Obesity and Overweight - Research Paper Example

Obesity and overweight Task A: Assessment of Los Angeles County Los Angeles County covers an area of 4751 square milesand it has 70 miles of coastal area along the Pacific Ocean. It is a county within the state of California and it has a population of 9, 818, 605 and it is considered as the most populated county in the United States of America. The population is based on the 2010 U.S census. The seat of the county is located in Los Angeles which is the largest city in California and the second largest city in the United States of America. The county is considered as one of the ethnical diverse counties in the United States of America. A high population of Asian Americans lives in the county. Most of the immigrants from the Asian countries live in the county. A large population of the Latino community is also present in the county (Ennis, et al, 2011). The per capita income in the county is $ 27, 954. The county is has a well developed infrastructure and the transportation is available through road, rail, air and sea. The beach and museums in the county provides important social sites for the people. However, the crime rate in the region is also high and the county is also a home to 10% of the illegal immigrants. Health concerns Overweight and obesity is one of the major health problems in the world today. According to the data from the WHO, the number of people who are overweight or obese has doubled. 43 million children under the age of 5 are obese while it is estimated that around 1.4 adults are obese. Obesity and overweight is considered as one of the major public health problems as it is contributing to the death of 3.4 million adults every year (Sarkissyan, et al, 2011). Obesity is however preventable if the right measures are put in place. In Los Angeles County, obesity and overweight is also considered as a major public health problem. It is estimated that about 55% of the adults in Los Angeles are either overweight or obsess (Robles, et al, 2014). These figures are quite alarming and it has raised a lot of health concern. It is also important to note that the number of high school students with obesity is on the increase in Los Angeles. About 21% of the children in Los Angeles are overweight with 19% also facing the risk of becoming overweight (Sardinha, et al, 2011). The department of health services in Los Angeles is concerned about overweight and obesity as it has the potential of affecting the county. Population of interest Obesity and overweight affects both men and women in the society and the percentage is much higher among men as compared to the women in Los Angeles. Both the adults and children are usually affected by obesity. The research is therefore interest on the adults who are between the ages of 18 years and above and also the children below the age of 18 years. This is considering that obesity and overweight can occur at any age. About 22% of the adult men do not have access to healthcare services in Los Angeles County as compared to 17% of adult women (Cui, 2014). Health inequality is also an important area of concern and it is linked to overweight and obesity. Los Angeles county is considered as one of the counties with the highest level of health inequality. 40% of the Latinas cannot access healthcare services which make it difficult for them to access information about obesity and overweight. About 31% of the African American community cannot access health care. About 78% of the white people in los Angeles county can access medical services. In conclusion, low levels of access to healthcare services and the health inequality therefore contributes to the overweight and obesity. Community resources The community resources that are available are aimed at ensuring that the people are able to deal with obesity and overweight. Websites where people can seek help is available. Obesity and weight control centers are also in place for the purposes of providing the community members with the information regarding diet and nutrition. On the other hand hand a project named VERB has been launched at the community and it is aimed at promoting the physical activities for the purposes of reducing obesity and overweight (Singh, et al, 2011). It is also important to note that the awareness campaigns have been launched in order to sensitize the members of the public about obesity and overweight. The community resources are important in determining the ability of the community to deal with obesity and overweight. Task B: Diagnosis Overweight and obesity is the aspect of health that is being focused in the research. Overweight and obesity involves the abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that has negative impacts on the health of the individuals. Body mass index is usually used for the purposes of defining obesity. This is usually the division between the weight and height of the individuals. According to WHO, the body mass index equals to 25 or greater is usually considered as overweight (Johnston, 2011). A body mass index of 30 and above is usually considered as obesity. The aspects will be useful during the research in identifying the rate of obesity. The increased intake of energy dense food is considered as one of the main causes of obesity. Physical inactivity is also on the increase among most of the individuals while their intake of the energy dense food is high. This has greatly contributed to the problem of obesity and overweight. Overweight and obesity is responsible for cardiovascular diseases while was the leading cause of death in 2012 (US Cancer Statistics Working Group, 2013). Obesity and overweight is also associated with diabetes and musculoskeletal disorders. Some of the cancers are also linked to overweight and obesity and hence its negative health effects. Obesity and overweight affects the people in the society as it lowers the life expectancy of the people. Task C: Outcome identifications To identify the measures that can be put in place to prevent overweight and obesity among the people. To identify the community resources that may be put in place to promote improvements among the members of the society. To identify the nursing interventions that is required for the purposes of improving the quality of health people in Los Angeles. To identify the interventions that can be made by the community in partnership with the stakeholders in order to promote the health of the individuals. Task D: Planning Recommended nursing action The nursing interventions using the Minnesota intervention wheel can play an important role in improving the health of the people. Advocacy is one of the nursing interventions that can be useful in terms of improving on the health of the people in Los Angeles County. It is important for the nurses to act as role models and create awareness among the community members. Collaborating with the community members is also an important step that should be taken by the nurses. Through collaboration, they can provide counseling services in order to prevent overweight and obesity. Case management as well as the surveillance can be carried out by the nurses to improve on overweight and obesity among the individuals in the society. Working with the community Working with the community members is an intervention that will be useful in ensuring that overweight and obesity is controlled. Providing information to the community members about the dangers and cause of obesity is an important intervention that will be useful for the community members to deal with the problem. On the other hand, the community members will be encouraged to undertake exercises on a regular basis so as to prevent obesity. The adults will be encouraged to exercise for 150 minutes per week and the children will be encouraged to exercise for 60 minutes daily. On the other hand, the community members will also be provided with adequate information diet issues as part of the sensitization process. Public private partnership Public private partnership can play an essential role in dealing with the overweight and obesity (Wang, et al, 2011). The public can provide the material resources that are required for the purposes of controlling overweight and obesity. This is by building the community centers where the members of the community can obtain information or any other help that is required for controlling overweight and obesity. The community on their part can provide land for building the centers and volunteers who will provide the community members with the information on how to prevent, control and manage obesity. The community leaders can also mobilize the community members to visit the centers in order to obtain information on the management and prevention of obesity. The public can also provide expertise in the field of nutrition to assist the community members to the management process. Overall objectives of implementing the activities To reduce the number of people with obesity in Los Angeles County. To equip the people with knowledge and skills of how to prevent overweight and obesity. To promote healthy eating and activities among the people in Los Angeles. To reduce the number of deaths that is related to obesity in Los Angeles County. To create awareness among the community members on the dangers of being overweight and obese. To promote public health among the community members in Los Angeles county. Timeline for the expected outcomes Timeline Activity Personnel involved Week 1 Creation of awareness among the community members in Los Angeles county on the dangers and prevention of overweight and obesity. Working with other nurses and nutritionists. Week 2 Contacting the community leaders and mobilizing the community members to support the initiatives. Nurses , nutritionists and community leaders. Week 3 Development of the private public partnership with the community members. Nurses, nutritionists, community leaders and locals authorities. Week 4 Setting up the community centers and training of the volunteers. Community leaders, community members, nurses, nutritionists and local authorities. Week 5 Operating the community centers with the help of the community members. Nurses, nutritionists, community volunteers and the local authority. Week 6 Monitoring and evaluation Nurses and nutritionists. Task E: Evaluation The evaluation process plays an essential role in ensuring that the program is able to meet its required objectives (Wang, et al, 2011). The number of people visiting the centers and taking up the measures to prevent being overweight and obese will be used as a tool to determined the success of the project. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the reduction in the number of people becoming overweight or obese in the county will be an indi8cation of success for the p0rogram. However, the any increase in the number of obese or overweight people will be an indication of failure of the project. The project will also be a failure incase no changes will be registered in the number of overweight and obese people in the county. Records from the hospitals will also be collected to determine the death rates of the people in relation to overweight and obesity. A reduction in the number of people dying from obesity or overweight will be an indication of success for the project. It is also important to note that the user of statistics as a tool for the evaluation process produces a higher degree of accuracy. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that overweight and obesity is a huge public health problem in the world and also in Los Angeles County. The number of people with overweight and obesity is on the increase in Los Angeles and the situation needs to be prevented. It is evident that the nursing interventions will play an essential role in preventing obesity and overweight. Promoting health diet as well as exercises will plays an essential role in ensuring that obesity and overweight incidences are prevented. It is also evident that the community has a bigger role to play in the prevention process. The public private partnership will be of importance during the process. The evaluation process using the statistical data will play an essential role in ensuring that the success of the project. References Cui, Y. (2014). Disparities in Access to Care among Latino Subpopulations in Los Angeles County, California. In 142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15-November 19, 2014). APHA. Ennis, S. R. et al. (2011). The hispanic population: 2010. US Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, US Census Bureau. Johnston, L. (2011). Obesity and overweight. South African Pharmacists Assistant, 12(2), 21-23. Robles, B. et al. (2014). Overweight and obesity among low-income women in rural West Virginia and urban Los Angeles County. Preventive medicine. Sardinha, L. et al. (2011). Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Portuguese youth: A study in a representative sample of 10–18‐year‐old children and adolescents. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 6(2Part2), e124-e128. Sarkissyan, M. et al. (2011). Obesity is associated with breast cancer in African‐American women but not Hispanic women in South Los Angeles. Cancer, 117(16), 3814-3823. Singh, G. et al. (2011). Dramatic increases in obesity and overweight prevalence and body mass index among ethnic-immigrant and social class groups in the United States, 1976–2008. Journal of community health, 36(1), 94-110. US Cancer Statistics Working Group. (2013). United States cancer statistics: 1999–2006 incidence and mortality web-based report. Atlanta, GA. Wang, Y. et al. (2011). Health and economic burden of the projected obesity trends in the USA and the UK. The Lancet, 378(9793), 815-825. Appendix Health status of the community in Los Angeles L.A. County Percent Estimated # Obese* 19% 1,195,000 Overweight. 35% Gender Male 20% 618,000 Female 19% 577,000 Age Group Number 18-24 11% 91000 25-29 18% 116000 30-39 20% 268000 40-49 23% 278000 50-59 22% 195000 60-64 32% 97000 65 or over 16% 149000 Ethnic obesity profile Ethnic group Percentage obesity (%) Latinas 32 Whites 18 Blacks 31 Asians 9 Ethnic overweight profile Ethnic group Percentage overweight (%) Latinas 72 Whites 52 Blacks 70 Asians 42 Read More