Obesity Heart Disease Diabetes and Disaster Management

Mobilize

Obesity and high blood pressure pose major health problems for children and adults. Turner County, GA has a growing population of children that could face increased health risks due to unhealthy lifestyles. The Johnson family has a 9 years old son named William who is and 4'10" and 150 lbs. At a BMI of 31.2 he is considered obese and requires an intervention to help him avoid obesity into adulthood. Prediabetes can happen during childhood and adolescence and may occur for William if he does not change his diet along with his family. Both of his parents, Eloise and Michael suffer from high blood pressure or otherwise known as hypertension. They must increase daily exercise and improve their diet in order to prevent heart disease and kidney problems, a symptom often associated with hypertension.

Assess

Overall the Johnson family does no exercise nor participate in outdoor activities. Their vitamin D intake is low because of limited sun exposure and lack of supplementation. Their vegetable and fruit intake are low resulting in low fiber intake. They consume high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat due to their high meat diet. They also consume cheese that is overly processed and their son William eats cookies and chips as snacks increasing his carbohydrate intake to a level that could put him at risk for prediabetes. Because he plays video games as his only form of recreation, William is also depressed and experiencing bouts of social anxiety. The additional stress may elevate cortisol levels and create an internal environment for further weight gain.

Plan

Since there are town meetings in the county as well as an abundance of recreational areas and parks the Johnson family can attend town meetings to help William meet other children in the county, go to various recreational areas with his family and do some exercise together. Going outside, getting sun and interacting with the children in the county will not only give William much needed daily exercise, but will also help the Johnson family bond and attempt to reach their health goals together. People often perform better in terms of adhering to diet and exercise when they see someone else close to them doing it as well. Family togetherness also helps reduce stress and cortisol levels and improves their overall emotional health.

Implement

The Johnson family has to take it upon themselves to start eating healthy. Since Eloise is the one who prepares the meals for the family, she has to buy and prepare healthy meals taking into consideration her husband and son's tastes. By offering the same meals but with less fat and salt, she can keep her family content and healthy. Michael needs to take his family out more and take them to parks where they can ride bikes and walk together. Both parents must help William make new friends in the county through the town meetings. That way he has someone to play with and talk to, helping him with his social anxiety and giving him a chance to bond and make friends.

Track

Tracking progress could come from weekly progress reports like weigh-ins, calorie and activity trackers. The purpose is to see and understand how much they eat, what activities they do and how much sleep they get. The tracking device called 'Fit Bit' can help them and provide information on sleeping, walking, among other things. They can set daily or even weekly goals and see how they match these goals along with any other kind of potential objectives they wish to accomplish like playing outside, hanging out at the park or making new friends.

Disaster Management Plan

There are several disasters that can befall the Johnson family. For example, the high obesity rates in Turner, County lend to a host of potential health problems. These are:

1. Heart Disease

1. Prediabetes

2. Diabetes

3. Kidney Problems

4. Stroke

5. Heart Attack

6. Depression

Strategies for handling diabetes for example would involve glucose management via a high fiber, low sodium diet abundant in plant foods. Fruits and vegetables are integral in managing chronic diseases like diabetes as these foods not only aid in weight loss, but also provide nutrition to the human body. If William continues to gain more weight and maintain his current eating habits, he could be on his way to prediabetes and then type 2 diabetes. Weight loss is the first main objective of handling type 2 diabetes. "Weight loss is recommended for overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes. Intensive lifestyle intervention produced clinically meaningful improvements in hemoglobin A1c, especially over the first year of the intervention, that were at least partly sustained throughout follow-up" (The Look AHEAD Research Group, 2013, p. 145-154).

Along with weight loss William must also manage his diabetes should he ever develop it with daily exercise of a minimum of 30 minutes. He can run around the block or run to a park and get his exercise that way or play sports in school. A minimum of 30 minutes of cardio each day can provide adequate improvement in William's overall health. Combining diet and exercise together on a consistent basis will improve William's type 2 diabetes and alleviate any potential symptoms. Type 2 diabetes as with type 1 can increase the risk for heart disease, stroke, and neuropathy in those afflicted. Diabetic neuropathy cannot be cured and can lead to other serious conditions that may require amputation.

Strategies for handling heart disease also involve lifestyle changes. Michael and Eloise both have hypertension. They need to change their lifestyles and eating habits to avoid high blood pressure leading to heart disease. A healthy lifestyle involves exercise and eating healthy. "A healthy lifestyle was defined as not smoking, performing at least 150 minutes/week of walking, bicycling, and other exercise, adherence to a Mediterranean diet, and maintaining a body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2" (Fleg, 2016, p. 1). By changing their diets even if they develop heart disease, they can in the very least manage their symptoms more effectively, especially should they have any kidney problems. Hypertension can also lead to kidney problems due to damage to the blood vessels.