Addressing adult obesity in Tulsa County, Oklahoma

Nursing

Risk Factor Intervention

Risk Factor and Population

The risk factor being looked at is that of adult obesity in Tulsa County, Oklahoma.

Scope of the Problem & Contributing Factors

Overweight and obesity are both tags for ranges of weight that are greater than what is normally considered healthy for a given height. The terms also recognize ranges of weight that have been shown to augment the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems. For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using weight and height to compute a number called the body mass index (BMI). BMI is used for most people because it correlates with their amount of body fat.

An adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is measured overweight.

An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is measured obese (Defining Overweight and Obesity, 2010).

Obesity is the health topic of choice these days for the reason that obesity in America is a growing epidemic. Two out of every three adults are either overweight or obese. Additionally, one out of every three children is either overweight or obese. Society is teaching unhealthy habits to children and they will essentially be sicker than they already are. Obesity is very unique problem all in itself. Everyone sees it. Everyone knows it's a problem. But everyone is too scared or too lazy to create or execute a solution that will get rid of it. Being overweight or obese does not just affect just the individual person. It affects everyone because of the financial burden it places on society. According to the CDC, during 2003 medical expenses attributed to people being overweight or obese were almost seventy five billion dollars. That is a large sum of money, and is part of the reason why health care in America is so expensive (Obesity in America, 2009).

With obesity at epidemic levels, steps need to be taken to control this issue. In Tulsa County, Oklahoma observation systems have improved and been extended to get more accurate county-level data. While efforts carry on this front, communities must utilize this information to improve the problem itself. With health care costs being, on average, almost four hundred dollars more for a person under the age of 65 who is obese than a person of the same age who is not obese, estimated health care costs related to obesity for Tulsa County are almost forty one million. These costs only go up when the 65 and over population are included (Working together for help, 2010).

According to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS, 2003 & 2005), 36.8% of Tulsa County adults are overweight while 24.6% are obese. For the State of Oklahoma 36% of people are overweight and 27.5% are obese. For the entire country 34.9% of people are overweight, while 23.7% are obese. Not only in Tulsa County but in the entire State of Oklahoma the percentage of the population overweight and obese is greater than the average across the country (Working together for help, 2010).

There are many contributing factors that lead to this problem. The first factor is the increasing inactivity of the U.S. population is contributing to an increase in numerous poor health-related outcomes. Physical inactivity robs the body of precious energy needed to function properly, in turn health declines, and rates of various chronic diseases escalate. According to the 2003-2008 BRFSS, it is estimated that 26.8% (112,921) of people in Tulsa County had no leisure activity in the past month compared to 29.9% for the entire state and over two-thirds of the adults (66.8%) in Tulsa County did not reach the recommended physical activity level. Also according to this survey 84.3% of Tulsa County adults did not eat the recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day (Working together for help, 2010).

Intervention

Obesity is a serious and rising health epidemic in this country. It is estimated that nearly ninety three million Americans are obese and that number is predicted to climb to one hundred and twenty million within the next five years. There are more than thirty medical conditions that are connected with obesity. Individuals who are obese are at risk of developing one or more of these serious medical conditions. The most prevalent obesity-related diseases include:

High blood pressure

High cholesterol

Diabetes

Heart disease

Stroke

Gallbladder disease

Osteoarthritis

Sleep apnea and respiratory problems

Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon) (All about obesity, 2011).

There are many causes that directly and indirectly contribute to obesity. Behavior, environment and genetics are amid the main contributors to obesity. The Centers for Disease Control has identified these three as the main causes to the complexity of the obesity epidemic.

Behavior - In today's fast-paced atmosphere, it is easy to take on unhealthy behaviors. Behavior, in the case of obesity, relates to food choices, quantity of physical activity you get and the effort to uphold ones health. Americans are consuming more calories on average than in the past. This increase in calories has also reduced the nutrients consumed that are needed for a healthy diet. This behavioral trouble also relates to the augment in portion sizes at home and when dining out. While Americans are consuming more calories, they are not expending them with sufficient physical activity. Physical activity is a significant element in modifying and shaping behaviors. The influence of television, computers and other technologies discourage physical activity and add to the difficulty of obesity in society.

Environment - Environment plays a key role in determining a person's habits and lifestyle. There are a lot of environmental influences that can impact ones health choices. Today's culture has developed a more inactive lifestyle. Walking has been substituted by driving cars, physical activity has been substituted by technology and nutrition has been overcome by convenience foods.

Genetics - Science shows that genetics play a role in obesity. Genes can cause certain disorders which consequence in obesity. Nevertheless, not all individuals who are inclined to obesity become obese. Research is at present underway to determine which genes add most to obesity (All about obesity, 2011).

Since behavior plays such a big role in obesity. Changing those behaviors that may have contributed to developing obesity is one way to treat the disease. A few suggested behavior modifiers include:

altering eating habits increasing physical activity becoming educated about the body and how to nourish it properly engaging in a support group or extra curricular activity setting realistic weight management goals

It is significant to make a solid promise to changing a behavior or lifestyle. Another behavior modification that can be done is increasing or staring a physical activity program is a significant facet in managing obesity. Today's society has developed a very sedentary lifestyle and custom physical activity can really impact ones health (All about obesity, 2011).

Participating in a non-clinical program or commercially operated program is another type of treatment for obesity. Some programs may be commercially run, such as a privately owned weight-loss chain. Counselors, books, Web sites or support groups are all ways that one can be involved in a non-clinical weight-loss program (All about obesity, 2011).

Physician-supervised weight-loss programs offer treatment in a clinical setting with a licensed healthcare professional, such as a medical doctor, nurse, registered dietitian or psychologist. These programs characteristically offer services such as nutrition education, pharmacotherapy, physical activity and behavioral therapy (All about obesity, 2011).

In Oklahoma there is a state-wide effort known as the Oklahoma Physical Activity and Nutrition Program (OKPAN). This is an effort to avert obesity and other chronic diseases by way of healthy eating and increased physical activity. Its task is to reduce the frequency and occurrence of obesity and related chronic diseases through the improvement of organizational capacity and development and implementation of a comprehensive State Plan. This program focuses on five key areas:

Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption

Increasing breastfeeding initiation and length

Physical Activity

Balancing food intake with energy expenditure

Reducing screen-time on television, computer use, and video games (Overweight and Obesity in Oklahoma and the U.S., 2007).

In Tulsa County, Oklahoma there is a current push to increase fruit and vegetable consumption because it is thought to be an economical way to control many health-related issues such as obesity and diabetes (Working together for help, 2010).

Another strategy that can be used is that of education. It is very important for an educational program be put into place so that the information that people need to fight obesity is put out there for everyone. There are many things that contribute to being overweight and many things that can be done to combat it that people simply don't know about. If a major campaign was introduced to educated people there is a possibility that people would become more aware of what causes the problem and to go about fixing it.

One thing that would have to be made sure of would be that this program would have to be presented to all areas and all segments of the population. There are a lot of underprivileged portions of the population that might find this information helpful. Any ideas that can be given specifically to this segment on how to eat better and get more exercise would be very helpful since this segment often finds that they don't have the resources to accomplish these types of things.

Summary and Conclusion

Obesity is an epidemic in this country that needs to be dealt with. The problem of being overweight leads to many health problems for a whole lot of people. There are a couple of main things that can be done to reduce the incidence of obesity. The first is proper eating. People need to make sure that they eat a balanced diet that includes the proper kinds and amounts of food. The next thing is physical activity. Too many people spend too much time sitting around doing nothing instead of up moving around. This sedentary lifestyle is what leads to overeating and great weight gain.

The next step in fighting obesity in this country is to educate. People need to be told what obesity is all about, what causes it and how to go about fighting it. This education especially needs to be done in underprivileged areas around the country because this population is that often finds that they don't have the resources necessary to eat right and exercise. The more people who can be educated the more likely it is that someone will get the information that they need to improve their overall life and health.