Obesity and Socioeconomic Factors - Essay Example

OBESITY Obesity and socioeconomic factors Introduction Obesity is a condition that involves the accumulation of body fats to extreme conditions that may cause body harm or health issues to the affected person (Kopelman, 2009). Obesity reduces the average life expectancy of a person. Obesity occurs when the body mass index of a person exceeds 30kg per meter square the person is said to be in the bracket of obese people. Under the condition, a person is prone to catching many more diseases especially diseases that affect the heart (Kopelman, 2009). The causes of obesity vary with the main causes being intake of excessive food energy and lacking any physical activities (Kopelman, 2009). Obesity has continually remained one of the most dangerous health issues of the current world. In many studies conducted by different researchers across different platforms of the world, obesity is distributed along a socioeconomic gradient (Kopelman, 2009). The paper initiates to discuss a hypothetical situation of a patient starting from his life in the lower middle class to his current status. Discussions The patient’s life (Mr. John) in a broader perspective indicates that the levels of obese people will be directly affected by the nation’s economic development. The levels of obesity in the nation are affected by socioeconomic status. The patient is a low income earner and as such, people in his level of income are more prone to obese than those on higher incomes. One of the attributes to the patient’s condition is the intake of high calorie foods. The patient admits to not participating in any physical activities (Pool, 2001). Even so, the patient’s income is low according to the living standards of the nation. He is not able to cater for his household expenses fully hence, buying appropriate diets is a luxurious thing for him and his family. The patient is living under poverty conditions that are associated with high levels of malnutrition and dangerously low weight. Even in developed countries where food is sought to be plenty, economic factors dictate that poor people like the John are more prone to contracting obesity than the rich. The quality of food that John enjoys is poor, but the quantity may vary. In most cases, John and the family take in large quantities of foods they are able to afford. Analysis of the food indicates that the foods are only high-calorie foods that facilitate rapid body growth (Pool, 2001). John is from a Mexican race by origin. Statistics and research indicate that income is not the only factor that affects contraction of obesity. Researchers affirm that the Mexicans and the African Americans are more affected by obesity when the income is low and when the income starts to rise. John’s income was raised to a substantial amount and instead of him reducing the level of obese; he has continuously increased (Wells, 2009). Race categorizes population under similar biological traits such as genes, skin color and other characteristics. Ethnicity categorizes people using factors associated with cultural characteristics with examples of shared language, ancestry and religious traditions among other factors. The two, ethnicity and race, are categorizes as socioeconomic stimulus. Ethnicity and race are factors that contribute to inequalities when it comes to health issues. The rates of obesity are higher in the Mexican race as compared to other races. The main attributed causes are genetics, physiology, culture, and the environment among other factors. The factors mentioned have an influence on a particular group’s life through the daily life activities and physical activities. Understanding the connection between the factors is an important step towards changing the condition of John. John is not that educated. Research indicates that less educated people are more prone to obesity because lower education in many cases translates to poor income. John may be suffering from his condition because of low education levels. He only graduated from high school and did not advance to institutions of higher learning (Levy-Nayarro, 2008). The socioeconomic factors affecting John are prone to influence his ability to access the necessary health care. One of the challenges is in terms of finances to pay for the medical bills. He is not able to cater fully for his daily living expenses hence paying for his access to health facilities and utilities is a great challenge. Health inequalities are brought up by the inequalities in the community. The birth conditions are also a big contributor to the inequalities brought to the health accessibility. There are also other conditions such as growing factors, living factors and age. The social gradient in health does not offer John a chance to access the health facilities (Levy-Nayarro, 2008). He belongs to the lower people in the society and as such, the health facilities are only for critical conditions. The effect of such a situation is deterioration of health of individuals. In order for John to engage in self-care practices he needs to be facilitated with knowledge of the danger obesity brings to a person’s health. Self-care practices include diet modification, physical exercise, understanding the nature of obesity, treatment process and prognosis. John should be more involved in trying to diagnose his condition especially through physical activities. He needs to be acquainted with information that if he continues eating more calories than his body system can burn, it will make him add more weight. When obesity catches a person, it influences many factors in the body of that person. For example, it modifies the genetic systems of a person, environmental, and behavioral factors are also affected. It also creates effects to the cultural ways of a person (Levy-Nayarro, 2008). John can control the effects of obesity through regular exercise. On the food sector, John needs to start using fruits. He should make sure that every meal is not done unless there are some fruits. Fruits are lower in calories when compared to cooked food especially carbohydrates. Vegetables are also very healthy. In fact, fruits and vegetables are important because they will help the body accumulate vitamins. They also help the body to attain minerals and fiber, which are important components in maintaining health levels at a high rate. In maintaining high health levels, john should be aware that the quantity of food consumed does not matter but the quality matters (Levy-Nayarro, 2008). Part two The healthcare professional training is geared towards facilitating professionals in gaining useful knowledge on how to deal with patients who are diagnosed with diabetes. The toolbox of the educational training contains relevant skills to counsel patients on how to prevent themselves from further effects of obesity and obesity prevention (Kolata, 2008). They help the patients understand the issues that touch on obesity life cycle and lifestyle change. Most of the professionals are clinicians. They are equipped with knowledge of the best eating habits and best skills in advocating for obesity prevention (Kolata, 2008). The health professionals create a list of healthy practices that will enable people to avoid being caught by the condition. The clinicians have superiors who are supervisors and pediatrics. They assist the clinicians in their duty to reducing obesity levels on people. Their peers are generally colleagues and subordinate staff. The reason for maintaining such peers is because they understand each other better than other members of other professions (Keller, 2008). Conclusion Obesity lowers the life expectancy of a person. When the average body mass index of a person exceeds 30kg per meter square, the person is said to be in the bracket of obese people. Under the condition, a person is prone to catching many more diseases specifically diseases that affect the heart. The healthcare professional training is geared towards facilitating professionals in gaining useful knowledge on how to deal with patients who are diagnosed with diabetes. The toolbox of the educational training contains relevant skills to counsel patients on how to prevent themselves from further effects of obesity and obesity prevention. References Keller, K. (2008). Encyclopedia of Obesity. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications, Inc. . Kolata, G. (2007). Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss – and the Myths and Realities of Dieting. Picador. Kopelman, P. (2009). Clinical obesity in Adults and Children (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons Kolata, G. (2008). Rethinking thin: The new science of weight loss – and the myths and realities of dieting. Picador. p. 122. Levy-Navarro, E. (2008). The Culture of Obesity in Early and Late Modernity. Palgrave Macmillan. . Pool, R, (2001). Fat: Fighting the Obesity Epidemic. Oxford, UK:  Oxford University Press.  Wells, J. C. (2009). Thrift: A guide to thrifty genes, thrifty phenotypes and thrifty norms. International Journal of Obesity 33 (12): 1331–1338. Read More