI of 30.0 and Higher
Considered to be Obese
An unhealthy diet, including high-caloric beverages, and an inactive lifestyle all contribute to weight gain and obesity. Of course there are other factors that may play a part such as stress, pregnancy, and even lack of sleep. Obesity then leads to complications that can include diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, certain cancers, strokes, and many more health problems. Obesity can also lead a person to have a much lower quality of life than a person who is at a healthy weight. Some of the quality of life issues that can stem from obesity are depression, shame, guilt, and social isolation (Mayo Clinic, 2021).
Because obesity is considered a pandemic, without any one solution to the problem, there
are numerous strategies and programs that have been put in place to address it. These programs are available at the local and state levels, as well as the federal level. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one organization that takes overweight and obesity very seriously. They have implemented many state and local strategies that are aimed at early care and
education (ECE). Below are some of the state and local programs that have been initiated by the CDC (CDC, 2019):
The improvement of nutrition and physical activity in ECE settings.
The implementation, spreading, and sustainment of Family Healthy Weight Programs.
Obesity Prevention in ECE settings.
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UNIT 4 – INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
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At a federal level, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is making its own policies in
order to address the problem of obesity in the U.S. For starters, the FDA has made regulations regarding the labeling of food. According to the FDA, all food products must have labels that show the food’s calories and nutrition (Tiwari & Balasundaram, 2023). The FDA has also established policies for foods sold in grocery stores and restaurants, banning these foods from containing any trans fats (Tiwari & Balasundaram, 2023). Schools should focus on the prevention of obesity for children at an earlier age. By teaching students about healthier eating habits, implementing physical education within the school, and encouraging students to walk or ride their bikes to school, the school systems will have a significant hand in helping to prevent obesity in the youth of the U.S. While not yet in effect, the FDA has mentioned attempting to implement restrictions on building permits for fast-
food restaurants, not allowing them to be built within a half mile of a school (Tiwari & Balasundaram, 2023). This type of implementation would help to deter school-age children from having easy access to calorie-heavy fast foods before, during, or after school.
Implementing taxes on unhealthy foods, at a federal level, would also help to deter people
from eating unhealthy foods by requiring them to pay more money for the foods with a higher fat
content. According to the National Library of Medicine, Taxes have been applied to sugar-
sweetened beverages, such as sodas, at most state and city levels (Tiwari & Balasundaram, 2023).
This year, 2023, the 20
th
annual report on the U.S. rates of obesity was released by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH). There have been drastic increases in the obesity rate of U.S. adults and youths since the start of this annual report in 2004. The national obesity rate for adults
has increased by 37% while the national obesity rate for youth has risen a whopping 42% (
State
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of Obesity 2023: Bette Policies for a Healthier America
, n.d.). Because of these drastic increases in obesity in the U.S., there needs to be an increased investment in the policies that govern the prevention of obesity. The U.S. rate of obesity report also contained numerous policy recommendations that would help to combat the obesity crisis in America. Some of these policies are listed below (
State of Obesity 2023: Bette Policies for a Healthier America
, n.d.):
A policy that would give additional funding to the CDC in order for them to create obesity prevention programs in every state.
A policy that would increase the access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as other nutritional support programs, and ensure that health meals are available to all students.
A policy that would put the labels on the front of food packaging in order to raise awareness and help people to make informed decisions while shopping for food.
A policy that would eliminate the deductions that businesses receive for advertising their unhealthy food to the youth of America.
A policy that would focus on increasing physical activity within the environment to include an increase funding for health and physical education as well as funding projects to create more pedestrian and bike paths.
A policy to expand the access to health insurance by making it more affordable.
The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) is one of the largest non-profit organizations that choose to help those people who are affected by the chronic condition of being obese. They firmly believe that “action through advocacy” will help to educate the public about the dangers of obesity, as well as ways that it can be overcome. The OAC supports their efforts by educating the populace on what obesity is, obesity discrimination, how to treat obesity, and what steps the
UNIT 4 – INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
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government should take in an effort to help reduce the number of obesity cases in the U.S. (
Health Policy Agenda – Obesity Action Coalition
, 2018). They firmly believe that in order to help in the fight against rising obesity rates, the government should take the following steps (
Health Policy Agenda – Obesity Action Coalition
, 2018):
The federal, state, and local governments must take the obesity crisis as seriously as they do other diseases.
The federal, state, and local governments increase the funding that is dedicated to the research of obesity prevention.
The federal, state, and local governments ensure that healthy, high-quality foods are more readily available within government assisted sustenance programs.
Even though there are government funded policies and regulations out there that govern the reduction of obesity in the U.S., it still comes down to individual prevention techniques. Obesity prevention can be achieved by following some simple lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, eating healthier, reducing stress, and improving ones sleep routines (
MSN
, n.d.). Obesity is a disease in which a person is extremely overweight, having a body mass index
(BMI) greater than 30. Obesity can usually be self-diagnosed and is treatable by healthcare professionals. While obesity can last several years before a person gets down to a healthy weight,
it can also last a lifetime, causing many other health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, stroke, and certain cancers (
MSN
, n.d.). Obesity is a public health issue
that requires actions from the state, local, and federal government in order to lower the drastic increases in obesity rates over the last twenty years. Organizations like the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) all have health policies and
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UNIT 4 – INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
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regulations in place in order to address the issue of obesity in the adults and youth of the United States.
UNIT 4 – INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
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References
CDC. (2019).
Strategies to prevent obesity
. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/strategies/index.html
Health Policy Agenda - Obesity Action Coalition
. (2018). Obesity Action Coalition. https://www.obesityaction.org/action-through-advocacy/overview-of-advocacy-in-
obesity/health-policy-agenda/
Make a Plan with Your HCP to Lose Weight & Maintain it | Truth About Weight®
. (n.d.). Www.truthaboutweight.com. https://www.truthaboutweight.com/
Mayo Clinic. (2021, September 2).
Obesity
. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/obesity/symptoms-causes/syc-20375742
MSN
. (n.d.). Www.msn.com. https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/condition/obesity/hp-obesity?
source=bing_condition
State of Obesity 2023: Better Policies for a Healthier America
. (n.d.). TFAH. https://www.tfah.org/report-details/state-of-obesity-2023/
Tiwari, A., & Balasundaram, P. (2023).
Public Health Considerations Regarding Obesity
. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572122/