Obesity as a Public Problem - Coursework Example

Public Problem - Obesity Introduction Obesity is a public problem that needs to be addressed and we should take care of the rise in the physical weight of our family members. Obesity is a physical disorder which occurs due to the storage of fat in large quantity in the body of the patient. Since 1970s the issue of obesity have been discussed on a large scale as there was a tremendous increase in the rate of obesity and in the diseases linked with obesity. Also the rate of obesity in children is on the rise and has become a serious problem for people. Rate of Obesity in Adults Approximately 68 per cent of grownups are having obesity and in America only 75 million grownups are obese, according to National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2007-2008. Rate of Obesity in Children The rate of obesity is on the rise in children as well. The rate of obesity among the children between the ages of 2 to 5 years has more than doubled in the last 30 years, while the rate of obesity among the children between the ages of 6 to 11 years has tripled in the last 30 years and the rate of obesity in youngsters between the ages of 12 to 19 years has increased to more than triple in the last 30 years. Furthermore, according to statistics I child in every 6 children is obese and almost 17 per cent of American children between the ages of 2 to 19 years have obesity. Why Obesity needs to be addressed? Obesity does not only cause the increase in the weight and makes one lazy but it is also gives rise to many other health problems which remain connected with the obese person for the lifetime. The person having obesity has greater chances of having diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, some kind of cancers, gout, arthritis, coronary thrombosis and gall bladder, liver disorders and certain long lasting illnesses. It has been shown by research that a child who has obese becomes overweight and takes obesity in his adulthood. In the United States only among adults of age 20 and older 13 per cent have diabetes and among these 13 per cent 40 per cent have not been diagnosed earlier with obesity, the statistics have been showed by 2005-2006 NHANES survey. 95 per cent of all diabetics have type 2 diabetes and almost all of the undiagnosed patients having diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes does not have any symptoms and the increased risks of having type 2 diabetes and heart diseases which majorly include heart attacks or strokes are caused by pre-diabetes. Causes and alternatives of Obesity Obesity is usually caused as a result of eating more food as compared to the physiological requirement of the body. People who do not take part in the activities of life actively, prefers sedentary routine and are habitual of taking in food more than required by their daily life style are prone to become obese. People do not succeed in adjusting their desire of eating food according to their requirement gain weight and as a result become obese. The possibility of occurrence of obese is equal in both sexes i.e. male and female and can arise at any age. Normally women become obese after their pregnancy or in menopause. During pregnancy women usually gains a lot of weight which they fail to shed after the birth of their new born. This extra fat stored in their body makes them obese. The problem of obesity is a serious public issue and should be dealt seriously as this excessive storage of fat is the cause of having stress not only on heart but also on kidneys and liver as well. This extra weight caused by the excessive storage of fats puts strain on the joints like knees, ankles and hips that causes shortening of duration of life. Though recently much have been done to increase the awareness about obesity and the dangers it causes to the human life but a lot is still left to be done. Isolated, bored, unloved, hopeless, sad, unsatisfied and displeased with their family members, financial dissatisfied are the people who become involved in the habit of over eating because they find pleasure and comfort in eating. Another cause of obesity is the problem in pituitary or thyroid glands. But this reason of problems in pituitary or thyroid glands has been reported as a minor cause causing obesity. But these patients who have become obese due to this problem start gaining weight due to low metabolic rate. The small or normal food intake is not metabolised and causes storage of fats, in these people. The only logical way of treating obesity is an appropriate strategy of nutritional management along with a proper exercise plan or schedule with an addition of other procedures of removing accumulation of extra fat. Important thing that should be taken care of for the removal of obesity is the selection of food. Best food plan for obese patients would be the food that would have least calorie count but would be concentrated with nutrients, On the other hand the food that obese people should not take includes those that have high calorie count and is rich in fats as for example cheese, butter, ice-creams, chocolates, sweets, chips, potatoes, fried foods, fats, cakes, cookies, candies, bread, cereal products, legumes, syrup, honey, sugar and rich puddings, liquid refreshments such as alcoholic drinks etc. Besides having dietetic treatment obese patients should also try to reduce weight by other natural ways. The weight can be reduced by having regular exercise plan that best suits the obese patient. To start with walking is usually recommended by the health practitioners as it is the best and safest form of exercise for the people having obesity. Later on the obese people can continue their exercise plan with other forms of exercise like swimming, running, jogging, climbing stairs and several other open air games. Along with removing tension, the exercise uses the stored fats in the body and shapes up the body figure. Also patient having obesity should also take other measures with minimizes body weight such as those methods or procedures that make one perspire extensively like taking steam bath, sauna bath and heavy massage. Along with taking these measures people having obesity should also try to be happy, calm and satisfied. They should try to avoid any and every negative emotion like boredom, sadness, dissatisfaction, feeling of distress. Their efforts should be to have optimistic behaviour on the road to life. Experts also recommend different yogic asanas. These yogic asanas are very advantageous for obese patients. Besides reducing the level of accumulated fat in the body and making the obese person slim these yogic asanas help in strengthening the unfit parts of the body. Halasana, shalabhasana, bhujangasana, dhanurasana, ardhmatsyendrasana, naukasana, paschimottasana, yogamudra, trikonasana and vajrasana are different kinds of yogic asanas that are suggested by the experts. Glands are the parts where these yogic asanas work. Weak areas of the body are made stronger by these yogic asanas. Furthermore, these yogic asanas also increases the blood circulation in the body and encourages deep breathing which in turn gradually burns off surplus fat stored in the body of the obese patient. Suggested strategy for obesity prevention In order to prevent people from becoming obese, the following measures should be taken. 1. Healthier food and soft drinks should be made easily available at public places. 2. Healthier food and soft drinks should be made inexpensive for the citizens at public places. 3. Supermarkets should be made available in every part of the country especially in underserved places. 4. Food stores should be given incentive to develop shops and provide citizens with healthy food options in underserved places. 5. The way of buying healthy food items from farmhouses should be improved. 6. The food which is unhealthy or is less healthy should not be made available at the public places. 7. The food and soft drinks which are less healthy should be less advertised. 8. The soft drinks which are sweetened by the help of sugar should be discouraged to buy. 9. Mothers should be encouraged to breast feed the new-borns. 10. Children in schools should be given physical education. 11. The physical activities of children in the schools should be increased. 12. Children should be provided with several opportunities for having physical activities. 13. The time for watching television must be reduced. 14. The open-air entertaining facilities should be improved and made accessible to all of the citizens. 15. Bicycling should be encouraged nation-wide. 16. Walking should be encouraged nation-wide. 17. Children should be sent to the schools near their homes so that they can walk to their schools. 18. The places where people are physically active should have high safety measures. 19. The places where people are physically active should have traffic safety measures. 20. People should be encouraged to participate in associations which work for the removal of obesity from the society. Part 2 Briefly reiterate the problem but the alternative discussion focuses on a preferred position that reflects the normative dimension of the policy debate – what government should do ideologically, morally, ethically, and so forth. As obesity is not only the cause of being overweight but it also gives rise to many other diseases many of which are fatal like different types of cancers, joint pain, heart strokes etc so it should be dealt seriously. With the increase in the rate of obese patients nationwide as well as worldwide, the public problem of obesity nowadays has become a major issue. Besides changing lifestyle, eating habits and developing exercise plan, there is an enormous need for the government to take necessary steps for eradicating this public problem from the society. For this purpose, there are several researches published in various journals which could be made beneficial for the policy makers in eradicating obesity from the society. Some points are discussed below: Taxes on food items Many researches have discussed in detail the effect of price on buying of food items and also have compared the prices of healthy (e.g. fruits) and less healthy food items (e.g. burgers and junk food). These studies have showed that the consumption of less healthy food items is larger ass compared to healthy food items due to the fact that less healthy food options are cheaper than their counterparts (Barlow & Dietz, pp. 223). This outcome has made many experts to come up with the idea that the religiously government should increase the cost of less-healthy food items with the help of “sin” tax. Such “sin” taxes are already imposed on the items such as alcohol and cigarettes. Educational Programs for Public Along with the policy change, another factor that would greatly affect the decrease in consumption of less-healthy food items and consequently less obese patients is the educational initiatives. It is the ethical duty of the government to make the citizens realise the effects of the food they are eating. When people are made abreast of the disadvantages of less-healthy food items, they would automatically refrain from buying and eating them. But if they are left uninformed about its negative effects then obviously they will not mind spending a few more pennies and remove their hunger with the food items that are heavily advertised and are made attractive. Compulsory physical activity The physical activity directly influences the health of a person. The increase in physical activity reduced fats in the body and hence restrains one from becoming obese while the decrease in physical activity deposits fats in one’s body making him more vulnerable to obesity. To remove or reduce inactivity government should take steps to give children physical education and make them more active. Works Cited Barlow, S. E. & Dietz, W. H. Obesity evaluation and treatment: Expert committee recommendations. Pediatrics vol. 102 (1998) pp. 222–228. Read More