Obesity and its associated disorders form part of the growing epidemic across the globe. Various physiological, behavioral, and genetic factors are vital in playing valuable roles concerning the etiology of obesity. In most cases, researchers have had the chance to highlight the growing role and influence of the exercise in performing an essential role in the treatment, as well as prevention of obesity and other related disorders such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes, among others. In seeking to execute an initiative concerning population health improvement, there is a need to focus on one of the pervasive and chronic health concerns in the local community concerning obesity.
According to WHO (World Health Organization), obesity relates to the abnormal or accumulation of excessive fat capable of impairing health. In the global context, over 2 billion adults are overweight, with 650 million of this population being obese. Most of the people in the world tend to live in nations where obesity kills more people compared to those who lose their lives because of underweight (Whelan, Love, Millar, Allender, & Bell, 2018). Besides, following WHO data presented in 2016, more than 340 million children, as well as adolescents, were overweight or obese. According to the researchers and health practitioners, BMI is essential in the provision of useful population-level measures of obesity and overweight in a different gender.
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What are the causes of this health condition? From a physiological perspective, the fundamental contributor to obesity and overweight is the energy imbalance between the expended and consumed calories within the body. In the global context, society has had the platform to experience a substantial increase in the intake of energy-dense foods, which tend to be high in sugars and fat (Whelan, Love, Millar, Allender, & Bell, 2018). Besides, the world has overseen a growth in physical inactivity because of the increased sedentary approaches of work, as well as transformed modes of transportation and the ever-increasing urbanization (Whelan, Love, Millar, Allender, & Bell, 2018). Critically, the changes or issues in the dietary, as well as the physical activities patterns emanate from the environment and the societal transformations with the development or lack of supportive policies in diverse sectors such as transport, agriculture, health, environment, and food processing.
It is appropriate to consider the enormous implications or consequences of obesity in the community in the development of an evidence-based plan to oversee effectiveness and efficiency in handling the crisis. One of the critical effects of obesity is the increased cases of cardiovascular diseases, with main aspects as heart disease and stroke, which remain the leading causes of death in the world (Whelan, Love, Millar, Allender, & Bell, 2018). There is also the issue of diabetes, as obesity is a leading cause of this chronic disease among the people in the global context. Another critical implication relates to the emergence of musculoskeletal disorders. Obesity also contributes to issues of cancer such as the ovarian, breast, prostate, endometrial, colon, liver, and kidney cancers. Researchers continue to note that the risks of these NCDs tend to increase following an increase in BMI. On the other hand, childhood obesity relates to the higher cases of obesity in adulthood, as well as cases of premature deaths and disabilities. Other than the increase in future risks, obese children tend to experience diverse aspects of breathing challenges or increased risks of fractures and psychological implications.
One of the effective evidence-based plans to help curb the enormous effects of obesity within a community is the peer-led healthy lifestyle program (Cabassa et al., 2015). The intervention will focus on the optimization of the GLB (Group Lifestyle Balance), which is a derivation of the diabetes prevention program. The approach is an evidence-based intervention delivered in the general population across the world because of the implications on the weight loss. The method is an evidence-based plan, which will focus on the utilization of behavioral strategies such as self-monitoring with the community to aid the generation of the desired support for the modification of a healthy diet while increasing physical activities. For the people with SMI, integration of the healthy lifestyle intervention is essential in the achievement of the desired improvements, particularly in body weight, BMI, and quality of life. It is through increased focus on the lifestyle factors, as well as the exploitation of the behavioral strategies. According to recent studies, accessibility of lifestyle interventions to people with SMI is essential in the significant weight loss.
The findings note that the movement of the GLB to the community settings is vital in serving people with the SMI through the exploitation of the group format and trained peer specialists as valuable steps in enhancing accessibility and economic feasibility without diluting the effectiveness and efficiency of the evidence-based plan. The article also highlights the tendency of the approach to offer reasonable or better results compared to the optimization of the non-peer-led programs, primarily through the delivery of the peer specialists in the evidence-based interventions.
Additionally, in their article, Dombrowski, Snelling, and Kalicki (2014) focus on the illustration of the health promotion overview through the identification of the evidence-based strategies for the occupational health nursing practice. Based on the findings of this research article, it is essential to note that health promotion, as well as disease prevention, are vital aspects in the improvement of care and control of the increasing costs in the delivery of quality services. The approach plays a critical role in helping families, individuals, and communities to ensure that they attain wellness. From this article, it is appropriate to help use the health promotion model in addressing the growing issue of obesity within the community. The evidence-based plan, health promotion model, is essential in assuming the motivation among the individuals in seeking higher levels of health without the substantial threat of illness. The model or intervention is valuable in the course of proposing two diverse categories associated with the implications on the outcome of the health-promoting behavior.
These include individual experience and characteristics, as well as behavior-specific affect and cognitive features. The second category of factors related to the model is self-efficacy, which is an essential tool to the nurses, because of the platform for its modification through the integration of the health promotion interventions (Wolfenden et al. 2016). The tool will be ideal in promoting healthy eating habits and increased engagement in the physical activities among the population as a platform to oversee a substantial reduction in the cases of obesity. As part of the evidence-based practice, the approach will contribute to the decrease in the extensive practice variations through synthesizing the ideal literature, assessing costs, adhering to the relevant standards, and clinical expertise while complying with the preferences of the consumers.
The evidence-based practice will extend beyond the literature pertinent to ensure inclusion of the choice of the clients as an essential platform for the health-promotion training. The approach will also be crucial in ensuring that the community members optimize a client-centered approach rather than expert-led practice in the improvement of the health outcomes based on their needs. From the implications highlighted in the research articles, these strategies will be valuable in the achievement of the set goals and targets while reducing the healthcare implications of obesity on the health outcomes of the community members.
References
Cabassa, L. J., Stefancic, A., O’Hara, K., El-Bassel, N., Lewis-Fernández, R., Luchsinger, J. A., & Palinkas, L. A. (2015). Peer-led healthy lifestyle program in supportive housing: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials , 16, 388–401.
Dombrowski, J. J., Snelling, A. M., & Kalicki, M. (2014). Health promotion overview: Evidence-based strategies for occupational health nursing practice. Workplace Health & Safety, 62 (8), 342–349, 350.
Whelan, J., Love, P., Millar, L., Allender, S., & Bell, C. (2018). Sustaining obesity prevention in communities: a systematic narrative synthesis review. Obesity Reviews , 19 (6), 839-851.
Wolfenden, L., Jones, J., Williams, C. M., Finch, M., Wyse, R. J., Kingsland, M., & Small, T. (2016). Strategies to improve the implementation of healthy eating, physical activity and obesity prevention policies, practices, or programmes within childcare services. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews , (10).
