...Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. At first glance these two epidemics would seem worlds apart, obesity has a connection to over eating and you need money to eat so how could there be a connection between them? The lack of quality, healthy foods are replaced by high calorie, condensed protein, fatty foods that are easy on the wallets of those living in lower income areas. The level of health care, or even the knowledge or education about good health, is extremely low in those same areas. In actuality they are very closely connected and unless we begin offering quality supermarkets with healthy low cost foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, and good health care to low income people in lower income areas these two epidemics will forever be tightly joined at the hip. First of all, the quality and choices of good healthy foods in low income areas are not as good or abundant as in other areas. High sugar, refined grains, and added fats are some of the lowest cost sources of dietary energy according to Drewnowski and Darmon (2005). This correlates to very high calorie foods being offered at a low cost. These foods also have a very low satiating power and generally lead to people eating more to be full and satisfied. ...
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...HEALTH RISKS & COSTS The Effects Of Obesity, Smoking, And Drinking On Medical Problems And Costs Obesity outranks both smoking and drinking in its deleterious effects on health and health costs. by Roland Sturm ABSTRACT: This paper compares the effects of obesity, overweight, smoking, and problem drinking on health care use and health status based on national survey data. Obesity has roughly the same association with chronic health conditions as does twenty years’ aging; this greatly exceeds the associations of smoking or problem drinking. Utilization effects mirrors the health effects. Obesity is associated with a 36 percent increase in inpatient and outpatient spending and a 77 percent increase in medications, compared with a 21 percent increase in inpatient and outpatient spending and a 28 percent increase in medications for current smokers and smaller effects for problem drinkers. Nevertheless, the latter two groups have received more consistent attention in recent decades in clinical practice and public health policy. M a n y b e h a v i o r a l r i s k f a c t o r s , chief among them smoking, heavy drinking, and obesity, are known causes of chronic health conditions. Chronic health conditions, like cancer, diabetes, or heart disease, in turn are primary drivers of health care spending, disability, and death. This paper compares the associations of smoking, problem drinking, and obesity with health care use and chronic conditions....
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...The Future of Healthcare The question asked by healthcare professionals is: Is the United States healthcare system going to be prepared to address such issues as the obesity epidemic and the aging population as more Americans fall under these groups? The aging population and obesity epidemic go far beyond American soil but this report will focus on the healthcare concerns arising in the United States. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2011) has stated that the population of those greater than 65 years of age is estimated to grow from 12.4% in 2000 to 19.2% in 2030. In age that means in 2030 the population of those over 65-year- old will be at 75 million, up from 35 million in 2000. Furthermore, those individuals 80 years of age and older will rise from 9.3 million to 20 million in that same time frame. In 2025 the United States, minus Alaska and Florida, will see an estimate of 15% of their population who are 65 years old and older. Three combined factors make up the aging phenomenon; Age Dynamics: The fertility rate elevated between 1946 and 1964 (baby boom era); Fertility Rate Decline: The amount of older people has increased as the number of young people reproducing has decreased; and Increase in Longevity: Medical technology and healthcare improvements have helped to increase life expectancy by 20 years (Transgenerational, n.d). The CDC (2011) has stated the following: “The growing number of older adults increases demands on the public health system and on...
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...The article my synopsis comes from Linking Obesity and Health Care by Emilie Openchowski. A recent journal article published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has a prediction of 42% of the American population will be obese by 2030 and11% will be severely obese that same year. For some there is some present doubt about obesity. It has been said that having a body mass index higher than 30 is considered obese and a body mass index within the range of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy. There are various roles that are a factor in obesity, which makes this a complex health issue to address. Genetics, environment and behavioral factors may have effects in causing obesity in people. The cause of being overweight and obese results from an energy imbalance, resulting in not enough physical activity and eating too many calories. The body weight is the results of behavior, environment, culture, metabolism and socioeconomic status. Of all the factors discussed, Behavior and environment play a large role in reasons for obesity. Today, 17% of American adolescents and approximately 1/3rd of the United States population are obese. There is high chance that these Americans are more likely to develop obesity-related sicknesses that would require medical treatment such as heart disease, kidney failure and type 2 diabetes than their healthy counterparts. In the Journal of Health Economics, an article published found that $3,271.00 is spent on an average obese person and $512...
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...significant amount of the total population. Among the many health problems Americans deal with, obesity is one of the most prominent. Therefore, there needs to be an increase in efforts to prevent this growing problem of obesity. Some of the main areas where improvement is needed include low-income families, health care plans, portion sizes, and overall eating habits of Americans. Food stamps are very commonly used in the United States. In fact, one out of every eight people in America use food stamps. This wide-spread use of food stamps is a main factor in the increase in obesity in the US. When families using food stamps go to the grocery store, they buy food that they can store for later because one shopping trip needs to last them the whole month. The families cannot buy fresh food such as fruits and vegetables because of this. They end up buying junk food and other unhealthy options. Also, if the family’s food supply gets low, parents end up starving themselves to provide a sufficient amount of food for their children. They then end up going shopping for groceries on an empty stomach. This prevents them from thinking rationally, and the parents end up buying food that will not be beneficial to the family (Vanderkam). There are many...
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...A Community Health's Perspective for Disease Control & Prevention Abstract The paper is intended to ascertain research statistics, facts, policies and analysis of topics that contributes to the health and wellbeing of a community. The effects of injury prevention and the control of infectious diseases are discussed. The rationale of controlling the cost of healthcare through behavioral and lifestyle changes is discussed. How does the exploitation of drugs, alcohol and tobacco influence the health of the community? In a community health setting, the relationship between affordable housing and violence prevention is analyzed. The impact of obesity on the community and other forms of chronic illness is discussed. An analysis of proposed solutions to disease control and prevention is presented. Mental health issues and its demeaning consequences on the community are analyzed. The need to educate the community on the ethics of healthcare is emphasized. Finally, occupational and environmental health hazards and their effects on community health is reviewed. I PERSPECTIVE ON COMMUNITY HEALTH The health of the community is a vital building block of the economic, social and political framework of any vibrant society. Because health is considered wealth, a healthy community creates a cost effective environment where all citizens has equal access to primary care physicians and sustainable quality of care. A healthy community continuously...
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...Future of Healthcare University of Phoenix January 20, 2012 “Man is born to live, not prepare for life”. When we are born, we are raised to the familiarities of what we are surrounded by. The latest fashion trends, the latest music, the places to go, the phrases to say. We are not born to understand what we could have experienced had we been born 50 years prior to the date. We are born to live the life that is ahead of us. So is it fair to know that events that occurred prior to our existence can be the reason of our healthcare issues for the future? There are many issues that have occurred and are still occurring that impact the way our healthcare system works, whether it challenges the knowledge of healthcare workers or becomes a trend for future constant reoccurrences, it pushes our minds to think further about the situation. Aging is a trend we all experience, that has no solution except to accept it. As our population ages forward, more diseases are found and treated in the systems. “The so-called “baby boom” generation (people born between 1946 and 1964) is already having an effect on the health care system and it is expected to grow as the century progresses. The number of Americans age 65 and older (35 million in 2000) will rise by more than 19 million to54 million by 2020. From 2000 to 2050, the number of older adults will increase from 12.5% to20% of the U.S. population.” (Rensselar, 2006)In a matter of 20 years, there is a possible increase of 54 million adults...
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...priority public health objectives for the state of New Jersey that should be implemented to see a decrease in obesity rates over the next ten years. Major health issues that cause high rates of morbidity and mortality in New Jersey, similar to that of the country, are due to preventable diseases or conditions. A major current health issue is obesity rates in the state. A variety of factors contribute to obesity rates, which include: race, socioeconomic status, and access to healthcare services. The importance of addressing these priority objectives is that they have the potential to improve the quality of life for New Jersey residents, while decreasing disparities in relation to the obesity epidemic. Background on Health of the State It is estimated by the CDC, that 20-25% of the residents in New Jersey are classified as obese. i Looking at a national map of obesity rates, New Jersey rates are not has high as many of the other states. Although New Jersey rates aren’t as high, it has been reported by the CDC that over the past ten years, obesity rates have steadily been increasing in the sate. According to the US Census Bureau, the total estimated population of New Jersey in 2012 was 8,864,590. ii Mathematically, this means that between 1,772, 918 and 2,216147 residents in the state of New Jersey are classified as obese. There are many risks that are associated with obesity, but there are also a number of major complications that affect obese individuals. Complications include:...
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...Different Levels of Health Promotion Being Used to Reduce Obesity in the U.S. Travis Johnecheck Grand Canyon University Health Promotion in Nursing NRS-429V-O106 Katie Lemke October 13, 2013 Different Levels of Health Promotion Being Used to Reduce Obesity in the U.S. (O’Donnell, 1987, p. 4) has defined health promotion as “the science and art of helping people change their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health.” It is very rare to find a person that states that they do not want to be healthy but a large portion of the population chooses lifestyles that causes preventable illness and disease. Obesity in the U.S. is an ever-increasing problem and has become the main focus of health programs working towards health promotion to slow down this modern-day epidemic. (Leavell & Clark, 1965) defined three levels of prevention: primary, secondary, and tertiary. These steps include health promotion and specific protection (primary prevention); early diagnosis, prompt treatment, and disability limitation (secondary prevention); and restoration and rehabilitation (tertiary prevention). Nurses are instrumental in the educational aspects of health promotion that are needed in the fight against obesity. According to the Healthy People website, obesity in adults has increased to a national rate of 35% in 2010. Many diseases are caused by chronic obesity such as: Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure, and many more. Primary preventions are interventions...
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...Executive summary This report draws attention to the current remedies used by Raffles Medical Group (RMG) to deal with obesity – standard consultations and surgical treatments – and how they are ineffective as the obesity is still prevalent in Singapore. This report also provides recommendations to improve the existing remedies in RMG to curb adiposity in Singapore. The recommendations are: creating a weight management package and instilling a more empathetic approach in their treatments. The report includes the benefits of these recommendations to RMG. The benefits include allowing RMG to gain a better reputation in Singapore healthcare system, and attracting more obese patients to seek treatment in their hospital thereby leading to increased revenue. Introduction Rising obesity rates have posed a huge problem in Singapore, as obesity brings about severe health detriments. One viable method to prevent obesity is when people manage their weight effectively, through means such as controlling their calories intake and exercising (Goh & Pang, 2012). Such efforts, however, are hindered by the external factors of obesity such as lower prices of unhealthy food (Tomer, n.d). This is further aggravated by the bad behavioral patterns of individuals due to their low endowments of personal and health capital as depicted by Tomer (n.d). According to Tomer, “[Personal capital]…reflects the quality of an individual’s psychological, physical, and spiritual functioning” while...
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...June 19, 2011 Dr. Ed Yancey Topic Childhood Obesity in the Mid-South is a growing disease. Description of Childhood Obesity Childhood Obesity is defined as children having the condition of being excessively overweight (The American Heritage, 2002). The Centers for Disease Control reports that this country has been struggling with obesity for well over 20 years now and regarding childhood obesity, it is no less daunting. Data from their surveys comparing the 1970's to the 2000's show that the prevalence of obesity has increased for children of all ages at least 3 times over to about 20% of our population less than 19 years old (adult obesity approaches almost 35% in some states). There is an eye-opening depiction of U.S. obesity trends by state and race/ethnicity over the past 4 years. Obesity appears to be most commonly seen in the African American, Hispanic, and Native American populations and in lower income families (CDC, 2009). Why this Topic This topic was chosen because there is an overwhelming increase of children who are suffering from this disease. Obese children are also more likely to become overweight adults. 70% of obese children had at least one Cardiovascular Disease risk factor, and 39% had two or more (Freedman, 2007). This paper will show why childhood obesity has become such an epidemic and what can be done to counter this disease. Description of Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children...
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...Statistics make the world go round, literally. A certain population or ethnicity and their disease trends can really have an effect on what can happen in the future for our healthcare systems. Demographics and Disease trends can go hand in hand with one another because disease trends are so constant and unnoticeable that it continues daily, therefore having a particular group being affected by the same disease. Some people do not believe it, but all you have to do is look at the statistics and you will then see how greatly they affect one another. To break things down, demographics are groups of people with a common link, such as; age, gender, race, education level, income level, even marital level, and etc. When in an environment where links are similar or the same, the same trends start to get picked up as well, linking you within the range of your demographics. Environment plays a big role in demographics as well. If you live in the same neighborhood or community as someone, you are linked to that person no matter how small of importance it is. With everyone doing the same trends which come to them like habits, they may never go away until they know that it is a problem. Environment happens to play a role as well when it comes to demographics. Environment happens to play one of the main roles. Habits become hard to break because of the type of environment you around. Who, what, and the things that you are surrounded by happen to make up part of your environment...
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...Natasha White ILE-322-033 03/27/2014 Obesity in the United States Many people in the United States have been diagnosed with sever healthcare problems due to being overweight. In 2013, a statistical fact showed that among Americans age 20 and older, 154.7 million are overweight or obese (American Heat Association). According to the surgeon general, it has been called an epidemic obesity as a result of poor diet and lack of physical activity. This epidemic obesity has not only affected adults, but also children from 5 to 17 years. High blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and respiratory problems are just three of the many health effects in this major problem in the United States. Many people in the United States work all day and don’t have time to go home to eat or a good restaurant to have a health meal. Going to McDonalds or having Chinese food is there option when in lunch brake. Many consider is simply a way to safe some money and it’s a more rapid way then having to wait in line for a table to be available. As a result of lake of time and a quicker way Americans have developed a poor diet and just stick with the routine of eating some fast. Eating junk food as most people call it is a reason obesity has overpopulated in the U.S. Lack of physical activity can also lead to obesity. Even though most Americans walk a lot because not many have the possibility to afford a car and most walk to work, not having a regular exercise routine can cause overweight. If kids eat all day...
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...Epidemiology Paper on Childhood Obesity Obesity is a global epidemic affecting millions of the world population. Childhood obesity is especially worrisome as it is linked to higher incidence of health issues in adulthood (Lakshman, Elks, & Ong, 2012). There are many factors to look at when assessing the prevalence of childhood obesity, including culture, socio-economic status, food availability, activity, and genetics. To better understand this problem, it is essential to understand the factors that lead to obesity, how obesity is studied, and what are ways to help reduce the occurrence of obesity. Through epidemiology, this health concern can be better understood and provide the information needed to generate a plan of action to help reduce the risk factors that lead to childhood obesity. Epidemiology is “the study of the occurrence and distribution of health–related states or events and specified populations, including the study of the determinants influencing such states, and the application of this knowledge to control the health problems” (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012, pg 255). Through epidemiology the questions of who, what, where, when, how, and why can be investigated to offer information about the dissemination or patterns of health measures. The Epidemiological Triangle allows epidemiologists to understand the relationships between agent, host, and the environment when looking at a specific health concern. When considering childhood obesity, the agent could be viewed as...
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...Health Disparities Based on Socioeconomic Status MHA614: Policy Formation & Leadership in Health Organizations Tuesday, October 28, 2014 Introduction The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is a body of the United Nations Program that provides assistance to children and their mothers in the developing countries. The organization helps in building a world where every child enjoys the liberty and freedom. The organization believes in the fact that a today’s children will determine tomorrow’s world. Thus, nurturing the children in a positive manner will help in the betterment of the world in the future. The organization was established with the purpose of working with others in order to overcome problems faced by social and economic issues like poverty, violence, ill health discrimination among the children based on race, ethnicity etc. I - UNICEF span and work focus The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) takes a large number of measures to provide the best start for a child’s life as a good care in the initial stages of an individual’s life ensures the best foundation for its future. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) encourages education for girls making sure that they at least complete their primary school education in order to learn to read and write. This is applicable to boys as well (David Gorski, 2012). But, the organization stresses more upon the girls’ education as an educated girl can be and help one to be a better thinker, a better...
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