Treatment and Management of Obesity within the Health Profession - Essay Example

Unit Introduction Obesity de s a health condition that gradually develops through an accumulation of excessive body weight, which is mainly composed of body fat. The condition is determined and defined by the use of the “Body Mass Index” parameter (BMI). The BMI is a measure of the ratio of weight to height. According to the World Health Organization (WHO); a BMI of 25 kilograms per meter indicates being overweight, whereas one above 30 kilograms per meter indicates obesity. The people whose BMI range falls between 25 and 30 are considered pre-obese. The condition affects people regardless of age, but is more prevalent among some races. The condition reduces life expectancy and leads to the development of various health complications. Obesity predisposes the affected to a number of conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis, obstructive sleep apnea and type II diabetes-just to mention, but a few. Presently, obesity is prevalent in the most developed nations due to sedentary lifestyles and a relatively high intake of highly processed and refined foods, which have high calories. The condition is also the leading cause of deaths that can be prevented in the United States (U.S) and most other developed nations (Aznar & Luis 47). Causes of obesity Obesity is caused by multiple factors and in most cases it occurs due to a combination of different factors such as high caloric intake and sedentary life. Excessive intake of high calorie foods and living a life devoid of physical exercises is the most common combination of factors that lead to most cases of obesity (Stunkard & Wadden 27). Other cases of obesity are genetically caused, and people with such genetic makeup are predisposed to this condition since birth. Therefore, if they encounter the right combination of other contributing factors such as high caloric intake they definitely develop the condition (Stunkard & Wadden 31). Health conditions may also be responsible for specific cases of obesity, and these include endocrine disorders, psychiatric illnesses as well as some medications used in treating these conditions. Conditions such as Cushing’s syndrome-causing over-production of steroidal hormones-, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and hypothyroidism and Prader-Willi syndrome have been identified as possible causes of obesity. Other conditions make an indirect contribution to the condition, for example, arthritis leads to inactivity, which may directly lead to obesity. The use of certain types of medicine such as atypical anti-psychotics, birth control pills, beta blockers, steroids and endocrine disruptors-endocrine disruptors affect lipid metabolism-are responsible for some reported cases of obesity. Research has shown a strong association between the development of obesity and the use of such drugs (Stunkard & Wadden 52). Quitting cigarette smoking has also been cited as a possible contributor to weight gain, because of the elimination of its effects on appetite suppression. Pregnancy especially at a later age is also cited as a possible cause of obesity. This occurs when the mothers do not lose the weight gained during the gestational period. According to Zieve and Dugdale, other cited causes with little research support include ambient temperatures’ reduced variability. Obesity has also been linked to psychological conditions such as stress and depression. However, research in this field is inconclusive because some people eat a lot when under stress and thus gain weight whereas; others eat less when under depression and thus gain less weight. The link of obesity to psychology is not yet very clear and perhaps the causality requires research (Stunkard & Wadden 62). Treatment and Management of obesity within the health profession There are multiple ways to handle obesity and there is no single treatment for the condition, but rather a combination of measures. These measures are supposed to reduce weight and cut back on gains as well as conditions implicated in the causes. The most common recommendation for obese patients is diet control and engagement in physical activities. This combination helps in reducing caloric intake-responsible for weight gain-and weight loss through the burning of excessive calories and fat reserves (Stunkard & Wadden 62). Obese people are often required to develop this as part of their culture because it is often easy to experience a relapse if they withdraw from dieting and exercising. Advice on weight control through diet and exercise is best recommended for mothers that have given birth, quitting smokers and people with conditions such as hypothyroidism, Prader-Willi and Cushing’s syndromes. The fact that these people have a high likelihood to gain weight requires them to be advised by health practitioners to put in place measures to reduce weight gain and cut weight. According to Kirillov, the most effective health based method for morbid obesity control cases is bariatric surgery. This is recommendable in most serious cases of obesity. This offers the best option for morbid obesity because other methods such as dieting and weight gain are less likely to be effective. The surgical procedures may vary depending on the client’s preferences, but they are all aimed at reducing the stomach volume. Kirillov states that this surgical procedure is recommended for morbid obese cases, but is expensive and unreachable by the poor. Surgical methods may also include liposuction, which offers a radical option as cited by Kirillov. However, this is never a popular recommendation in the health realm because it is counted as a form of cosmetic surgery rather than a medical intervention, but it may achieve substantial fat reduction. For conditions caused by medical prescriptions, the practitioners have an option of selecting other forms of alternative drugs. For example, atypical anti-psychotics which cause weight gain may be replaced by typical anti-psychotics which do not cause weight gain. Other combinations of therapy may be recommended so as to avoid pharmacologic therapies (Stunkard & Wadden 71). Similarly, the use of birth control pills may be replaced by other alternative birth control methods such as the IUD coil or tubal ligation. According to the National Health Service, pharmacologic approaches may also be used, and there are a number of drugs recommended. However, it has to be noted that most of them have side-effects. As such, they should only be prescribed in cases where the dieting and exercise method has failed to yield positive results. These may also be recommended in genetic-based cases to help reduce fat digestion. These drugs can be exemplified by Orlistat capsules which help in reducing the absorption of undigested fat and thus letting the fat out in stool. For causes without the field of practice such as psychological problems of depression and stress, it may be necessary to involve professionals in the fields of psychology and psychiatry to deal with the underlying conditions. Perhaps this should be able to curb the problem. The effect of ambient temperature and changes is least understood and perhaps there is need for more research on causality prior to researching about possible interventions. In conclusion, there is no single effective approach to the treatment and management of obesity, but rather a multiple of approaches that could be combined to yield positive results depending on the cause of obesity in an individual. > WHERE TO FIND THEM The book by Aznar and others can be viewed on Google at this URL, (but note that not all pages can be previewed) it has preview on- http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=AawkMClCGM0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Epidemiology+of+Obesity+in+Children+and+Adolescents:+Prevalence+and+etiology&hl=en&sa=X&ei=FkCyT5agMqHe2QXr_rHpCA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Epidemiology%20of%20Obesity%20in%20Children%20and%20Adolescents%3A%20Prevalence%20and%20etiology&f=false The book by Stunkard and Wadden can be accessed on Google books at the following URL (but note that not all pages can be previewed) http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=yXJFfH3OHyIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%E2%80%9CHandbook+of+Obesity+Treatment%3B%E2%80%9D&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zECyT6n8JsjK2AWLip3pCA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9CHandbook%20of%20Obesity%20Treatment%3B%E2%80%9D&f=false The rest are online sources and they should be easily accessible online on the following URLs. Web, accessed on May 9th 2012 Zieve, D. & Dugdale, C. D. “Obesity,” 2012 Web, accessed on May 9th 2012 Read More