Obesity as a Primary Public Health Concern: Role of Physical Activity, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Obesity is a worldwide health epidemic and creates many challenges for different population groups throughout society. Obesity is a complex health concern across many areas because it impacts children and adults in many important ways and is difficult to manage without sufficient resources and discipline to achieve goals associated with improved nutrition and physical activity. It is important to consider the impact of obesity across many different age groups and to develop new strategies for expanding physical activity in the lives of those who are obese or face the risk of obesity later in life. Obesity also represents a shift in policy development across local communities, states, and the federal government in order to reduce this risk and improve healthier outcomes. The following discussion will address the obesity epidemic in greater detail and will emphasize the importance of health promotion activities and regulations as mandated by states and the federal government to improve the management and prevention of obesity across different population groups.

Body

Many federal, state, and local organizations are responsible for addressing the obesity epidemic at different levels and in developing different initiatives to promote positive outcomes for individuals in different communities and age groups. For example, the federal government has established the Healthy People 2020 initiative, which has established an objective to reduce obesity in children by 10 percent over the levels measured between 2005 and 2008 (Wang et.al, 2012). This framework represents a challenge for many children, particularly those in lower income families and cultures with limited knowledge of obesity and its impact on childhood health (Wang et.al, 2012). The Healthy People 2020 initiative states that “In addition to grave health consequences, overweight and obesity significantly increase medical costs and pose a staggering burden on the U.S. medical care delivery system. Ensuring that all Americans eat a healthful diet, participate in regular physical activity, and achieve and maintain a healthy body weight is critical to improving the health of Americans at every age” (Healthypeople.gov, 2013). In this context, it is important to recognize the value of proper nutrition and a focus on increased physical activity for this population group to reduce the spread of obesity throughout all population groups (Healthypeople.gov, 2013).

Other contributors to the obesity prevention effort include agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, as well as the US Department of Agriculture. In addition, state governments and school districts are common supporters of obesity prevention and represent an opportunity for experts across different fields to develop programs and make recommendations that will expand knowledge regarding obesity and its various health risks to a variety of population groups at the federal, state, and local levels.

Obesity is represented throughout research and in public forums with different analytical models and programs which provide statistical data and other relevant information. In the United States alone, approximately 69 percent of all adults are classified as overweight or obese, and although this epidemic impacts many different cultures and ethnicities, many Hispanics, Whites, and Blacks are considered to be obese, with lower statistical measures in other groups (NIH, 2012). It is recommended that “healthy adults take part in aerobic activity of moderate intensity for at least 150 minutes a week or vigorous intensity for 75 minutes a week.6 Aerobic activity uses large muscles such as the legs and back and makes the heart beat faster. In addition, the guidelines recommend that people do activities that strengthen muscles (such as weight training or push-ups) at least twice a week” (NIH, 2012, p. 4). In addition, one important model that is relevant is the self-report of physical activities and other related tools, which in the past have demonstrated that a very small number of individuals (between three and five percent) have been successful in achieving the recommended levels of physical activity on a daily basis (NIH, 2012). Therefore, lack of physical activity is a serious problem and actively contributes to the ability of individuals to maintain a healthy weight (NIH, 2012). It is important to address these challenges and their role in shaping outcomes for population groups through the expansion of physical activity and related markers for the active expansion of obesity prevention throughout the United States (NIH, 2012).

Obesity rates are also measured by using an economic approach, as many organizations utilize these tools to determine the costs associated with obesity within a given population (Finkelstein et.al, 2008). It is believed that many of the costs that are associated with obesity lie in prevention efforts to reduce the prevalence of this state (Finkelstein et.al, 2008). However, there are significant costs associated with obesity in other forms, such as the costs of healthcare spending associated with the obese condition (Finkelstein et.al, 2008). Furthermore, the article notes that “increases in the proportion of and spending on obese people relative to people of normal weight account for >27% of the rise of inflation-adjusted per capita spending since 1987. Current estimates reveal that total annual medical expenditures would be 9% lower in the absence of overweight and obesity” (Finkelstein et.al, 2008, p. 1843). Under these conditions, it is expected that there will continue to be new challenges associated the costs of managing obesity from a healthcare perspective, and it is recommended that additional frameworks must be sought to improve weight management and reduce the overall costs associated with obesity across many different areas (Finkelstein et.al, 2008).

Wang et.al (2008) also supports the demand for increased attention to obesity to reduce the cost burden of this epidemic. These factors play a significant role in reducing the expenses associated with obesity as a result of chronic illness and other conditions that often occur within this patient population (Wang et.al, 2008). If obesity rates continue at their current levels, it is projected that healthcare costs attributed to obesity will be between 16-18 percent of all healthcare costs by 2030: “the direct health-care costs attributable to obesity and overweight will be more than doubled every decade. By 2030, costs could range from 860.7 to 956.9 billion US dollars, accounting for 1 in every 6 dollars spent on health care (Wang et.al, 2008, p. 2329). This is a disturbing statistic and represents a challenge for the United States and its diverse population. Therefore, health-based initiatives must be considered, but also, it is important to recognize the benefits of policy and programmatic-driven agendas to support new strategies to improve the lives of individuals who are currently obese or who are on the path to obesity (Wang et.al, 2008). In this context, it is imperative that healthcare spending for obesity is lowered by determining how to reduce obesity rates through various lifestyle interventions in order to promote effective health outcomes (Wang et.al, 2008).

With respect to policy, it is important to address the different challenges associated with creating new regulations and policies which govern populations and provide guidance regarding obesity in a formal manner (Finkelstein et.al, 2008). These conditions are challenging because they place a greater emphasis on government intervention and regulation of obesity as a means of reducing the health and cost burdens of this epidemic for cities and communities throughout the United States (Finkelstein et.al, 2008). Therefore, it is necessary to consider how policy frameworks might be modified and/or updated to capture new concepts associated with obesity prevention for many populations (Finkelstein et.al, 2008). Many tools are available which are designed to support the ongoing development of obesity prevention methods through the measurement of current and historical data and statistics, as well as trends across population groups facing this epidemic.

Many different population groups are the targets in developing new strategies to promote obesity prevention and increased physical activity. For example, children and adolescents are continuous target groups in the development of new programmatic efforts to improve obesity prevention strategies (Kropski et.al, 2008). A number of programs based in schools are designed to provide education and guidance to young people to reduce and/or prevent obesity, some of which combine physical activity with nutrition (Kropski et.al, 2008). These efforts demonstrate that schools may have an important impact on the prevention and management of obesity for many children simply by bringing the issue to their attention and promoting awareness of the problems related to obesity over the long term (Kropski et.al, 2008). However, it is also known that education is insufficient as the only means of promoting obesity awareness and that other factors are also essential to this process (Kumanyika et.al, 2002).

In many ways, the obesity epidemic is a widespread social issue that requires comprehensive discussion and a shift in patterns of thought regarding obesity, food consumption, and exercise (Kumanyika et.al, 2002). These efforts are likely to be effective contributors to the ability of organizations to promote obesity as a serious social and health concern that must be managed as effectively as possible to promote a reduction in average weight and overall health improvement (Kumanyika et.al, 2002). These practices are essential to the discovery of new resource-based tools that are designed to promote effective outcomes for individuals who are already obese or who face a future risk of obesity and do not possess the knowledge that is required to improve their condition on their own (Kumanyika et.al, 2002).

Conclusion

The development of a successful approach to managing obesity requires a unique and expanded effort to educate children and adults regarding obesity, as well as specific tools that support obesity prevention throughout the United States. It is important for federal agencies, state and local governments, and other organizations to address the challenges of obesity and its impact on society in different ways. This is accomplished through the development of new approaches to obesity management that recognize the detrimental impact of this condition not only on health, but also on healthcare spending. These efforts demonstrate the effective capacity to produce new ideas and concepts as provided by field experts to combat the obesity epidemic as best as possible. These efforts are also instrumental because they will reduce the health and cost burden of obesity across many different population groups.

With the prevalence of obesity in children and adults, it is necessary to approach this epidemic through various educational programs and other interventions that encourage creativity and knowledge in different forms to offer potential solutions to this serious problem. Obesity is perhaps the most relevant public health concern besides cancer and continues to be a significant challenge to healthcare providers, policy makers, and other leaders. It is imperative that these individuals work together to develop strategies for improved education and knowledge regarding obesity and its long-term impact on individuals. These efforts will support the development of new ideas and opportunities to advance this serious public health issue and prevent its continued growth in the future. Regular physical activity is a key component of obesity prevention and should be considered on a widespread basis for its value to improved physical health and wellbeing, in addition to weight loss and other factors that support obesity prevention for adults and children in many different groups.

References

Finkelstein, E.A., Trogdon, J.G., Brown, D.S., Allaire, B.T., Dellea, P.S., and Kamal-Bahl, S.J. (2008). The lifetime medical cost burden of overweight and obesity: implications for obesity prevention. Obesity, 16(8), 1943-1848.

Healthypeople.gov (2013). Nutrition, physical activity, and obesity. Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/LHI/nutrition.aspx

Kropski, J.A., Keckley, P.H., and Jensen, G.L. (2008). School-based obesity prevention programs: an evidence-based review. Obesity, 16(5), 1009-1018.

Kumanyika, S., Jeffery, R.W., Morabia, A., Ritenbaugh, C., and Antipatis, V.J. (2002). Obesity prevention: the case for action. International Journal of Obesity, 26, 425-436.

National Institutes of Health (2012). Overweight and obesity statistics. Retrieved from http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/PDFs/stat904z.pdf

Wang, Y., Beydoun, M.A., Liang, L., Caballero, B., and Kumanyika, S.K. (2008). Will all Americans become overweight or obese? Estimating the progression and cost of the US obesity epidemic. Obesity, 16(10), 2323-2330.

Wang, Y.C., Orleans, C.T., and Gortmaker, S.L. (2012). Reaching the healthy people goals for reducing childhood obesity: closing the energy gap. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 42(5), 437-444.