Community in Health Epidemiology - Case Study Example

Community in Health Epidemiology Student Name Institution Date. Introduction Among the health problems that are affecting the Australian population today are overweight and obesity. Obesity and overweight are common health problems in Australia with statistics showing an increase in the two conditions in the recent years. According to the Greater Geelong Community Health Assessment Report (2014), obesity and overweight are caused by the increased deposition of fats in the skin, causing individuals to have increased weight, thus increasing their chances of having some chronic diseases. Population health monitoring applies different approaches in determining obesity and overweight in a population. However, the most common method used is the Body Mass Index (BMI) test, which provides the ratio of an individual’s body weight to the height, thus offering useful information in determining the unhealthy weight of a population. The critique of BMI, however, is that it does not provide a distinction between the muscles and body fat and thus is not perfectly efficient in determining the health of a population. The occurrence and distribution of obesity among the Australian population, however, is varied with the condition occurring both in children as well as in the adults. The two conditions occur differently in the socioeconomic groups, with the prevalence of obesity being higher in the low income populations and overweight being closely associated with the higher socioeconomic classes. The condition are also prevalent among the Aboriginal people and the people born overseas (Rossen, 2012). Discussion Obesity and overweight are caused by many factors such as the genetic makeup of individuals and their behavioural patterns such as the dietary patterns and physical inactivity. Among the Greater Geelong community, however, overweight and obesity are caused largely by the socioeconomic status of the population. For instance, overweight and obese populations are often found in the suburbs, far away from the Geelong centre. According to the study conducted by the Greater Geelong Community Health Assessment Report, the adults were found to weigh slightly more than the state averages. The study also recorded a 2.2 percent increase in obesity and overweight among the adults in Greater Geelong city between 2008 and 2012. Another survey for 2011 and 2012 revealed that the percentage of obese adult individuals within the city was 56% with the urgent need of the population to reduce their unhealthy weights. The report requires that the overweight levels between the adult individuals in Greater Geelong city should be reduced. Further assessment of the Greater Geelong suburbs also have shocking revelations on the obesity and overweight level within the city. A comparison between the levels of overweight and obesity between the Greater Geelong and Victorian cities reveals that the Greater Geelong population has unhealthy patterns of eating thus higher levels of obesity and overweight. For instance, the percentage of overweight and obese adult individuals in Greater Geelong city in 2008 was 53.8% compared to 48.5% in Victoria in the same year. The 2011-2012 data reveals that Geelong city had more obese individuals at 56 percent compared to 49.8 percent in Victoria (Greater Geelong Community health Assessment Report, 2014). The number of overweight females in Geelong city was also higher than in Victoria, with Geelong recording 31.4% against 24.3% in Victoria City in 2008. The number of obese females was also higher in Greater Geelong at 22% with Victoria City having only 17.2 % of obese females between 2011 and 2012. Also, a combination of both obese and overweight individuals revealed that the number of females, both overweight and obese were higher in Geelong than in Victoria. The number of both obese and overweight females was also found to decrease slightly from 48.5% in 2008 to 48.4% in 2012. Among the health problems associated with obesity and overweight is cardiovascular disease. Individuals with obesity have increased body weight, hence increased chances of heart diseases. The fats accumulate in the coronary arteries, which carry oxygenated blood to the heart. The proper functioning of the heart is reduced and eventually. The ultimate result is the inability of the heart to pump blood to all parts of the body, thus causing heart failure. Another health problem that results from obesity and overweight is gallstones or the gall bladder disease. The disease is characterized by hard balls, made of cholesterol, that form in the gall bladder. Obese individuals with the gall bladder disease have stomach and back pains. They also have bigger gall bladders that function poorly. Also, overweight and obesity cause type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is caused by the high concentration of blood glucose. Food is converted to glucose in the body, and the hormone insulin activates conversion of glucose to energy form called adenosine triphosphate. In the type 2 diabetes, enough insulin is not produced by the body, causing increased glucose levels in the blood. Diabetes type 2 caused by overweight and obesity is commonly found in the people with a body mass index greater than thirty. The deposition and accumulation of fats around the abdomen increases an individual’s risk of having diabetes type 2, with increased chances of coronary as well as hypertension. According to research, the accumulation of fats in the body interferes with the proper functioning of the cardiovascular diseases and some cancers. Patients are therefore, advised to exercise regularly to reduce their body weights thus reducing the chances of getting diabetes type 2 (Alliance for Obesity Prevention, 2012). High blood pressure is another impact of obesity on the general health of an individual. An increase in the fat deposition within the blood vessels causes an increase in the oxygenated blood required by the fat deposit. This increases the heart’s work of pumping the blood thus increasing the blood pressure. Overweight and obese individuals often suffer from hypertension and increased heartbeat rates. The reduction of the capacity of the heart to supply blood to all parts of the body can eventually cause heart failure and death. Obesity can also result in stroke. The accumulation of fats in the arteries and veins over time result in the formation of plaques within those blood vessels. Occasionally, these plaques rapture, thus causing the clotting of blood. Blood clots near the, brain for instance, reduce the supply of blood to the brain. The lack of efficient blood flow to the brain causes strokes that can eventually cause the death of an individual. Obesity and overweight are also associated with certain types of cancers such as, colon, breast, endometrial and gall bladder cancers. Overweight and obesity can also cause socioeconomic constrains on an individual and the community at large (Sassi, 2010). Among the economic impacts that result from these is the treatment costs of the condition. Medical services such as diagnosis, and treatment require a lot of monetary input. Other indirect costs that can be incurred include death and morbidity costs. In addition, the diseases associated with overweight and obesity can cause a lot of unproductivity since an individual is always between home and hospital thus lowering the national gross income. There are various factors that determine the health of any given population. Among them is the socioeconomic status of the population. Increased economic status leads to good health. Affluent people have choice over the types of food that they eat as compared to the less fortunate, who settle for cheap and unhealthy foods. Improved living standards reduce chances of overweight and obesity as people are able to take control over the kinds of food that they eat. This class of people are also able to afford physical exercises which their poor counterparts cannot afford. As a result, their chances of being obese are reduced. Another important factor that determines the health of individuals and population at large is education. Education has a positive influence on the eating and exercising habits of a population and, therefore, reduces chances of developing obesity and being overweight. An educated community values the need for healthy eating and exercising as part of physical development thus chances of overweight and obesity are slim (Kleiser, 2009). In an uneducated population, however, people are not concerned about the health effects of the types of food they eat and physical exercise is not given priority. The result is unhealthy eating and increased chances of overweight and obesity. Another determinant of health as far as overweight and obesity are concerned is the genetic makeup of an individual. Overweight and obesity are not purely as a result of the dietary behaviour of an individual (James, 1996). Mutation is one of the causes of obesity, where there occurs a variation in the gene encoding for a particular trait, resulting in abnormalities in the genetic composition of the individual. Overweight and obesity caused by a single gene is called monogenetic obesity, while that caused by various interacting factors is called multifactorial obesity. The behavioural patterns of an individual also influence obesity. Good behavioural patterns include the dietary habits of an individual. Healthy habits require that an individual exercises regularly and also eats well balanced diet while also drinking a lot of water. Preventing weight gain requires an energy balance between the intake from foods and the amount of energy utilized by the body. To prevent overweight and obesity, the intake of fats and a lot of sugary foods should also be avoided. One of the public health programs that can be considered in tackling overweight and obesity for the Greater Geelong community is the investment in early childhood development. The prevention of overweight and obesity from childhood help in reducing these conditions among the population. There is a clear link between childhood weight gain and adult obesity and thus investing in the children at an early age can help in reducing the chances of obesity and hence increase the life span and productivity of the individuals. One of the important frameworks for investing in the development of an infant is parenting. Parents have great influence on their children in terms of being role models as well as the types of foods they provide to their children (Odom et al., 2012). The parenting style that is practised by any one couple affects how the child perceives life and health too. Working with parents to establish a healthy start for their kids at an early age, therefore, can help in ensuring that obesity is prevented right from childhood. It is a guarantee that showing children the right foods and healthy lifestyles will impact on their future health conditions. Another way through which investing in early childhood development can help in preventing obesity for the Greater Geelong community is through encouraging play among the children at a tender age. This inculcates the need for physical exercise in the children and helps them in burning the excess calories. In essence, an active child is less likely to develop obesity and overweight than an inactive child. Play also has other added advantages for the children because it helps in boosting their moods and thus their overall wellbeing (O’ Dea and Eriksen, 2010). Investing in the development of children at an early age also includes practising better nutrition around the home. Mothers are encouraged to breastfeed their children exclusively for six months without giving the children any solid food. To reduce the chances of weight gain among the children, the consumption of high energy foods should be reduced and the consumption of energy drinks should be replaced by drinking clean water. It is important to note that investing in an infant starts after conception. The nature of a pregnancy, for instance can expose an infant to diabetes at the early or even later stages of their lives. The lack of a proper uterine environment can make a child to develop metabolic risks including obesity which can cause hypertension and heart diseases in the child later on. Women suffering from diabetes mellitus during pregnancy risk having children with obesity. However, this can be taken care of through the screening and prevention of diabetes during pregnancy (Shallenberger, 2006). Conclusions From the above discussion, the development of a healthy individual depends on the interaction of various factors. Of importance however is the dietary mechanisms of the people as well as individual urge to reduce the unhealthy weights. The Greater Geelong community should be educated on the importance of good health and programs provided for them that contribute in the development of healthy habits as well as engagement in physical exercise. Provision of education among adults can also contribute to healthy living among the people of Greater Geelong community and thus better national development. In conclusion, overweight and obesity are easily controllable through physical exercise and proper dietary practises. The reduction in the number of obese individuals in Greater Geelong as well as in any other country is an initiative of individuals and the community as a whole. Through the recommendations discussed above, obesity and overweight can be reduced, thus the development of a healthy and productive society. References Alliances for Obesity Prevention: Finding Common Ground, Parker, L., Institute of Medicine (U.S.), & National Academies Press (U.S.). (2012). Alliances for Obesity Prevention: Finding Common Ground: workshop summary. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press. Barnett, A. H., & Kumar, S. (2009). Obesity and diabetes. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Codario, R. A. (2011). Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome. Totowa, N.J: Humana Press. Edelstein, S. (2011). Nutrition in public health: A handbook for developing programs and services. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Freedman, J. (2009). 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