Obesity is a medical term that defines weighing about 20% more than what is required for an individual your height. The extra weight automatically results in health issues that complement each other. Therefore, devising ways to shed off weight can help slow, reverse, or prevent health problems. Some of the health effects of obesity include breathing troubles, Fatty Liver Disease, Osteoarthritis, Type 2 Diabetes, and High Blood Pressure ( The Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity, 2020 ). Breathing difficulties emerge when the excess fats prevent the full expansion of the lungs during respiration. Breathing muscles are also limited from working correctly, therefore making it impossible to take in enough air. Fatty Liver Disease manifests when fats build up in the liver to cause cirrhosis, a condition that can destroy the liver. The health problem does not display any symptoms until the damage happens, which makes it dangerous. According to healthcare scientists, most cases of fatty liver disease happen to overweight, middle-aged individuals.
Osteoarthritis is a health condition that happens when excess weight strains the joints and cartilage, protecting the end of the bones, which causes stiffness and pain. The primary solution to arthritis is exercising. However, it is in the best interest that a qualified physician is consulted to determine the right amount and type of exercise. Type 2 Diabetes emerges when a body makes insulin, but cells cannot use it as required to extract glucose from the blood. Insulin resistance in the body is usually linked to belly fat. The inability to remove glucose from the blood creates room for more than regular blood sugar, which causes trouble with the heart, eyes, nerves, and many more body organs.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Last but not least, a large body requires that the heart pumps harder for the blood to reach all the cells, which creates High Blood Pressure. The extra force may damage the artery walls, a condition that results in severe impacts on the body. Therefore, exercising and reducing weight is the most practical step towards solving the health problem.
1. How does additional bodyweight affect physical status?
As discussed above, physical status is usually affected by additional body weight through increased stress at the joints. In addition to the loss of perfect body shape, extra body weight also increases blood pressure, which results in hypertension. Type 2 diabetes and heart diseases are also health problems identified to emerge from excessive weight gain ( The Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity, 2020 ). Healthcare researchers have also identified sleep apnea and complications during pregnancy as other physical effects of being overweight. Some of the commonly known symptoms of a sleep apnea patient are feeling sleepy during the day and heavy snoring when asleep. The condition can grow to the extent that it interrupts breathing while sleeping, which can cause a significant health hazard. Pregnancy complications like preeclampsia and gestational diabetes are usually common among women who get pregnant while overweight.
2. What are some of the barriers and challenges to losing weight in the U.S.?
There are various barriers to losing weight, some of which can be controlled and others that cannot be managed. For instance, studies show that sometimes a person can gain weight because of genetic reasons. In such cases, hormones contribute to weight gain, which makes it difficult to control. The most common controllable barrier to losing weight in the United States of America is low income. Junk food is cheap than healthy food. The consumption of junk food, which has a high number of calories, saturated fats, and sugar, in American society is the main drive towards the high cases of obesity in the population ( Woodruff, Schauer, Addison, Gehlot & Kegler, 2016 ). More than half of the people are low-income earners and therefore survive on consuming junk food. Low physical activities also make it challenging to lose weight in the country. Being a developed nation, most people drive and work on computers, seated behind desks. The cosy lifestyle also only creates a platform to gain weight but does not allow opportunities to engage in weight losing activities, which contributes to the existence of high obesity cases.
3. Discuss cultural considerations when discussing weight and weight loss with clients.
The kind of lifestyle an individual was raised in automatically dictates his judgment on food. Type of food, technique of preparation and amount a person eats are all determined by the culture of a person. Religious practices also have their different views on food. There are some specific foods, which can never be consumed with people of certain religions. Therefore, a healthcare professional should make an effort to understand the cultural and religious background of the client before giving any advice about the change or modification of the diet. The suggested solutions should be well thought and researched to ensure that they do not contradict with the client's culture and religious beliefs.
4. What would you suggest helping Mark achieve a healthy weight? Mark is a type 2 diabetes patient, seeking for suggestions of how he can achieve a healthy weight. According to Groner, Escott- stumo and Dorner (2020), when an overweight or obese person with type 2 diabetes losses weight, glucose resistance is reduced, and cardiovascular is improved. The authors further stated that overeating and inactivity are likely reasons for the steady increase in overweight. Therefore, a change in his diet and involvement in physical exercise will automatically help in burning calories, hence weight loss. Consumption of a well-balanced meal is usually the most natural way of sustaining a healthy weight ( Food and Diet,2016 ). A balanced diet can include eating enough vegetables, proteins, fruits, and whole grains. A thirty-minute moderate jog and stretches on the exercise part can be enough for the start of the weight reduction exercise, to improve the cardiovascular system.
References
Food and Diet. (2016, April 8). Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/diet-and-weight/
Grodner, M., Escott-Stump, S., & Dorner, S. (2020). Nutritional foundations and clinical applications: a nursing approach. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
The Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity. (2020, April 10). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/effects/index.html
Woodruff, R. C., Schauer, G. L., Addison, A. R., Gehlot, A., & Kegler, M. C. (2016). Barriers to weight loss among community health center patients: qualitative insights from primary care providers. BMC obesity , 3 , 43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40608-016-0123-3
