English-Solutions how can we solve obesity
Introduction
Over the past few years, obesity has become a national crisis where prospects indicate that it might surpass smoking as the biggest single factor in early death. This may be coupled with the reduction of quality of life as well as the added health care costs. Research conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that about a third of the adults in the United States are obese while about a third are overweight. Additionally, this research has indicated that obesity is responsible for more than 160,000 excess deaths every year. Arguably, the obesity crisis has brought about more effects to the American people where the American Medical Association even classified it as a disease in itself. Evidence has also shown that obesity paves way for other diseases such as those related to the heart, diabetes, high blood pressure, just to mention but a few. It also brings about other effects especially to the poor people through health conditions while on the other side it incurs billions of dollars to the health care system. Obesity may be termed as a self-inflicted problem that occurs as a result of people consuming foods without being watchful of their weight. However, it is possible to solve the obesity menace through strategies aimed at reducing foods that are obesogenic or rather those that cause obesity.
This paper will focus discussing the potential solutions to the obesity crisis through bringing out the necessary steps that need to be followed in order to avoid or reduce this crisis. This will be coupled with determination of the current things being done and by whom in solving the obesity crisis. Additionally, part of the paper will focus on evaluating whether the current steps are working and if so, why or why not they are working. Consequently, the paper will portray some of the ideas in existence that are not being implemented as well as who should be responsible for implementing them. In addition, the paper will indicate some of the obstacles in the way of the solutions.
This methodology has focused on the calories in any food element particularly the nutrients found in the food. More emphasis is given to the nutrients necessary for stopping the slow-moving avalanche of obesity or inflammation through the control of inflammation. In the case, the potential solution would be ensuring a nutrient dense as well as an anti-inflammatory diet that would facilitate in stopping the health care crisis (Berg, 124). This approach would help people in achieving as well as maintaining leanness due to the fact that it addresses the inflammation issue directly. This occurs through preventing diseases such as diabetes, cancer, allergies, just to mention but a few that occur as a result of the inflammation (Berg, 124)
The anti-inflammatory diet plays a crucial role in forming the basis for the purpose of nutritional supplements with the aim of prevention or reversing inflammation as well as the damage it causes to the body cells. Research has indicated that the consumption of a nutrient dense diet costs relatively the same as the costs incurred on fast foods (Berg, 567). These proposals have indicated adoption of the nutrient dense diet may bring about weight loss by about 90 pounds in a period of about eight months. This may also be coupled with other significant health advantages that range from normal blood sugar levels to those people who have diabetes to normalized blood pressure to the people with high blood pressure without even using medication. Additionally, a nutrient dense diet may bring about reduction of pain as well as stop the need for anti-inflammatory drugs for people suffering from arthritis. These are also followed closely by increase in energy and mental clarity for almost all people (Berg, 124).
Current Efforts
Extensive research in this area has indicated that most the efforts being conducted aim at reducing fat in people's body as a way of curbing obesity. The National Institute of Health utilized over $ 800 million in studying aimed at understanding the metabolism behind obesity. These studies have revealed that the ability to burn and store energy varies from cell to cell in the human body. However, there are some women and men who benefit from small stores of brown fat unlike white fat (Brotherton & Pinder, 301). The reasoning behind this discovery is that brown fat facilitates the generation of heat as it is apparently closely related to muscles than white fat. White fat on the other hand only serves the purpose of storing excess energy. These facts have indicated that the eating habits people have developed may be the common issue behind obesity (Brotherton & Pinder, 301). Similarly, other factors contributing the obesity crisis include the type of food most available in people's homes and local stores, the opportunities people get to move around while they are at work. These factors have brought about the notion being applies currently where people are advised to do more exercises as well as go on diets (Brotherton & Pinder, 301).
The current trends applied in overcoming the obesity crisis aim at reducing people's body weight through exercise regimens. However, these exercises require much energy as there are various steps to be followed in order to effectively lose the weight required. While the exercises are being conducted people burn a lot calorie in the process and soon get hungry. This brings about strong cravings coupled with anger which led to inevitable slowdown of then metabolism through compensation for the deprivation by becoming more parsimonious with calories. Additionally, another approach used in curbing the obesity crisis includes programs aimed at changing the behavior of people (Brotherton & Pinder, 301). This involves making many small sustainable changes in the eating and exercising habits that are prompted and encouraged by the people in the society. Research conducted on the basis of this approach indicates that the best way to get people to reduce the excess weight that brings about obesity includes exercise as it is practically impossible to determine the things going on in their brains (Brotherton & Pinder, 301). Scientists are also driven by the notion that regardless of the inability to determine the person's brain functionality; they may be able to determine the person's behavior through observation and measurement of their physical behavior. This allows the identification of relationships between the environments to the behavior of people (Brotherton & Pinder, 301).
Effectiveness of the Current Approaches used
The use of behavioral analysis in the determination of people's behavior in terms of the rewarding factors or even the punishing factors has over the years worked in reducing the instances of obesity by over 13 to 34 percent within a period of four years. It has also been effective in increasing the athletic performance of people as well as improving employee productivity through examining environmental influences (Cohen, 177). This is prevalent through the determination of the external factors that drive people towards overeating or to eat excess junk food, or even the factors that lead to healthy eating habits. Additionally, the analysis on people's behavior has contributed towards the determination of situations in which behavior and comments of others affect unhealthy eating (Cohen, 177). Studies have also indicated that behavioral analysis on people have effectively facilitated weight loss in that counseling and interventions based on behavior show small to moderate degrees of weight loss sustained over at least an year. In addition, weight watchers have also applied these strategies through recommendations based on a balanced diet comprising of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. These recommendations have achieved the highest percentage of about 65 percent of one year diet adherence to several popular diets (Cohen, 177).
Consequently, a study conducted in 2010 indicated that after one year children receiving behavioral therapy managed to maintain a body mass index of about 1.9 to 3.3 as opposed to children who did not. The findings in this study revealed that more limited evidence showed that the improvements may be maintained over the months after the end of treatments. The effectiveness of these approaches has facilitated the improvement, expansion as well as the tailoring of techniques in the behavioral analysis (Cohen, 177). This has been achieved through interventions and observation of people's effects and then optimization on reducing caloric density and addressing the individual food preferences is conducted. Additionally, it has also brought about the focus on developing ways that more precisely track the calories intake and expenditure in people. This is conducted through provision of food checklists in order to record the food eaten, enlisting in various pedometers as well as other devices that measure physical activity (Cohen, 177). The government in every nation should be on the fore-front in curbing the obesity crisis through ensuring strict measures to the hotels in terms of the food they offer to customers as well as their methods of preparing these foods. The measures should be implemented through institutions such as the Food and Agriculture Organization as well as health institutions aimed at safeguarding the welfare of the people (Cohen, 177).
Existing ideas that are not being implemented
The prevention or even curbing of obesity as a health crisis in the United States as well as across the world requires strategic measures that will govern the way people eat and the foods they eat. This may be achieved through the implementation of various strategies aimed at ensuring quality consumption of a balanced diet coupled with consistent practice in order to help people to stay fit and healthy. However, there are some solutions to this issue that end up unnoticed or ignored. One of these strategies includes educating people and compelling them towards taking part in some activities in order for them becomes healthy (Jack, 213). This should be accompanied by making exercises as well as fitness more relevant through making them of high priority to all the people. The second strategy that ends up being assumed entails supporting physical education as well as programs based on the common activities carried out by people (Jack, 213). These include enforcing physical education in schools, walking to the mall and back or even jogging in the morning as well as taking part in common practices while at home. The third strategy that lack implementation in this filed includes influencing the people to become active. This initiative should be maintained by the government through policies that require people to remain active and healthy (Jack, 213).
The responsibility of ensuring these aspects are maintained should come from the government through ensuring policies that encourage people towards living a healthy life. For instance, in the United States the government has developed an act which entails a significant structure for the utilization of strategies that get people to participate in activities. It also ensures implementation of strategies aimed at changing the behavior of millions of Americans particularly children. These strategies have facilitated various benefits that entails helping Americans towards becoming healthier, fit and active (Jack, 217). It also facilitates initiatives that help people especially children to live longer and have a healthier and more productive workforce. However, despite these activities there are various hindrances in the way of the solutions for obesity. These hindrances include lack of sufficient programs that would facilitate the implementation of the potential solutions. Additionally, there is lack of alternatives for the foods available particularly to the poor people in that they can only afford the junk foods they get. The government is also not doing enough to ensure that the junk foods are manufactured with the necessary amount of quality products (Jack, 217). This would be coupled with regulations on the manufactured and sold in terms of ensuring a balanced diet. Organizations should also be on the fore-front in ensuring that their employees remain active while at work through activities that jog their bodies and brains as well (Jack, 217).
Works Cited
Berg, Francie M. Underage & Overweight: America's Childhood Obesity Crisis What Every Family Needs to Know. New York: Hatherleigh Press, 2004. Print.
Berg, Francie M. Underage and Overweight: The Childhood Obesity Crisis : What Every Family Needs to Know. Long Island City: Hatherleigh Press, 2005. Print.
Brotherton, A., and C. Pinder. "Preventing the obesity crisis: A new solution." Perspectives in Public Health (2010): n. pag. Print.
Cohen, Deborah. A Big Fat Crisis: The Hidden Forces Behind the Obesity Epidemic - and How We Can End It. N.p., 2014. Print.
Jack, Leonard. Diabetes in Black America: Public Health and Clinical Solutions to a National Crisis. Roscoe: Hilton Pub. Co, 2010. Print.
