Obesity and Diabetes: An American Health Care Dilemma - Essay Example

? Obesity and Diabetes: An American Health Care Dilemma Obesity and Diabetes: An American Health Care Dilemma Introduction Accordingto World Health Organization worldwide obesity has doubled since 1980. That in 2008, 1.5 billion adults of ages 20 years old and above were overweight in which 200 million men and 300 million women were obese. There is an alarming fact that 65% of the world’s population lives in countries where obesity kills more people (2011, “key,” para. 2). As much as many people enjoy eating inside the seclusion of a sedentary lifestyle, despite the fact that obesity posed the threat as the fifth leading risk for global deaths, still the prevalence rate continue to increase. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of obesity. In addition, 44% of the diabetes burden, 23% of the ischemic heart disease burden and between 7% and 41% of certain cancer burdens are attributable to obesity (WHO, 2011, “facts,” para. 1)- showing how significant obesity is as the cause of diabetes prevalence today. Obesity is also the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, as well as disability and absenteeism according to United Health Center for Health Reform & Modernization (2010, p. 4). Obesity does not only pose threat over health but also threatens the finances of individuals. Health care expenditures could have been spent with the basic needs instead of spending money over medications, doctor’s fee, laboratory examinations and hospitalization. Imagine the lifelong treatment cost obesity can possibly bear with its disease complication such as diabetes- the cost of medications, hospitalizations and end organ damages it can cause in the long run such as kidney failure and blindness. Background and Significance Diabetes ranked as the seventh leading cause of death in the United States based on the 71,382 death certificates in 2007 in which diabetes was the underlying cause of death. Furthermore, diabetes was also a contributing cause of death in an additional 160,022 deaths for a total of 231,404 death occurrences in 2007 in which diabetes appeared as any-listed cause of death and moreover the risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people of similar age but without diabetes according to the National Diabetes Fact Sheet (2011, “deaths,” para. 1). Even the World Health Organization states that 44% of the diabetes burden can be attributed to obesity (2011, “facts,” para. 1). This high incidence of mortality and morbidity listed in figures is an awakening fact that diabetes is a disease that people needs to watch out for and that obesity contributes remarkably to this large portion of diabetic prevalence in the United States. Diabetes that has many health complications such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, blindness, kidney problems, nervous system disease, amputations, dental diseases, complications in pregnancy and others (National Diabetic Fact Sheet, 2011, “complications”) that all holds multiple public health threats that endangers the health of many people and thus consumes public health funds as well. This study is opted to publicly present real time figures of the prevalence of obesity in America and the mortality and morbidity rate caused by diabetes alone as one of its complications and bring about an awareness campaign that people should know about obesity and how it contributes to diabetes. Furthermore this study is significant in laying out solutions for fighting obesity in healthy ways that is targeted in preventing non-communicable health complications brought about by obesity particularly diabetes mellitus that has surged numerous deaths for decades. Review of Selected Literature Obesity is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. In the United States of America alone according to one study the prevalence of diabetes among adults aged 20 to 74 increased from 5.08% (1976-1980) to 8.83% (1999-2004). An estimated 81% of the studied population comes from the obese class. The prevalence increase of the overall adult population is a remarkable 13% from 4% (Gregg et al, 2007). These figures only show how obesity markedly increased and contributed to having diabetes despite its non-communicability. A study to know the ‘Prevalence and Trends in Obesity among US Adults within the year 1999-2008’ shows that the prevalence of obesity among adult men was 32.2% and 35.5% among adult women (Flegal et al, 2010). A similar study shows that the increase in obesity and diabetes among US adults continue in both sexes, all ages, all races, all educational levels, and all smoking levels leaving no obese person exempted at risk despite age, sex, ethnicity, educational levels and smoking practice (Mokdad et al, 2003) but further doubles the chances of risk compared to normal weighted individuals. Furthermore, obesity and diabetes cripple people’s finances. According to a publication by the United Health Center for Health Reform & Modernization (2010, p. 4), the United States of America is on track to become the United States of Diabetes. The epidemic of diabetes is sweeping across the country that it is predicted that by the year 2020, an estimated 52 percent of the adult population will have diabetes. This will make a major contribution to health care costs, placing growing strain on the budgets of families, employers, states and the federal government. There is an estimate that health spending associated with diabetes is about $194 billion which is approximately seven percent of total United States health spending. The cost is still projected to rise to $500 billion by the year 2020 (United Health Center for Health Reform & Modernization, 2010, p. 4). This healthcare expenditure is something that can be prevented if people would be made to realize over and over again that storing too much fat in their body has impacts on their own health and the health care system and the national economy as well. A study was made by Wolf and Colditz (1998) to update the economic impact of obesity in the United States by estimating the direct cost of obesity. The results amounted to approximately $99.2 billion in totality that roughly represents 5.7% of the National Health Expenditure in the United States. Thus the economic and personal health cost of obesity is enormous and compromises the health of the United States. Analysis and Conclusion There is an increasing number of prevalence of diabetes in the United States over the past decade and it is believed and predicted to increase by the coming years. Diabetes as listed as one of the top non-communicable diseases in the United States is directly associated with obesity with the same increasing prevalence. Furthermore obesity and diabetes consume a large part of individual finances as well the total health care finances of the state that could have been spent in other useful finances. Since Obesity comprises the majority of increase in diabetic prevalence there is a high attainability of the possibility to slow the increase, if not possibly stop the spurt, since obesity is a modifiable risk factor. According to World Health Organization (2011, “How,” para. 1) obesity, as well as their related non-communicable diseases, are largely preventable. Supportive environments and communities are fundamental in shaping people’s choices, making the healthier choice of foods and regular physical activity the easiest choice, and therefore preventing obesity and thus preventing diabetes as well as one of its complications. It is recommended that people take the healthy way of eating by limiting total fats, increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables, limiting the intake of sugars, engage in regular physical activity to further achieve energy balance and a healthy weight. The World Health Organization (2011, “How,” para. 3) also states the importance of the society in encouraging healthy lifestyle by making it accessible by making physical activity centers and healthy food affordable to all especially the poorest individuals which have the highest tendency to consume non-healthy food choices thus having the most numbers of obese individuals. The federal state can also promote healthy diets by regulating contents of the food industry—i.e. reducing fat sugar or salt content of processed foods only in acceptable health levels and ensuring that healthy and nutritious choices are available and affordable to all consumers. By promoting and supporting health practices and making it accessible individuals are not only given the freedom from diabetes but also a chance of a healthier and longer life span free from obesity complications. Also freedom from health care expenses is achieved on an individual level as well as state level. Unnecessary expenditures on diabetes will be reduced and other important expenses will be given added allowance such as on healthy food, healthy lifestyle and leisure activities. References: Flegal K., Carroll M., Ogden C., Curtin L. (2010). Prevalence and Trends in Obesity among US Adults, 1999-2008. Journal of American Medical Association. 303 (3), p. 235-241. Gregg E., Cheng Y., Narayan K.M., Thompson T., Williamson D. (2007). The relative contributions of different levels of overweight and obesity to the increased prevalence of diabetes in the United States: 1976-2004. Preventive Medicine. Volume 45 Issue 5. p. 348-352 Mokdad A., Ford E., Bowman B., Dietz W., Vinicor F., Bales V., & Marks J. (2003). Prevalence of obesity, Diabetes and Obesity-Related Health Risk Factors, 2001. Journal of American Medical Journal. 289(1), p. 76-79. National Diabetic Fact Sheet (2011) Diagnose and undiagnosed diabetes in the United States, all ages, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/estimates11.htm#10\ United Health: Center for Health Reform & Modernization (2010) The United States of Diabetes: Challenges and opportunities in the decade ahead. Minnesota, USA. Retrieved from http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/hrm/unh_workingpaper5.pdf Wolf A.M., Colditz G.A. (1998) Current estimates of the economic cost of obesity in the United States. The Women’s Place Journal. University of Virginia Health Systems. 6(2), p. 97-106 World Health Organization (2011). Obesity and overweight. WHO media centre. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/index.html Read More