Community Health & Population-Focused Nursing Practic

Obesity
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OBESITY
Obesity is a growing problem and one that going to affect a large number of Americans in the years to come. This is relative to the fact that, there is a large number of Americans that are obese. What is more important is the fact that, there is also a large percentage of the children that are obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). This is a population that is likely to develop obesity related health complications in the near future. According to the CDC, in the last two decades the levels of prevalence of the people that are obese have also grown. It is estimated that the number of people that are now obese, stands at 60 million. This is a figure that is representative of more than 30% of adults that are of the age of 20 years and above (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). When it comes to the youths, this is also a problem relative to the fact that, there is an estimated 16% of the children that are of the age 6 to 19 years are overweight. This is quite concerning relative to the fact that, most of these children are likely to be obese right into their adult lives (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). As such, they are likely to be affected by the long-term health concerns associate with being overweight.
Health risks of obesity
There are quite a number of risks associated with being obese, some of them being the heart diseases and stroke (National Institutes of Health, 2017). Where one is overweight they run the risk of having a high blood pressure associated with the high cholesterol. There is also the risk of developing diabetes type 2 which is associated with the high blood sugar (WebMD, 2017). In some of the cases, patients tend to develop cancer especially in the colon, endometrium, kidney, esophagus and the breasts. There have been reports pointing to the link between obesity and developing cancer of the ovaries, gallbladder and even the pancreases. Due to the element of weight, some of the patients may develop osteoarthritis, where the extra weight wears the joints. Given the high levels of uric acid in some of the cases, patients also tend to develop gout. Breathing is also affected in some of the patients, where sleep apnea develops. These are patients that are likely to feel sleepy most of the time and are also exposed to heart and stroke risks (WebMD, 2017).
Who is at risk?
It is important to note that for every other person that is overweight, runs the risk of being obese and ultimately developing the health problems associated with the same. There are three main predisposing factors that have to be considered which include; genetics, environment and the behaviors. These three are the most common elements that bring about obesity, where the persons in question do not take the measure to prevent it (National Institutes of Health, 2017). In reference to the genetics, genes play a significant role in determining if one going to be obese. This is relative to the fact, it is the genes that determine the way the body uses sugar in the diet and more importantly storage (WebMD, 2017). The environment also affects the opportunities for the patients to take part in activities that burn the calories. The beh...