Obesity Among African American - Essay Example

"Obesity Among African American" is a worthy example of a paper on metabolic problems.
Ms Jones is a 28-year old African American female who is obese. She visited the clinic for a complete physical examination following the injury of her right foot.

History of Present Illness

Ms Jones sustained a foot injury two weeks ago when going down the back steps and tripped. She kind of turned her ankle and scraped the bottom of her foot on the edge of cement steps. The pain affects the musculoskeletal system and can be rated at 5 or six on a scale of 1 to 10 after taking painkillers. However, without the pain medication, the pain is at 9 on a 10-point scale. The pain worsens when walking, and is slightly relieved by taking painkillers. She is the only one available to provide the information. However, she seems reliable because she answers the questions without hesitation. The patient is alert, pleasant and well-oriented. Her chief complaint was that her foot hurt though she had also visited the clinic for her physical examination.

Family History

Tina has a family history of diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure. Tina's father and grandfather have diabetes mellitus. The patient’s sibling also has asthma. Tina's grandparents and parents have a history of hypertension.

Current medication

Tramadol 50 mg.

Albuterol inhaler.

Tylenol (1-2x acetaminophen 500mg)

Allergies

Tina is allergic to cats and penicillin. She has no reported food allergy.

Health history

Tina has had asthma since she was a little girl at 2 and ½ years. She also suffers from diabetes mellitus. However, she reports that she has never had any surgery. She has had a Pap smear test a few years ago and does self-breast examination in the bathroom while taking a shower. Her immunizations are up to date.

Social History

Tina has never been married nor does she have any children. She is also sexually inactive. She has worked as a supervisor at Mid-American Copy & Ship since high school. Tina does not exercise. She claims that she is pretty exhausted by the end of the day to go to the gym. However, she asserts that involves her being on her feet most of the time. She takes a normal diet and claims "I'm not a health nut." She takes alcohol when she goes out with her friends on a weekly basis. Tina does not smoke.

Physical Exam

The head to toe physical exam of Ms Tina Jones is normal except her head examination, which reveals frequent headaches especially when studying and the inability to read beyond 30 feet. However, her headaches are relieved by taking analgesics such as 1-2x acetaminophen 500mg. From her vital signs, her height and weight reveal that she is obese. Her blood pressure is also elevated. Her weight, family history and blood pressure increase her risk of hypertension. She also has slight edema on her right foot. The musculoskeletal examination findings are normal except for her right ankle, which has been impaired by the fall.

Patient education

Tina denies exercising or taking any dietary precautions to ensure that she eats healthy meals. She also takes alcohol on a regular basis during her weekly outings with her friends. All these habits are dangerous to her health. The nurse cautioned Tina on her lifestyle and encouraged her to cut down her alcohol consumption, eat a healthy diet and have regular exercise to keep her weight in check (Pederson, 2013).