Reducing and preventing obesity (through proper exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle changes) - Research Paper Example

? Reducing and Preventing Obesity Jevy Callipare ENG135 Michael Sollars June 8, Reducing and Preventing Obesity Introduction Obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States that affects two-thirds of the adult population (American Obesity, n.d.). Not only is it physically unappealing, but the health risks involved with obesity should be everyone’s concern. Obesity has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes, and increased morbidity (Flegal, Carroll, Ogden and Curtin, 2010). The statistics on obesity over the past few decades have been staggering. Obesity is preventable through proper nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle changes. Obesity is classified as a chronic illness of extreme relevance that appropriate government agencies have included it as one of its priorities under the national agenda of Health People 2020. Categorized under ‘Nutrition and Weight Status’, the program’s goal was to “promote health and reduce chronic disease risk through the consumption of healthful diets and achievement and maintenance of healthy body weights” (Healthy People 2020, n.d., par. 1). Defining obesity necessitates understanding the important element of using the body mass index as the framework for computation. The body mass index “determines whether a person’s weight is appropriate for height by dividing the weight in kilograms by the height in meters squared” (Delaune and Ladner, 2006, 345). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially provided separate definitions of obesity for adults and for children and teens, to wit: “An adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese” (CDC: Definition for Adults, 2010, par. 2). Likewise, the exact definition of the term for children and teens is more complicated as it requires stipulating the following factors in the calculation: birth date, gender, height and weight. The BMI Percentile Calculator for Child and Teen (and of Adults) is provided in the official website of the CDC. The current research would proffer relevant issues pertaining to obesity initially defining the scope and nature of the problem, determining factors that have been found to be contributory to obesity, presenting the consequences, prior to delving into the suggested interventions to address the dilemma through proper nutrition, exercise and lifestyle changes. Scope and Nature of the Problem The World Health Organization (WHO) has acknowledged obesity as a global problem. According to its official website, “once considered a problem only in high income countries, overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings” (WHO, 2011, par. 1). Data and statistics provided by CDC indicate that despite the goals identified under the Healthy People 2010 program to reduce the proportion of adults and children who are obese (CDC: Healthy People 2010, n.d.), the recent report revealed that “in 2009, no state met the Healthy People 2010 obesity target of 10%, and the self-reported overall prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults had increased 1.1 percentage points from 2007” (CDC: Vital Signs, 2010, 1). The alarming outcome and the continuing increasing trend have proven the need for intensive efforts to focus on interventions that would create a positive impact on preventing and reducing obesity. The WHO (2011) published relevant facts pertinent to global statistics on obesity and overweight, as cited below: “1.5 billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight. Of these 1.5 billion overweight adults, over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese. Overall, more than one in ten of the world’s adult population was obese” (par. 7) Despite the disturbing figures and statistics, WHO indicated that obesity can be prevented. Aside from identifying changes in factors contributory to obesity, lead agencies, social work and health care practitioners have specifically detailed behavioral, environmental, lifestyle change and multi-component interventions could assist in addressing this issue. Factors Contributory to Obesity In a rational decision making approach, one of the steps require the determination of the root causes for the defined problem. For obesity, three major contributory factors were identified: behavioral, environmental and genetic factors (CDC: Causes, 2011). The Caloric Balance Equation presented by the CDC (2011) effectively sums the incidence and occurrence of obesity, as cited below: The Caloric Balance Equation Overweight and obesity result from an energy imbalance. This involves eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activity. Body weight is the result of genes, metabolism, behavior, environment, culture, and socioeconomic status. Behavior and environment play a large role causing people to be overweight and obese. These are the greatest areas for prevention and treatment actions. Adapted from U.S. Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, 2001 (Source: CDC: Causes and Consequences, 2011). After identifying the root causes, targeting one or a combination of these factors would assist in designing the appropriate interventions to reduce and ultimately prevent obesity and overweight. Consequences of Obesity The study conducted by Flegal, et al., clearly revealed that “obesity is a risk factor for a variety of chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, stroke, heart disease, certain cancers, and arthritis. Higher grades of obesity are associated with excess mortality, primarily from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers” (Flegal et al: Comment, 2008, par. 8). Aside from these health hazards, obesity was noted to create adverse economic impact to the U.S. in terms of shouldering direct and indirect costs related to addressing obesity and overweight issues. The CDC (2011) enumerated the direct and indirect costs, to wit: “direct medical costs may include preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services related to obesity. Indirect costs relate to morbidity and mortality costs. Morbidity costs are defined as the value of income lost from decreased productivity, restricted activity, absenteeism, and bed days. Mortality costs are the value of future income lost by premature death” (CDC: Economic Consequences, 2010, par. 1). Thereby, federal and local agencies acknowledge the need to immediately address issues that aim to reduce and prevent obesity among diversely identified populations to reduce both direct and indirect costs and to immediately minimize the onset of repercussive consequences relating to the health status of the American public. Suggested Interventions The CDC (2011) has identified state based programs that focus on nutrition and in increasing physical activity to address overweight and obesity. Further, the National Obesity Observatory (NOO) (2009) has suggested treating childhood obesity through lifestyle change interventions. Although the NOO centered on addressing childhood obesity, the suggested intervention requiring lifestyle changes could still be implemented and taught to adults afflicted with overweight and obesity issues. 1. Proper nutrition State based nutrition programs are designed to clearly enhance the awareness of the American population on healthful diets. The Healthy People 2020 acknowledged the need to “emphasize that efforts to change diet and weight should address individual behaviors, as well as the policies and environments that support these behaviors in settings such as schools, worksites, health care organizations, and communities” (par. 2). The program explicitly expounded on a healthy diet through the following strategies: “Consume a variety of nutrient-dense foods within and across the food groups, especially whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat or fat-free milk or milk products, and lean meats and other protein sources. Limit the intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, sodium (salt), and alcohol. Limit caloric intake to meet caloric needs” (USDHHS and USDA, 2005; cited in Healthy People, 2010, par. 4). By reducing the overall caloric intake, individuals with overweight problems would be working towards achieving the caloric balance equation, above mentioned. According to Enig and Fallon (n.d.), “politically correct nutrition is based on the assumption that we should reduce our intake of fats, particularly saturated fats from animal sources. Fats from animal sources also contain cholesterol, presented as the twin villain of the civilized diet” (par. 2). This finding supports the need to reduce saturated fat intake in one’s regular diet. By making better food choices through switching to reduced-fat, nonfat, and healthy fat and by eating more fruits and vegetables, individuals with weight problems would be redirected towards enhancing awareness on the amount and composition of food that are more beneficial to the body. The New Dietary Guidelines released by the USDA as published by the Harvard School of Public Health (2011) provided more recommendations for proper nutrition: (1) eat more food from plants; (2) eat more fish; (3) examining protein packages; and (4) replacing bad fats with healthy fats (pars. 9 – 12). It helps to keep oneself updated on dietary guidelines that are revised depending on new findings of food and nutrition issues that significantly affect weight issues and the overall health condition of every individual. 2. Exercise The BMJ Evidence Center (2011) indicated that “technological advances have led to a decrease of physical activity” (1). This statement was supported by Burke (2011) who averred that due to the technological gadgets of contemporary times: television, computer, and other electronic gadgets, “the new lifestyle that has taken over our children's lives leaves little time for them to exercise, go out and remain otherwise active and it is far removed from the lifestyle our parents enjoyed many years ago. Along with the sedentary life that our children have become accustomed to, technology and childhood obesity have become closely intertwined and our concern for our health has also taken a backseat as the life in front of the boob-tube continues to take up all of our children's time at the expense of their health” (par. 2). The fact is that not only children are affected by decreased exercises and physical activities. Adults who are affected by the lure of technological advancement are likewise guilty of spending more times sitting in front of television sets or personal computers and neglected the lure of outdoor activities. The CDC’s strategies to increase physical activity are encompassed in the VERB campaign, “encouraged tweens to be physically active every day” (CDC, 2010, par. 4). Physical activity requires engaging in cardiovascular exercises that assist in “delivering oxygen and glucose to the tissues that need it most” (Effects of Exercise, par. 5). Exercise and physical activities strengthen efforts to reduce obesity when implemented in conjunction to diet; as the effect of weight reduction is more eminent. According to Horton and Hill (1998), “exercise alone is of limited use as a primary treatment for obesity” (88). In fact, the NOO (2009) emphasized the following recommendations: (1) using multicomponent interventions; meaning diet plus physical activity; (2) programs must actively involve parents, carers and peer support; (3) interventions must be designed and tailored to the target population, specifically considering sex, age, socio-economic status and ethnicity; (4) programs should have strong theoretical frameworks and logic models; and (5) emphasis must be on encouraging a healthy lifestyle, rather than treating obesity (NOO, 2009, 3 – 4). 3. Lifestyle changes As the NOO acknowledged the need for lifestyle changes, the following interventions are proposed to reduce obesity and overweight: (1) cooking at home and discover healthy alternatives versus dining out; (2) taking initiatives to be more active by thinking of ordinary daily activities that enhance physical fitness, such as taking the stairs instead of elevators, parking one’s vehicles farther to encourage walking longer distances; and being more involved physically with family instead of spending time in front of television. The Healthy People 2020 clearly stipulated under community interventions the need to implement behavioral interventions through restrictions in screen time of technological gadgets. As indicated, “behavioral interventions to reduce screen time (time spent watching TV, videotapes, or DVDs; playing video or computer games; and surfing the internet) can be single-component or multicomponent and often focus on changing screen time through classes aimed at improving children’s or parents’ knowledge, attitudes, or skills” (The Community Guide, 2011, par. 1). Lifestyle changes, as the term implies, takes more effort and determination to implement from other interventions to reduce or prevent obesity. However, as slow as it might need to enforce transformations, the benefits that would be realized are more permanent and long term in nature. The Mayo Clinic (2010) emphasized that “the foundation of every successful weight-loss program remains a healthy, calorie-controlled diet combined with exercise. For successful, long-term weight loss, you must make permanent changes in your lifestyle and health habits” (par. 1). In addition to these proposed lifestyle interventions, the NOO provided additional guidelines that consider the following relevant concerns: (1) programs must be regularly evaluated; (2) they should align with government thrusts and recommendations for daily physical activities for children; (3) they should be fun and easy to do and (4) innovative approaches should be examined as long as these are within the defined theoretical framework (NOO, 2009, 4 – 5). People with weight problems could make lifestyle changes through enhancing awareness on the health hazards of obesity and through stressing that it only takes commitment, determination, and a clearly identified and achievable goal. With the assistance of multicomponent interventions (proper nutrition, regular physical activity and lifestyle change), the road to reducing overweight and preventing obesity is highly achievable. Conclusion The current research achieved its objective of presenting relevant issues pertaining to obesity through defining the scope and nature of the problem, determining the factors that have been found to be contributory to obesity, presenting the health and economic consequences, and discussing suggested interventions to address the dilemma through proper nutrition, exercise and lifestyle changes. Obesity is a chronic metabolic disorder, if left untreated, could lead to several diseases that can be prevented. The health risks associated with this disease should be more than enough to motivate an individual to lose his/her extra adipose fat. It is possible to prevent and reverse the affects of obesity by raising awareness and develop effective solutions not only for individuals, but more importantly as participative and collaborative members of this nation. References American Obesity Treatment Association. (n.d.). Projected Prevalence of Obesity. 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Retrieved 19 June 2011. < http://www.health-report.co.uk/saturated_fats_health_benefits.htm> Flegal, K.M., Carroll, M.D., Ogden, C.L. and Curtin, L.R. (2010). “Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, 1999-2008.” Journal of American Medical Association. 303(3):235-241. Harvard School of Public Health. (2011). New U.S. Dietary Guidelines: Progress, Not Perfection. Retrieved 17 June 2011. < http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/dietary-guidelines- 2010/index.html> Healthy People 2020. (n.d.). Nutrition and Weight Status. Retrieved 13 June 2011. Horton, T.J. and Hill, J.O. (1998). “Exercise and obesity.” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Volume 57, Pages 85 – 91. Mayo Clinic. (2010). Weight loss: 6 strategies for success. Retrieved 18 June 2011. < http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/HQ01625> The Community Guide. (2011). Obesity Prevention and Control: Behavioral Interventions to Reduce Screen Time. Retrieved 17 June 2011. < http://www.thecommunityguide.org/obesity/behavioral.html> US Department of Health and Human Services and US Department of Agriculture (USDA). (2005). Dietary guidelines for Americans, 6th ed. Washington: US Government Printing Office. World Health Organization (WHO). (2011). Obesity and Overweight. Retrieved 14 June 2011, from < http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/index.html> Read More