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Obesity in Woodbury Iowa
Obesity in Woodbury Iowa is a significant public health concern. The prevalence of obesity in in Woodbury County Iowa is 38.3 % among the females. In Iowa State, the prevalence of obesity among the females is 35.9% while the prevalence of obesity among the females at the federal level is 36.1%.
Therefore, the prevalence of obesity among the females in Woodbury County exceeds the Iowa state and the national statistics. 37.5 % of the men in Woodbury County, Iowa, are obese. At the state and the national levels, 36.3% and 33.8% of men are obese respectively (Centre for Disease Pprevention and Control, 2015). Similarly, the prevalence of obesity among the men in Woodbury County, Iowa, supersedes both the state and the national prevalence rates.
Obesity in Woodbury Iowa
Contributing Factors
Obesity is affected by both the race and age. In Iowa, the prevalence of obesity is highest among the Hispanics and Non-Hispanic blacks and lowest among the Non-Hispanic whites. Obesity increases with age and is mostly affects adults aged 60 years and above and is lowest among the adults aged 20 to 39 years of age. The level of education impacts on obesity as well (Office Of Disease Prevention and Promotion , 2018 ).
Obesity reduces with the increase in the level of education. Education increases the level of awareness on the factors associated with obesity as the preventive measures. Obese patients who have a diploma or a degree have shown increased life expectancy. The positive impact of education on obesity is uniform across all age groups.
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The level of income impacts obesity as well. Higher levels of income are associated with reduction in the prevalence, the severity and the effects of obesity. Higher levels income impact on the access to healthcare services. Families that can afford insurance policies or out of pocket payments access healthcare services for managing obesity. Therefore, the prevalence of obesity among such individuals is reduced, as compared to individuals in lower socio-economic class.
Individuals with low income cannot afford the foods that are nutrient intensive. Generally, the foods that are sugar and fat intensive are cheap in the United States markets. Sugar and fats are predisposing factors to obesity. Culture affects obesity. Culture dictates the type of foods that the members of the particular culture dependent on as food. Culture also affects health seeking behavior (ODPP, 2018).
Culture impacts on the perception of the specific cultural group on the engagement in physical activities that significantly affect obesity. Healthcare policies determine the impact of obesity to any community. Healthcare policies determine the access by the respective members of the community to healthcare services regarding the management of obesity.
Healthcare politicizes on financing healthcare determine the access to care for obese to the individuals who cannot afford the care. Healthcare policies also affect the availability of resources and facilities for managing obesity. The county’s and the national policies in managing healthcare community services such facilities for physical exercises and educational resources and personnel are key to implement obesity management strategies (Galloway-Gilliam, 2013).
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Obesity in Woodbury Iowa
Interventions
One of the programs that have been undertaken in my state to prevent obesity is early childhood care. Statistics indicate that on average, children spend most of their time per week under non-parental care.
The State of Iowa in partnerships with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have drawn up programs on adequate diet, performance of physical activities and reduction in care time. The state government supports the programs in schools and children care centers through funding, provisions of evidence based recommendation for early child care to prevent obesity (Benson at al., 2013).
The programs support the breastfeeding mothers and the availability of nutrient rich diet to the children that prevents obesity. The hospitals within my community have initiated hospital strategies aimed at reducing obesity. The initiative targets the hospital employees and the patient under the care. The initiatives encourage healthy food and beverage choices, physical activities within the hospitals environment and support for lactating mothers.
The hospitals also partner with the community to increase healthy living behaviors for the community members. The hospitals provide education on obesity prevention and management using the locally available resources.
Obesity in Woodbury Iowa
Scope and Role of Nursing and Public Health Nursing on Obesity in Woodbury Iowa
Nurses have a role in encouraging patients to maintain healthy diet. Nurses possess the knowledge on the foods that contribute towards obesity and that prevent the occurrence of obesity. Nurses spend a significant amount of time with admitted patients. Additionally, nurses interact with patient at the community level in offering primary healthcare services. Nurses educate patients on physical activities as part of the measures to prevent obesity as a public health issue.
Physical exercises reduce the amount of fats that accumulate in the body. Nurses educate on the type, the duration and the intensity of the physical exercises that are appropriate for each of the patients presenting with or at risk of obesity. Nurses conduct assessments of patients who present with obesity. Nurses provide care to a patient in clinical setting. Assessment is the initial step of the nursing process (Schofield et al., 2011).
Assessment, as part of the nursing process, involves collection of data about the patient thorough history taking, physical examination, and clinical tests. Nurses take history of patients on their diet, performance of physical activities, and the impact of obesity on every individual patient during the clinical visits. The nurse also conduct laboratory tests including lipid profile tests in order to assess the risks of development of cardiovascular disease as a complication of obesity. Part of the nurses’ assessment focuses on vital signs such as blood pressure measurements.
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Expansion of the Scope of Obesity in Woodbury Iowa
One of the ways to increase the scope of community health nursing interventions in addressing obesity is through partnerships. Community partnerships involve creation of community based networks. The collaboration with the population level partners allows the nurses and public health professionals to gauge the factors that contribute to obesity the community level.
The aim of the partnerships should be to do community specific assessments on the prevalence, causes, and impacts of obesity on the local community (Betancourt, Green, Carrillo, & Firempong, 2016). Further, the aims of the local community partnerships should be to recommend, initiate and implement strategies that are suitable for the local community , based on the population specific needs identified during the assessment.
Policy development is another way of increasing the scope of the nurses’ and public health professionals’ roles in combating obesity. Nurses and public health professionals are key stakeholders in managing obesity, as a public health issue. The professional input is critical in developing policies that are specific to the local community population.
The professionals collaborate with the department of health, which is responsible for drafting policies for public healthcare such as obesity ((Betancourt et al., 2016). The public health issues should be alignments with the national statistics on obesity, ways of preventing obesity and the federal government’s regulation in combating public health problems.
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References
Benson, G. A., Sidebottom, A., VanWormer, J. J., Boucher, J. L., Stephens, C., & Krikava, J. (2013). HeartBeat connections: A rural community of solution for cardiovascular health. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 26(3), 299–310.
Betancourt, J. R., Green, A. R., Carrillo, J. E., & Owusu Ananeh-Firempong, I. I. (2016). Defining cultural competence: a practical framework for addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care. Public health reports.
CDC. www.cdc.gov. (19 August 2015). 13 December 2018 https://www.cdc.gov/ dnpao/division-information/policy/obesity.htm>.
Galloway-Gilliam, L. (2013). Racial and ethnic approaches to community health. National Civic Review, 102(4), 46–48.Course Library Guide.
Office of Disease Prevention and Health. (12 December 2018 ). 12 Decembe 2018 <https://www.healthypeople.gov/>.
Schofield, R., Ganann, R., Brooks, S., McGugan, J., Bona, K. D., Betker, C., Dilworth, K., … Watson, C. (2011). Community health nursing vision for 2020: Shaping the future. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 33(8),1047–1068.
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