The Issue of Obesity - Essay Example

Tackling Childhood Obesity Identified Health Issue and objectives Obesity is a pertinent issue that is on the rise. Obesityhappens when there is excessive adipose tissue in relation to the body mass. On average, 20% of people in Racine County are obese. In the US, statistics reveal that 24% of the people are obese. Obesity is significant when it occurs in childhood. Obesity among Racine area in children is on the rise (WDHS, 2008). Statewide trends also reveal a similar pattern. Obesity occurs where there is energy imbalance in the body. The imbalance is due to limited physical activity and poor diet. Obesity increases the likelihood of other adverse complications. In addition to poor diet and physical inactivity, genetic factors have been attributed to the rising cases of obesity. Consuming healthier foods and a healthy amount of calories are imperative when it comes to the maintenance of proper health. The above coupled with increased physical activity have been shown to be remedies of this scourge. Obesity can be termed as a complex measure that is impacted by different pathways: metabolic processes, genetics, built environment, education, socioeconomic status and behavioral choices. There are different weight distributions and body fat percentages among different ethnic group (Hensrud, 2004). Obesity can be diagnosed through several means. This includes the use of DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry). Body Mass Index is frequently employed. It is defined as the weight in Kg per height in m2. A BMI of over 30 Kg/m2 is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In children, obesity diagnosis is based on BMI percentiles with reference to historical normal charts, such as, growths charts by CDC. In these situations, obesity is diagnosed when the BMI is greater than or equal to 95th percentile. Severe obesity is diagnosed when the BMI exceeds the 97th percentile (Hensrud, 2004). The objective of the program seeks to addresses the issue of childhood Obesity in a multifaceted manner. In this context, childhood obesity comprises those below 20 years of age. The objective seeks to modify the risk factors that are attributed to the development of obesity. Another objective is mitigating the effects of those that are already obese. The community should be alerted on how to prevent and deal with obesity. Patients and parents should be enlightened on the prevention tactics and management strategy for obesity. The aim of the program will be to see a decline in childhood obesity and related complications; in addition to the reduction in the economic burden of the disease. Agencies tackling Obesity: Federal, State and Local. Prevention of obesity is a cross-cutting matter. This task cannot be tasked on any one federal department. Therefore, prevention and management of obesity is a health concern which is central to the mission of U.S. department of Agriculture; DHHS and the department of education. The department of agriculture deals with nutrition education, nutrition and other food-related issues (CDC, 2009). The department of education is tasked with dissipating knowledge about the disease and redesigning school curriculum so as to promote increased physical activity. Other federal departments are also tasked with the management of this issue. These include the housing and transportation departments. Due to the importance of obesity prevention, there is a need for coordination by the highest federal levels, starting from the President. At the state level, various agencies are a key in ensuring that obesity policies and programs are developed and implemented. The most important state departments include education, health and transportation. State governments are tasked with development of programs that address the consequences of obesity. They also influence health policy and spending, in addition to offering funding to the community. Public health agencies of the government are critical components of the response to childhood obesity. The local and state public health agencies are essentially the first line of the public health. These local and state agencies are well positioned in assessing obesity among children (CDC, 2009). Methods for Analysis and Determining Obesity More information is required with regards to the correlates and causes of childhood obesity. There is also much to learn in terms of the apt way to prevent obesity. Community based research and experimental, behavioral research are significant in learning more of physical activity behaviors and changes in diet. The evaluation and analysis of existing obesity prevention approaches is also critical (Rosenberger, 2005). A multidisciplinary research is needed for proper analysis of data, which will yield informative choices. Information should be collected from the fields of food sciences, agriculture, nutritional science, public health, urban planning, health care and the physiology. Collaborative research efforts, innovative interventions design and rigorous evaluation should be applied, so as to gather the needed data. The problem should be evaluated in terms of correlates of sedentary behavior, physical activity, obesity and dietary intake patterns. An evaluation framework is resourceful when it comes to the subject matter. In this, the first thing is to engage the stakeholders. The stakeholders include those involved in program evaluation, those affected or served by the programs and the primary users of the evaluation program. The next step is describing the program, followed by focusing the evaluation design. This is followed by gathering credible evidence and justifying conclusions (Foege & Hogan, 2006). There are several secondary data sources. Hospital records are imperative when it comes to such. Another source of secondary data is vital statistics. Disease registries and managed care data are also resourceful when it comes to the collection of data with regards to Obesity and related complications. The data collected can be used to generate useful information. More experimental research that studies purposeful manipulations of behavioral, biological, policy and environmental factors is required. This includes randomized trials. Tightly controlled laboratory studies, natural experiments of policy, environmental changes and quasi-experimental trials should be carried out. These evaluations should attempt to seek out a causal inference and lead to the translation of the results into programs or policies. The Target Population that the Objective Addresses The objective targets children with or at risk of obesity. Among children and those less than 20 years of age, the NHANES noted that the prevalence of obesity was approximately 9.5% for those between 0-2 years of age. It was 9.0% for girls and 10.0% for boys of this age. The prevalence of obesity in those between 2 to 19 years of age was approximately 17% overall. It was 15.9% for girls and 17.8% for boys (CDC, 2009). The prevalence of obesity has been shown to triple among school children and adolescent since the year 1980. However, no significant change has been observed in the last decade. By race, the prevalence of obesity is increased in Hispanics: 20.9% for 2-19 year old and 12.5% for 0-2 year old. They are then followed by non-Hispanics Blacks: 20.0% for 2-19 year old and 10.3% for 0-2 year old. They are then followed by non-Hispanics white: 15.3% for 2-19 year old and 8.7% for 0-2 year old (WDHS, 2008). In Racine County, it is predicted that one in four high school student are obese. The obese youth and children are likely to suffer asthma, orthopedic problems and sleep apnea. Greater than a half of obese children have a risk factor for cardiovascular ailments. Of those who are obese at 3-4 years, 20-42% are likely to be obese as adults (WDHS, 2008). Epidemiologic Surveillance and Monitoring Systems The surveillance systems that exist cut across the national, state and regional level. They serve to monitor obesity and related problems and serve to contribute information on the prevalence of the problem. An example of such surveillance systems is the CDC’s Risk Behavior Surveillance system. This surveys various obesity related factors. These include nutrition and physical activity in those between 12 and 19 years of age. Another example of a national survey is the SHPPS (School Health Policies and Programs Survey). This has been conducted in school districts, classrooms and various schools to target childhood obesity. It examines policies for food services, school health services in additional to physical education (Foege & Hogan, 2006). Another player in surveillance of obesity is the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Study). It conducts health examinations and home interviews of representative samples of households in the US. It gathers a wealth of information that is relevant to efforts to prevent obesity. It measures factors such as physical activity, dietary intake, body mass index, cardiovascular fitness, body composition and biochemical indicators such as serum glucose and blood pressure (Foege & Hogan, 2006). Another epidemiologic surveillance system is the collaboration between the NHANES and Continuous Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) (Foege & Hogan, 2006). The system has led to generation of information pertaining to health and dietary intake data in a more accurate effort. Despite this epidemiologic surveillance system, more information is required on physical activity, weight status, nutrition and risk factors in terms of environmental, social and behavioral correlates. More information is also required on medical and economic consequences of obesity. Epidemiologic tools Prevention tools can be employed so as to tackle this issue. These can go a long way in providing care for those who are at risk for overweight. A toolkit can be developed to provide the basics tools needed for the primary care. This is so as to prevent overweight and elevate children’s level of care. Some of the prevention tools that exist seek to address the issue include nutrition survey and physical activity. Brochures given to parents may be resourceful in demonstrating the means of prevention. Other resourceful tools to use are those that pertain to assessment and diagnosis. A Body Mass Index Chart is imperative for boys between 2-20 years of age. The chart can be employed for the individual patient so as to track the BMI percentiles. It also includes the formula required to calculate BMI, as well as a plotting area. The counterpart of this is the Body Mass Index chart for girls between 2-20 years. The principle behind the two assessment tools is the same. Charts showing the Blood pressure levels in the 90th and 95th percentiles are also resourceful for boys and girls between the ages of 1-17 years. These charts determine diastolic and systolic blood pressures using a height percentile from a predetermined standard curve. Other important tools needed in addressing the problem include management and treatment tools. This are designed for use by the clinicians. There should be an obesity patient registry. This will assist in the better management of those with overweight or at risk. It will also assist in the generation of data that can be applied in future programs. Coding fact sheet is also another tool that can be employed. This will provide a guide for health care services relevant to obesity. Coding and reimbursement for those with abnormal weight gain in primary care can also be instituted. There are other important tools which pertain to patient education. They include charts showing serving portion by age; in terms of vegetables, grains, dairy, protein and fruits. A drink comparison handout is also resourceful. This shows the sugar contained in various drinks. Family friendly recipes, activity tips and nutrition tips are also paramount. Reference List Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overweight and obesity: Causes and Consequences. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web Site. December 17, 2009. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/obesity/causes/index.html. Foege, W., & Hogan R. (2006). Surveillance Projects for Selected Diseases. International Journal of Epidemiology. 5(1), 29–37. Hensrud, D. (2004). Diet and obesity. Journal of Gastroenterology, 20, 119-124. Obesity, Nutrition and Physical Activity in Racine County. Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WDHS), 2008. Rosenberger, R., Sneh, Y., Phipps, T., & Gurvitch, R. (2005). A spatial analysis of linkages between health care expenditures, physical inactivity, obesity and recreation supply. Journal of Leisure Research, 37 (2), 216-235. Read More