Incident of Obesity in San Joaquin Community - Research Paper Example

? Incident of Obesity in San Joaquin Community Module Incident of Obesity in San Joaquin Community One of the major health issues affecting Americans these days is the obesity epidemic. America has seen a large increase in its obesity rates over the past thirty years, thus becoming one of the biggest health crises the country has faced. Surveys done in different communities indicate that a third of the American children and two-thirds of the American adults are overweight or obese. This has led to the increase in the prevalence of preventable illnesses and the rise in health care prices throughout the country. This paper will examine the incident of obesity in San Joaquin Community by showing differences in the obesity rate between women and men aged thirty to forty years old, the frequency of sport practiced, physical activity and sedentariness. According to the United States Census Bureau reports, San Joaquin city community had a population of four thousand and one people in 2010. The population of men and women between the ages of thirty to forty years is six hundred and there are a hundred and three men for every one hundred women. The education level of most people in San Joaquin city community is low with less than three percent of the people bearing Bachelor’s degrees. Less than fifty percent of the population has their high school degrees thus resulting to high poverty levels. This has translated to low income with forty percent of the adults living in food insecure households. Most of the residents prepare low cost food, which is usually characterized by high fat, sugar and salt content to provide them with more satisfaction while they spend less. This is aggravated by the fact that most people do not have fruits and healthy dairy products in their diets, thus being prone to obesity. According to the Center for Disease Control, sixty percent of San Joaquin adult residents are overweight or obese while thirty four percent are obese (Census Bureau, 2013). Differences between women and men, in a range of 30 to 40 years old As indicated previously there are approximately six hundred men and women aged thirty to forty years in San Joaquin city community. Calculating using the percentages shown earlier, there are approximately four hundred and sixty men and women aged thirty to forty years who are overweight or obese. Approximately two hundred and twenty men and women from a population of six hundred people are obese. About one hundred and forty women are obese compared to a figure of less than eighty males. Women are more prone to obesity due to the lifestyles that they lead, as many do not have jobs thus spending most of their time at home watching television programs. They also have a higher prevalence of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases. Men, on the other hand, work small jobs that keep them from being inactive, hence a lower number affected by obesity. Figure 1: Graph showing the percentage of obese men and women between the age of 30 to 40 years in San Joaquin city community. Obesity in this community can be linked to the low income earned by the community members, therefore, resulting to the consumption of unhealthy food. Since the people aged between thirty to forty years are working and many tend to have children, they have an urgency of consuming food that will provide satisfaction for them and cost less at the same time. They tend to eat at the cheap numerous fast-food restaurants, which are easily accessible in San Joaquin city and carry or order take-outs for their evening meals. Considering that they have financial problems and they have been used to this lifestyle, the people tend to forego healthy food options like vegetables, dairy products and fresh fruits. Frequency of sport practiced, physical activity and sedentariness In order to reduce obesity in the community, the need for adequate physical exercises is emphasized. San Joaquin city has an area of 1.1 miles squared indicating that it is a small area for any sporting activity. The community does not have recreational parks where people can jog or take walks early in the morning or late in the evening. The town has very few gymnasiums, which are rarely attended, as many people cannot afford to pay membership fees. This means that most of the people in San Joaquin rarely use the gymnasiums, which are perfect when an individual needs to exercise. There is lack of stadiums where the residents can engage in sporting activities. The community does not have any walking trails, which are important exercise amenities for taking walks, thus burning extra calories. Most of the people in San Joaquin city community rarely engage in physical exercise, thus making them prone to obesity. San Joaquin city has a high unemployment rate meaning that almost half of the town’s residents do not work. This is due to the low education status of many residents of San Joaquin city community. Women are the most affected by unemployment while men find it hard to get well-paying jobs. This translates to the inactive nature of most residents, as they spend the whole day in their houses doing very little work. This inactive state combined with the unhealthy food that the people of San Joaquin city community consume, translates to the high obesity rates seen in the community. The fact that the few people who work spend their entire days sitting in the office, does not improve the obesity problem. This is evident in other parts of the country where the people who work in offices are encouraged to engage in physical activities that will help in keeping the fit. References 2011 San Joaquin County Needs Assessment. (2011). 2011 San Joaquin County Needs Assessment. Retrieved December 12, 2013, from www.dataco-op.org/.../FY11-SAN-JOAQUIN-COUNTY-NEEDS-ASSESSMENT Census Bureau. (2013). Census Bureau Homepage. Retrieved December 12, 2013, from http://search.census.gov/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&affiliate=census&query=san+joaquin+city&commit.x=0&commit.y=0 Read More