The Major Cause of Obesity - Essay Example

Government Approach to Tackling Obesity al Affiliation) INTRODUCTION: General Information Obesity levels in most countries have been rising. Obesity is defined as a high amount of fat in the human body. Obesity increases the risks of individuals acquiring certain lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cancer, liver and heart diseases. Many obese people have the probability of getting other long-standing illnesses; the problem could translate to the death of such people by averagely ten years as compared to persons with a standard weight. The major cause of obesity is the inappropriate diet and nutrition programs adopted by many households amongst many countries (Cecchini & Sassi, 2012). Besides, the inadequate desire to follow active lifestyles contributes equally to obesity as much as the laziness concerning exercising and keeping health does. Many people have less information on the threat of obesity in their lives, hence ignoring the numerous campaigns and interventions made by different agencies to highlight the impact of obesity in the human lifestyle. In general, the lack of accountability and responsibility sums up the major reason behind the escalating statistics of obesity. Thesis Statement This essay will evaluate the importance of government interference in trying to decrease the levels of obesity. It will scrutinize the different strategies applied by the UK and USA governments in tackling this health menace. Indeed, both governments acknowledge the fact that obesity is not just a social problem, but a hindrance to economic growth as well (Cecchini & Sassi, 2012). Therefore, both governments have come up with intensive collaborative processes that deliver comprehensive manuals containing the desirable nutrition, lifestyles and exercises that aim at reducing and possibly eliminating the problem of obesity. MAIN BODY Importance of Government Interference Evidently, it is the role of every government to improve the social health of the society and the citizens at large. Trough intervening in tackling obesity, the government aims at reducing the death rate arising from the diseases caused by obesity. As earlier mentioned, obesity because a myriad of diseases that threaten to terminate the lives of people at earlier ages than expected. In addition to that, the cost of obesity is extremely high if the above diseases are factored in. Given the high cost of attaining quality medication, the government opted to reduce the burden of health complications caused by obesity. Potentially, obese individuals visit health facilities more frequently than their healthier weight counterparts do. These numerous visits translate to higher medical bills and consequently creating strains on individual incomes (Hill, 2008). Not only is obesity a problem to the life expectancy and the individual finances. It is a burden to the national economy, as it potentially affects the individual’s ability to work comfortably. The stigmatization related to fat people in the society often impacts negatively on individual mental health, hence hindering their productivity (Hammond & Levine, 2010). The absence of workers at workplaces due to obesity contributes negatively to the organizational productivity, therefore reflecting on the national scene. The total cost of obesity to the economy envisages all the programs set aside by both governments solely to focus on the issue of obesity. The above reasons highlight the need for government to intervene. Strategies in the USA The impact of obesity in the USA has prompted the government to initiate a raft of community and regulation policies that aim at tackling obesity. The government runs several campaigns that aim at increasing the availability of healthier foods and beverage choices. Given that healthier foods are often expensive, the government has subsidized the prices of such foods and increased their availability in public service venues. This emphasizes the need for the population to access healthier foods at affordable prices. Childhood obesity in the United States keeps rising as the changes in lifestyles envisages people across various ages (Zilanawala et al., 2014). The government has implemented a policy that requires each school to carry out a minimum 60 minutes of physical education per day. These incentives have further been amplified by the philanthropic remuneration of physical activity teachers who are recruited in the schools. The requirement by the government to emphasize the need for physical education on schools positively affects the academic, social and mental health of children. The creation of community based training facilities is a government project that aims at upholding the physical activities beyond children into adults. The government has put a raft of measures that encourage many people to undergo fitness courses with the aim of getting government employment in these community based training facilities (Hammond & Levine, 2010). In addition to that, the government takes full advantage of the influence of doctors in preventing obesity by recommending physical training in many health facilities. Such strategies as reduced advertisements of unhealthy food and beverage and the increased incentives on the production and distribution of healthy foods sum up the US government interference in tackling obesity. The government has also allocated finances to restructure and build infrastructure that support outdoor recreational activities. Many government agencies and offices have set aside opportunities and timetables for extracurricular activities as a means of ensuring physical health amongst government employees. In addition to that, the government has improved access to public transport systems that allow people to walk to and from work. These actions are enforced through levying high parking fees for individuals who decide to drive personal cars to work. In areas designed for physical exercise or activity, the government has enhanced the traffic and personal safety standards in order to encourage individuals to use such facilities. The government also encourages the participation of people in community coalitions that address obesity. Strategies in the UK As experienced in the United States, obesity causes a significant strain on the National Health Service in the UK. Similarly, the UK government is enjoined in the campaign to emphasize the need for healthier lifestyles. The UK curriculum constitutes subjects that teach young people about the impact of obesity in their lives. In addition to that, the education system has adopted a mechanism that will give the younger generation adequate knowledge on healthy food and lifestyles. The Chnge4Life Campaign is a UK government program that provides information to individuals and families on the dietary and nutritional necessities that guarantee a healthy lifestyle. The government has also implemented the NHS Health Check Program, which aims at preventing stroke, heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes. This program highlights the impact of obesity related illnesses on people’s lives and supports the eligible people to manage and reduce the risk through individually tailored advice (Mohebati, Lobstein, Millstone & Jacobs, 2007). The UK government works hand in hand with the food and drink industry to ensure the production and supply of healthy foods and beverage to the citizens. This is part of the wider strategy to implement the Public Health Responsibility Deal, which aims at ensuring that citizens are protected from unhealthy food substances. In addition to that, the government, through the National Child Measurement Program, has started a campaign to encourage breastfeeding for the infants and younger children to a certain age. This program also ensures that local areas have adequate information on the campaign against child obesity. The local governments play an important role in implementing the obesity strategy in the UK. The identification of this problem as local priority obligates the local authorities to act jointly with the central government to provide for the requirements of the strategy. The allocation of public health grants to unitary and upper tier local authorities improves the health of local populations. Each director of public health will report annually to the Secretary of State on the health of the local population. This ensures clinical excellence on the part of health care providers in the UK. The government has also set up structures and forums that ensure the involvement of multiple agencies in tackling obesity depending on the local needs. Through the National Obesity Observatory, the government has built the much required evidence base that helps to inform local prioritization on tackling obesity (Semeeh A. Omoleke, 2011). Conclusion The actions taken by the UK and the US governments all emphasize on the need for governments to take more action in reducing the obesity levels. On what the governments have done to encourage people to indulge into more physical exercise, they must allocate more resources and financial leverage on initiating infrastructural developments. In addition to that, the governments should look into the disparities in the opportunities for sport as currently constituted in different schools (Loughrey, 2009). Consequently, these disparities fail to meet the threshold that defines equity in line with the provision of quality health care to the population. Therefore, the governments should move quickly to ensure that schools have established arrangements to monitor and publish the progress of the exercise activities. The obesity levels should decrease in order to ensure healthy lifestyles for populations globally. The adequate knowledge on the impact of obesity should be an emphasis for all governments even as they strive to ensure total productivity of the production eligible populations. The introduction and implementation of the above programs not only help in improving individual social ad mental health, but also the national economic productivity (Hammond & Levine, 2010). Therefore, the general role of campaigning against obesity should envisage the government, health practitioners, educational stakeholders, relevant agencies and the society. References Cecchini, M., & Sassi, F. (2012). Tackling obesity requires efficient government policies. Israel Journal Of Health Policy Research, 1(1), 18. doi:10.1186/2045-4015-1-18 Hammond, R., & Levine,. (2010). The economic impact of obesity in the United States. Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome And Obesity: Targets And Therapy, 285. doi:10.2147/dmsott.s7384 Hill, J. (2008). Have We Stopped the Increase in Obesity in the United States?. Obesity Management,4(5), 213-214. doi:10.1089/obe.2008.0220 Loughrey, A. (2009). Tackling childhood obesity: The whole-school approach. Br J School Nurs, 4(3), 147-148. doi:10.12968/bjsn.2009.4.3.41738 Mohebati, L., Lobstein, T., Millstone, E., & Jacobs, M. (2007). Policy options for responding to the growing challenge from obesity in the United Kingdom. Obesity Reviews, 8(s2), 109-115. doi:10.1111/j.1467-789x.2007.00364.x Semeeh A. Omoleke,. (2011). Obesity: A major public health challenge of 21st century in the United Kingdom (UK). Journal Of Public Health And Epidemiology, 3(12). doi:10.5897/jphe11.159 Zilanawala, A., Davis-Kean, P., Nazroo, J., Sacker, A., Simonton, S., & Kelly, Y. (2014). Race/ethnic disparities in early childhood BMI, obesity and overweight in the United Kingdom and United States. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord, 39(3), 520-529. doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.171 Read More