Collaborating with professionals across the health care system and coming up with the best health outcomes is our priority as a community of practice. Obesity rates among children and adults have escalated and this is a matter of concern. Two thirds of the community children are obese and this places them at a high risk of developing chronic ailments like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases later in their lives. On our research, it is evident that the cause of obesity in children is lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns and genetic factors. Similarly, one third of the adult populace also suffer from obesity because of physical inactivity, dietary patterns, use of medications and other exposures. It is a community concern because it leads to a reduced quality of life, mental problems, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancers and heart disease.
Health Determinants in the Community
In our practice, we first had to determine the causes of obesity among children and adults so that we know where exactly to begin our treatment. By scrutinizing the social determinants of the health of our target group, we realized that most households with obese children and adults had sufficient resources as parents were earning wages with big jobs. Besides, they easily accessed the internet for information regarding what to eat. On scrutinizing their health status, we realized that most of our target patients lacked access to health services therefore were less likely to participate in preventive care (Marmot & Wilkinson, 2005). Together with my colleagues, we realized that we have a difficult task of treating obese children and adults through evidence base practices and educating them on the dangers of the ailment as well as the importance undertaking of physical activities.
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The Most Prevalent Health Problems in the Community
In my practice together with other health care professionals, we discovered that our community has a series of health problems including nutrition, physical inactivity, obesity, health care associated infections, heart diseases, stroke, tobacco use, HIV and teen pregnancy (Rolland, Deheeger, Maillot & Bellisle, 2006). In this case, it is our responsibility as health care practitioners to ensure we tackle these health problems to promote a health community.
Obese Children
Most of the young children in the community between the ages of 5 to 12 are obese because of several factors. First, some come from cultures that believe children should eat at all times and never stay hungry. In this case, parents serve their children with too much food and they feel proud when they are obese. Nonetheless, other families observe religious beliefs that provide them with moral and practical lessons regarding how to attain, maintain and recover their physical and emotional health (Summer, Waters, Edmunds, Kelly, Brown & Campbell, 2005). This is because religions preach against promiscuity, excessive alcohol consumption and smoking. Instead, they approve food as the best good of consumption. Therefore, adults give their children excessive food so they stay on the correct path of religion leading to obesity. Nevertheless, children love to consume junk food that makes them overweight instead of eating healthy foods. Additionally, some children come from cultures that accept excessive body weights and find it absurd when children grow thin.
References
Marmot, M., & Wilkinson, R. (Eds.). (2005). Social determinants of health . New York, NY: OUP Oxford.
Rolland-Cachera, M. F., Deheeger, M., Maillot, M., & Bellisle, F. (2006). Early adiposity rebound: causes and consequences for obesity in children and adults. International journal of obesity, 30 (S4), S11
Summerbell, C. D., Waters, E., Edmunds, L., Kelly, S. A., Brown, T., & Campbell, K. J. (2005). Interventions for preventing obesity in children. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (3).
