Obesity and Overweight Among The Adults - Essay Example

The food that you eat and the lifestyle that you follow for eating habits associated with 4 of the 10 leading causes of death.Obesity is the result of following unhealthy eating habits and consuming food that lacks nutritional value and is high in unhealthy elements like starch, sugar, calories, fats etc. Unfortunately, there has been an alarming increase in the number of overweight and obese persons. It is a health issue that needs immediate attention and resolution. Obesity and overweight is not just a disease in itself. But it also is the cause of many other diseases like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, and some types of cancer. Because of its growing trend and dangers, it is extremely important to make it one of the most important health issues of the people of North Carolina. Obesity is the result of unhealthy food habits, lack of physical activity and lack of awareness of how it can be dangerous in the future. Out of the 27 nutrition objectives in the program Healthy People 2010, overweight and obesity are the two movements that are observed to be getting away from the targets. In particular, it has been noted that the proportion of adults and children who are obese has increased substantially, and this represents one of the biggest challenges for Healthy People 2010. This worrisome trend has led to set a goal to promote knowledge about healthy habits and reduce chronic disease associated with diet and weight. The study of the obesity issue from the past does not show a positive picture. It was noted that between 1976 and 1994, the number of cases of obesity alone have increased by more than 50 percent—from 14.5 percent of the adult population to 22.5 percent. Approximately 25 percent of U.S. adult females and 20 percent of U.S. adult males are obese ( Healthy People 2010). Overweight and obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories from food (energy) than he or she expends through physical activity. And looking at the fast paced mechanical life, where most of the work is done on computer and machines, there are no chances of people getting involved in physical activity. We are living in the age where a natural physical activity like walking and running are called as ‘exercises’, when it is actually a mode of mobility for our body. Moreover, the children are getting vulnerable towards obesity as instead of participating in sports and games that involve physical activity, they prefer sitting in front of a screen and play video game. The physical activity performed by children is as good as nothing. The introduction of processed food, sugared carbonated soft drinks and junk food has made matters worse. It has played a major role in causing obesity among children as they are more prone to getting attracted towards the alluring advertisements and instant gratification (Health Wellness). It has also been observed that obesity is particularly common among people from Hispanic, African American, Native American, and Pacific Islander ethnic background. (Health Wellness). All these facts involving the aspects of obesity is making us to take a serious look at not only our eating habits, but also at the lifestyle and the values we hold towards our life. Let us look at what the data of obesity tells us. Studies show that close to 55 percent of the U.S. adult population was defined as overweight or obese in 1988–94. This shows that there is definitely an increase in the population who are considered obese or overweight as this figure was 46 percent in the year 1976–80 (Health Wellness). A similar increase in overweight and obesity also has been observed in children above age 6 years in both, males and females and in all population groups. Between the year 1976 and 1994, there was a 50 percent increase in the number of cases of obesity alone, from 14.5 percent of the adult population to 22.5 percent. Approximately 25 percent of U.S. adult females and 20 percent of U.S. adult males are obese. The biggest challenges for Healthy People 2010 is the fact that proportion of adults and children who are overweight or obese has increased substantially, and this represents one of the. According to the 2001 BRFSS data, out of total population, 35.9% were overweight and 22.9% were obese. The level of obesity in North Carolina is substantially higher than the Healthy People 2010 goal, which is 16.8%. The percentage of overweight adults in North Carolina is slightly higher compared to the nation as a whole. It has been mentioned in Healthy people 2010 that, “the percentage of adults in North Carolina who were overweight or obese increased from 46.4% in 1990 to 58.8% in 2001. During this same time period the percentage who were obese nearly doubled, from 12.9% to 22.9%.” (Buescher 2002 ) Weight management is not as easy as it seems. It not only involves changing jus one or two habits but also requires to change your physical activity , eating habits, behavior pattern and emotional pattern. You are required to change the taste and the food that you consume, which you are used to having for years and years. And this is definitely not an easy job. The target of Healthy People 2010 to change the obesity issue of no more than 15 percent of adults aged 20 years and older having a BMI of 30 or more is quite ambitious. The question is, how can we tackle the issue that cannot be resolved by just popping some pills or just by taking a twenty minutes walk in the morning? What measures can be taken to eliminate the problem of obesity? The picture is not as negative as it seems. Researches have found that of there is a reduction in weight and even if the efforts are taken not to let it increase, it does reduce the chances of getting a disease related to obesity greatly. The programs like introducing the dietary guidelines for Americans in schools, creating awareness regarding eating disorders, healthy weight maintenance programs, changing the food habits of the whole family and keeping children and the adults away from the ‘away from home’ food can help a great deal in tackling the issue of obesity. However, is it really going to help to tackle the health issue of obesity and overweight from its roots? It has to be taken care that just reducing weight is not going to work. There are many chances of people getting back to lifestyle of unhealthy food after enjoying the pleasure of reducing the weight. The study shows that out of the population that lose weight, majority of them go back to their previous lifestyle and gain back the lost weight. To maintain the healthy weight, healthy eating habits should be mixed with healthy physical activity in such a way that it becomes a permanent lifestyle change and not just a fashion trend. And to achieve this, we need to look at the issue with a totally different outlook. Applying a spiritual outlook towards this issue can help a lot and that’s where we can take help of Watson’s Theory of human caring. In short Watson talks about three ways of dealing with people suffering from diseases (Cara ). They are as follows: a) Being authentically involved in the people and develop a belief that the patient and the one who takes care of him are one. b) Developing a relationship where the person assigned to take care of the patient goes beyond the duty and creates a spiritual outlook to understand the deeper reason behind the disease. c) Watson believes that spirituality has an important role to play in treating any disease as its not just the body that causes it but also the soul. So understanding reaching the level of the soul when dealing with patient helps in crating harmony and health in the patient. With these beliefs and understanding, it will become very easy to tackle the issue of obesity and overweight. The roots of overeating lie in the emotional pattern. People who lack love and warmth in their life finds sense of well being in eating ( Chopra 1994). This shows that, if we are to eradicate the health issue of obesity and overeating, we have to develop a spiritual outlook. References Buescher , P., ( December 2002) Running the Numbers: Obesity and Overweight Among The Adults in North Carolina. NCMJ, 63 Cara, C., A Pragmatic View of Jean Watson’s Caring Theory. Retrieved on April 24 , 2009 from http://www.humancaring.org/conted/Pragmatic%20View.doc Chopra, D ( 1994) Perfect Weight: The Complete Mind-Body Programme For Maintaining Your Ideal Weight. Rider London Healthy People 2010 : Nutrition And Overweight, Retrieved on April 24, 2009 From http://www.healthypeople.gov/Document/HTML/Volume2/19Nutrition.htm Health Wellness Trust Fund, Childhood Obesity In North Carolina, North Carolina, Retrieved on April 24, 2009 from http://www.healthwellnc.com/hwtfc/pdffiles/FitFamilies-StudyCommitteeReport05.pdf Read More