A chronic disease is described as a disease that is persistent. Any disease that persists for the very long time is often called as the chronic disease. It is a human health condition, which is long-lasting in its effects, according to the health care environment. The chronic disease cannot be treated permanently but can only be controlled in most of the circumstances. There is no any permanent treatment of chronic disease, and the only alternative to this is the prevention and control of the disease. Due to lack of knowledge about the health problem at the starting phase, the populations worldwide are affected due to chronic disease. According to Centers for Disease Control, one out of three Americans is obese. It has been a serious problem in the USA where chronic disease is the major cause of death and disability. The rate at which the obesity is increasing is very fast, and it has become a headache for the government.
This paper is mainly focused on a chronic disease like 'Obesity' in the USA so that to find out the actual conditions and health care policies of the state. Moreover, this paper has taken a step to describe about widespread obesity problem and its impact on the system of health care in general and the U.S. population in particular. Further, this paper focuses on the strategies and difficulties and methods on how to prevent the health risks associated with the obesity. The paper takes a step-by-step approach to dealing with these topics.
Health care professionals are concerned about the obesity problem from the long period of time. With the increasing number of professionals and the competition, the life of the people in America is becoming very busy. As a result of this, people are highly dependent on the fast foods. The consumption of fast food among the Americans is increasing at a very high speed. They are well aware of the negative impacts of fast food consumption on being overweight and obesity in adults. The obesity problems of adults and childhood obesity have become a chronic disease in the USA and from past three decades, obesity has grabbed a special attention of most of the people as a critical problem. So in this matter, the government has made several policies related to disease/problem of obesity.
As the initial step to obesity, for the first time in the year 2001, the federal government formulated a health care policy known as “Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults” to address obesity. In general, the health care policy provides some guideline based on extensive reviews of the scientific literature to control the obesity. Moreover, this guideline provides the safe and effective principles to lose weight and maintain the obesity. In this guideline, additionally, it is stated that obese patients should do regular exercise, which can reduce weight and maintain the body structure whereas motivation from health care practitioners works as a plus point. All the guidelines provided by the policy focuses completely on therapies for losing weight of individuals. In order to maintain the obesity problem, the important factor is dietary changes and exercise. Apart from that, they should also follow pharmacotherapy and surgery as stated by the guideline.
Secondly, in 2010, the U.S government as the health care policy regarding obesity conducted the Federal menu-labeling legislation. It was a part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This act played a vital role to motivate a large number of people and change their diet and exercise habit, which concentrated on proactive social marketing approaches. Additionally, as federal governments are still developing the population health, government compared the individual behavior with the change in environment to connect them together. Under this policy, the government believed that walking and riding a bicycle can reduce obesity, so they also ensured safe route by walking or bicycle travel.
Both the policies were effective in its own way to reduce the obesity problem and considered good. But, in U.S, the “Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults” wasn't as effective as the Federal menu-labeling legislation as the part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act because the latter one provided the continuous motivation to the people to adopt healthy life.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has identified recognized the obesity officially as a chronic disease. We have many statistical data, which indicates the increase in obesity problem in recent days. To evaluate the effect of obesity, the Department of Health and Nutrition in the USA conducted the statistical analysis. The research showed a critical data, which was a comparison of the rate of obesity in children and youth between the year 1963-1965 and 2007-2008 (Bromfield, 2009). The obesity rate had drastically increased as per the data, from 5.0% the obesity in children ages between 2 to 5 had increased to 10.4% whereas from 6.5% the obesity in children from ages 6 to 11 had increased to 19.6%. Moreover, the obesity in adolescents ages 12 to 19 has also increased from 5.0% to as high as 18.1%, according to the statistical analysis. So, we can conclude that this chronic disease called “obesity” affects all age group population in the USA.
Additionally, the research data of the Department of Health and Nutrition stated that the rise in obesity could also be differentiated on the basis of gender and race. The data showed that the obesity in non-Hispanic Caucasian males has been increased from 11.6% to 16.7% whereas it is seen that the obesity increased from 8.9% to 14.5% in the non-Hispanic Caucasian females. Similarly, the increment in non-Hispanic African-American males is from 10.7% to 19.8% whereas increment in non-Hispanic African American females can be seen as 16.3% to 29.2%. The obesity rate has increased from 14.1% to 26.8% among Mexican American males whereas it was observed that Mexican American females obesity increased from 3.4% to 17.4% (Yin, 2009).
Obesity has been seen as the riskiest disease in the USA, which is stated as an epidemic in the USA by most of the health professionals and researchers. Recently, the number of obese is drastically increasing, which has a severe impact on the entire health system, which has been proved clinically. The life expectancy of obese people on an average is reducing day by day. Therefore, it has been a severe problem and now, people can also raise questions on the affect of obesity on life expectancy. In general, the obese people are less healthy compared to other people due to different disease associated with obesity. It is not only widespread, but it's become a real health risk, which can lead to very serious health related problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
According to Ogden & Carroll, 2008, the total Medicare costs associated with a non-obese individual is 37% less than the Medicare costs required for an obese individual. The Department of Health and Human Services, in a similar context, has also provided data which says almost 10% of total direct health care costs accounts for obesity. The obesity cost with the increasing problem is estimated to rise in near future. Seeing the current trend of obese patients, it is expected that the annual cost of between $69 and $117 billion will be required to control the obesity problem directly or indirectly.
Strategies that can be executed to educate and enhance prevention
The government of the USA has taken the increasing population of obesity very seriously, and the government has been taking various measures to increase the awareness as well as prevent the disease. Some of the major strategies are implemented by state and federal government are:
Public Awareness Programs: Both the federal government and the state government has been spending huge budget in conducting the awareness regarding obesity. Various programs are conducted from the long past in the entire states of the USA. The government has been making the small children aware about this disease at the school level by introducing the course material regarding obesity. The best source to start the awareness is the school itself and the government of Massachusetts and Illinois has already started educating the children and teens about the severity of the disease in the school (Ogden & Carroll, 2008).
Food Programs: The government (both state and federal) is conducting the food programs as the strategy to educate the people about the obesity as well as to promote the prevention of this chronic disease. The government of the United States of America is conducting explicitly crafted different kinds of food programs throughout the country so that the people in the low-income group get the safe, secure and healthy food. Some of the major food programs conducted in the United Nations of America are National School Lunch Program and Food Stamp Program. In addition to this, School Breakfast Program is also the major program being conducted to reduce the obesity (Yin, 2009). To note the additional, Child and Adult Care Food program, as well as Summer Food Service Program, are also the prominent food program being undertaken at various level to increase the awareness of the obesity in children.
Information to the People for Health Care: The top level health care authorities are keeping records of obese people. The obese people are constantly monitored, and the record is maintained. They are constantly following the records of patients who are at the risk of obesity. As the authorities are concerned about the risk of obesity, they encourage patients to check their BMI at least once a year. All children and adolescents are encouraged and supported by the health authorities to have correct BMI. The rate of excessive obesity compared to linear growth is determined by the difference in BMI and health authorities motivate people to have healthier life style (Yin, 2009). After getting information about the risk of obesity, parents are more concerned about healthy life style and eating pattern in their lives. This strategy has played a vital role, as parents will help their children to reduce obesity.
Challenges and Progress
There are several difficulties linked with obesity in the USA while controlling and maintaining. Obesity has many health risks as it invites many diseases like diabetes unknowingly. One out of three people are obese in the USA, so the main difficulty associated with the disease is a number of people suffering from obesity. If this disease is not cured on time, then it is sure that the huge population of the United States of America will land in a serious problem of obesity that will affect not only the social life of the America but also the economic life of the country. They need extra health care as compared to non-obese person and cost associated with is particularly high to control and reduce health risk associated with it. Another problem, while preventing and reducing health risk associated with this chronic disease, is the less acceptance and lazy behavior of the people (Zametktn et al., 2004). People in the USA are redundant to do regular exercise and eat fast food on a regular basis. Sudden changes in habit might increase the health risks associated with obesity due to the modifications in common routine.
One greatest challenge confronted in the way to cure obesity is the busy life schedule of the people. Due to the increasing competition, peoples are required to exert high commitment in their work life. This leaves them with no time for food, exercise and rest. As a result, people depend upon the fast foods. The high consumption of calorie without the proper exercise to burn it causes people to gain weight.
Moreover, there are many factors, which help in reducing obesity such as the creation of new health care departments, and health programs, which add values to prevent and reduce health risks associated with this chronic disease. In order to motivate obese people to take a pediatric wellness program, the government of United States of America has incorporated and harmonized multidimensional approaches like health care departments and health programs. Therefore, to ascertain usefulness in the society, it is vital that effective evaluation should complement the application of any progressive change (Zametktn et al., 2004). Though, there are some challenges in reduction, intervention, and prevention of the health risks associated with the obesity, effective evaluation can create an effective environment in the society, which reflects an image of healthy society.
Additionally, there are many difficulties when it comes to reducing obesity. Some known and unknown factors contribute to causing obesity. The main factor associated with obesity is genetic factors, which is hard to recognize as well as cure. It is not on the hand of the patient to control obesity if it is hereditary. Another factor associated with obesity is laziness of people and the less health conscious nature of people. They avoid regular exercise as well as avoid to make other good habits. They eat fast foods in a daily manner, which increase the cholesterol level in a high level. Besides all this, in the year 2010, the development of the Affordable Care Act to provide health facilities at a low cost (Zametktn et al., 2004). But it didn't perform as effectively as expected due to the redundancy of health authorities to provide free services and different financial problems.
Strategies to Increase Awareness, Education, and Prevention
In order to increase awareness, education, and prevention of the obesity, some strategies can be adopted in this scenario to make the effective and healthy environment in the USA. It can be described as below:
General information to the people: If the government of the United States of America can provide information to people about the bad or adverse impact of the obesity and health risk associated with it, it can play as a vital role for people to reduce obesity. They can be aware of its impact and adopt a healthy life style after that. Different promotional activities like health care rallies, campaigning on a regular basis in any particular place to conduct a welfare program of health care can be an important source to provide information to general people (Scaffa & Reitz, 2013). Further, different motivational programs to encourage people to do regular exercise can be another way to promote awareness about the importance of healthy life.
Distribution of Brochures: The federal, state and local government of USA can distribute the different type of brochure so as to increase education and prevention about the obesity. The brochure can contain information regarding effects of the obesity, cause and methods of prevention, how to control it and information related to nutritional food that can be taken, etc. (Scaffa & Reitz, 2013). This will help to increase awareness of people of local level and mass can be attracted by such brochure, which will be available to each and every one of the public. They can read it carefully and analyze it properly to know about the effects of the obesity. It will be the important tool to important strategies to increase awareness, education, and prevention from the obesity.
It is very imperative to take the matter seriously at the public level, as well. The single effort of government will not produce the desired result. So, an individual must be aware of his or her health. In addition to this, every organization must adopt the policy of balanced work life and implement it. The employees must not be forced to commit their big time in the office without letting them for sufficient exercise. At an individual level, an individual must allocate his or her certain time of regular exercise and healthy food. The joint effort of the government and an individual is the only possible way to produce the visible result of reducing the obesity. Otherwise, the billions of dollars invested and the efforts made from every sector of the health will be the total wastage that will produce no fruitful result for an individual as well as for the country.
References
Bromfield, P.V. (2009). Childhood obesity: Psychosocial outcomes and the role of weight bias and stigma. Educational Psychology in Practice, 25(3), 193-209.
Brooke, A. (2010). The crucial role of educational psychological services. Retrieved April 22, 2011 from http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/the-crucial-role-of-education-psychology-services/
Ogden, C., & Carroll, M., (2008). Director of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys: Prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents: US Trends, 1963-65 thru 2007-2008.
Scaffa, M., & Reitz, M. (2013). Occupational Therapy Community-Based Practice Settings. USA: F.A. Davis.
Yin, R.K. (2009).Case study research: Design and methods. Fourth edition. Sage Publications, California.
Zametktn, A. et al. (2004). Psychiatric aspects of child and adolescent obesity: A review of the past 10 years. Journal of the American Academy Of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 43(2), 134-150.
