Obesity has become a major health problem not only in America but also in other nations. In the United States, obese people account for 37 percent of the population. However obesity related diseases and health problems account for 61 percent of the health care costs every year. This cost exceeds $147 billion every year and it is increasing as years go by (Wang et al.., 2011). With the increasing rates of obesity, there is need to increase awareness, education and prevention.

This is due to the fact that the condition is putting a strain on peoples incomes as well as the countries resources. In addition, prevention will increase productivity as well as reduce the health care costs. Though the federal and stets governments have initiated some programs to control this epidemic, much still needs to be done. In addition, challenges such as lack of resources and lack of time to check on diet have prevented the reduction of this problem.

The government has generated different policies to address the obesity disease. One of the policies is the Medicare and Medicaid which was signed into law in the year 1965. Traditionally, this policy has concentrated much in the payment of obesity related treatments rather than on the services to promote healthy living. Medicaid requires that all states cover the “Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefits”. This includes the obesity screening and counseling as well as nutrition. Only children and the youth under the age of 21 years are eligible (Novak & Brownell, 2012).  However, many children are not screened routinely. In addition, among those screened, only a few undergo the regular counseling.

For adults, it is upon the state’s Medicaid plans to determine the level of coverage or co-payment for obesity related treatments. Adults who are insured through healthcare exchanges are eligible for “Preventive and Wellness Services and Chronic Disease Management” coverage. This coverage includes screening and counseling. A 2013 survey by Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that 28 of the states cover both obesity screening and counseling services as well as nutrition counseling. Generally, Medicaid programs cover for obesity-related surgery including lap band or bypass though a patient has to meet a certain criteria.

Another policy is the “Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)”. It offers coverage for the military people together with their families. It includes coverage for obesity and other related illnesses (Novak & Brownell, 2012). Under the policy’s clinical guidelines, overweight patients are offered education as well as counseling on healthy living.  For all the obese patients, a lifestyle intervention is initiated. In the Department of Defense, 61 to 83 percent of the beneficiaries are either overweight or obese.

The Department of Defense’s operation live well is aimed at creating more resilient and healthier armed forces and community. This initiative includes projects such as Healthy Base Initiative which is currently being implemented in 14 military sites. The Department of Defense also has a school program to launch initiatives aimed at serving healthy meals to school children. This is done with the help of registered dieticians.

In the United States, obese people account for 37 percent of the population. However obesity related diseases and health problems account for 61 percent of the health care costs every year. This cost exceeds $147 billion every year and it is increasing as years go by. This huge cost is putting a strain on the health care system as well as the economy. If this problem is not handled, the rising costs associated with obesity will in time become large for the health care systems to handle. By the year 1990, all the states in America had an obesity rate below 14 percent. By the year 2003, the rate had increased to 20-24 in 23 states. By the year 2010, some of the states had an obesity rate of 30 percent (Wang et al.., 2011). This dramatic rise in the obesity rates has caused a lot of problems to the population as well as to the health care systems.

A major impact of obesity is increased cost of health care. The costs of health care have generally increased over the year. Obesity has been one of the major contributors to this rise. The federal government has been spending a lot of money on medic are and Medicaid. With the increase, taxes such as payroll tax and income Tax on social security benefits which are used to fund Medicare will have to increase. This will translate to reduced income for the employees as well as the retired and self employed. Less income leads to low quality of life (Wang et al.., 2011). In addition, obesity is not covered by the Medicare thought he health problems associated with obesity are covered. People with obesity have to organize for private health covers which are expensive. In general, the increased rates of obesity are reducing the quality of life of the population.

The increasing occurrence of obesity in America is becoming a health burden. This is largely from the increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. A good example is that an increase of 5kg/m² in the BMI increases the risk of for colon cancer by 24%, gall bladder cancer by 59%, oesophageal cancer by 52%, postmenopausal breast cancer by 12% and women, endometrial cancer by 59% (Wang et al.., 2011). In addition excess body weight also contributes to other non fatal but costly disorders such as osteoarthritis. It is evident from different studies that obesity causes many more health problems ranging from cancer to other disorders. This strains the income of the population as well the government. The U.S government is using a lot of money in the prevention of some of these health problems associated with diabetes.

The many acute and chronic diseases associated with obesity negatively affect the quality of life of the population. It also incurs substantial costs not only to the affected individuals but to the society at large. First, it lowers the productivity and increased the health care costs. The management of obesity requires a lot of resources both in monetary terms and time. The associated costs are high and the productivity is low due to the time factor. An individual productivity is influential in the total nations productivity (Wang et al.., 2011).  Obesity is also contributing to the increasing poverty in the nation. Studies have shown that around 30 percent of the young people are too heavy. The young generation are the most productive in the country. With the current trend of obese youngsters, the productivity is predicted to fall.

Obesity is public health problem not only in America but all over the world. A public health strategy has been put into place to prevent the excess weight gain. One of the strategies is to alter the physical activity, food and socioeconomic environments. The strategy aims to alter the food environment such that the healthy choices are the easier choices with consumers. In addition, altering the environment for physical activities will reduce sedentary lifestyle by increasing levels of physical activities.

Worksites and schools are the major areas where adults and children spend a lot of time. These environments provide ample opportunities for physical activities and nutrition intervention (Chan & Woo, 2010). People consume a big proportion of calories either in school or in the worksite. Both of these sites have facilities that can facilitate regular physical activities among the students and employees. Schools have through the public health initiated programs for students exercise. In addition students are educated on the health way of eating. Most of the companies in recent times have inbuilt gyms inside the offices for workers to exercise. In addition, for companies where food is provided for employees, dietary is controlled by professionals.

Another strategy being used is supporting the clinical and health services interventions. The physicians lack the time to address obesity due to inadequate training, lack of reimbursement and low self-efficacy. In the patient’s level, stigmatization and lack of finances are the key reasons why they do not access management services (Chan & Woo, 2010). The public health departments in different states have initiated training programs for the health service providers. In addition, the other conditions caused by obesity are covered by the Medicare.

Another strategy being use is early management of obesity. As discussed earlier, about 30 percent of the young people are overweight (Chan & Woo, 2010). It is much easier to manage obesity by managing weight at early stages. This is being done through the primary care program. This is a program that promotes healthy eating and physical activities.

The government has made tremendous change in the management of obesity. This is measured by the attention being paid to the problem at the moment. From the societies to the media, this problem has become a major topic. There are coherent efforts being made to bolster the scientific understanding of the problem and the basis for action taking. This is evidence of prevalence in some demographic areas showing that the initiatives being taken are working. Given the scale and amount of work that needs to be done to fight this epidemic, it will take some time for progress to be measured.  However, the developments so far present a good opportunity to restate the goals and redefine the approaches that will accelerate progress.

Some of the health conditions associated with obesity include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood fats and cancer. A lot of challenges have been experienced in prevention and reduction of these health risks associated with obesity (Zdziarski, Wasser & Vincent, 2015). The major challenge is lack of resources. Though the treatment of these conditions is covered by the Medicare, other costs associated are not covered.

For example an obese person requires eating healthy. This might be expensive to the low income earners. Thought he government is spending a lot of money to finance the empowerment of people against obese, you find that the situation is getting worse. Treatment of some of these health risks is not the answer.  Cancer for example requires a lot of time and resources for treatment. Some people might quit along the way due lacking of finances.

Another challenge is technology. Most of the young people spend most of the time on the internet. Though the government is working hard to control the marketing of unhealthy food to children, it is hard to control the same on the internet. Adverts placed on an online video game will be accessed by many children. In addition, the government has recommended the level of physical activities that every child should adhere to. However, only a small percentage of the children are taking the issue seriously (Zdziarski, Wasser & Vincent, 2015). Most of the children undertake physical activities but not up to the recommended level. This is the reason why most of the children in America recently are overweight.

The fast foods industry in the U.S. is very competitive. Due to this the price of these products is very low and affordable. Thought eh government has tried to increase taxes on these products, the price is not yet high enough to reduce demand. It is common to find fast food joints near schools and offices. Most of the American population spends most of the time at work or at school. This gives them little time to check on their diet leading to high consumption of calories. In addition, some companies lie about the healthiness of their products. There have been cases of companies acting unethically by lying about the components used to produce their products (Zdziarski, Wasser & Vincent, 2015). As more people are being health conscious recently, companies are devising new products which are not entirely healthy.

Another major problem is the on the counter weight reducing tablets. These tablets are advertised largely on the media as companies work to make more money. Most of the overweight people are taking these drugs without physical activities with the hopes of reducing weight. These drugs cannot work without physical activities and healthy eating. They can also lead to other medical conditions.

With the increasing rates of obesity, there is need to increase awareness, education and prevention. This is due to the fact that the condition is putting a strain on peoples incomes as well as the countries resources. In addition, prevention will increase productivity as well as reduce the health care costs. A great deal of work is being done to increase awareness as well as prevent the occurrence of obesity. There are different strategies that can be used to increase awareness and prevent the occurrence of obesity.

A major strategy is a policy change involving increasing the taxes on sugary drinks. Taxes are very powerful tool when one wants to improve the landscape in the food environment. Beverages with added sugar provide very low nutritional value. The consumption of these drinks is associated with weight gain and also other conditions including diabetes. An increase in tax on these drinks will raise the market price thus reducing the consumers propensity to consume. However, the degree of prevention due to this will depend with the rate at which consumers substitute this drink with other high caloric drinks such as juice and milk. In addition, the government should also reduce beverage and food marketing to children.

There is some kind of sugary food s and beverages that targets the young people (Novak & Brownell, 2012). Companies with such products market their products to the young people through media and other avenues. Companies should be committed to reduce and eliminate the marketing of unhealthy food s and beverages. Though the same strategy has been tried in several states, it is hard to control marketing on social media and online gamers. The internet has generated a global market where market control is impossible.

Another strategy is to increase the physical activity to the children. One third of the children in U.S are considered physically inactive. According to the YRBS survey only 52 percent of the students in the U.S. are enrolled in any physical education class and only 32 percent attend these classes daily. The young people are participating in less physical activities than recommended (Novak & Brownell, 2012). This has led to increased cases of overweight children.

To burn the excess calories, children should exercise regularly. The government should roll out programs in all the education facilities that facilitate compulsory physical activity for the students. This would go a long way in the reduction of obesity among the young people.  Economically, it would reduce the cost of health care associated with the management of obesity. In addition, it would also lead to an increase in the productivity of the youth. In recent times, most of the youths are overweight meaning they can be recruited to the army.

To increase education unawareness of obesity, the government through relevant institutions should initiate a media campaign aimed at educating people about how to prevent the occurrence obesity. Currently, the people have access to certain forms of media ranging from mass media to social media and the internet. The campaigns should be rolled out in all types of media to reach all the targeted groups.

The young people for example spend considerable time on the internet and social media.  If campaigns are run on social media sites such as facebook and twitter, it would reach most of the young people (Novak & Brownell, 2012). The older generation on the other hand spends time reading newspapers and magazines as well as watching TV. The campaigns should be run on all available media platforms to reach as many people as possible.

Obesity is a global menace. With the availability of fast foods joints all over especially in the United States. The U.S. government had initiated several policies to address this problem. However, the occurrence of the condition is still high meaning more has to be done to control it. Education and awareness through the media and internet would go a long way in the reduction of obesity.  In addition, given that the menace has spread wide, it takes time for its control to seem successful. The government should initiate massive awareness programs to help reduce the occurrence rates. The treatment of the those affected has proven to be expensive.

Reference

Chan, R. S., & Woo, J. (2010). Prevention of overweight and obesity: how effective is the current public health approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 7(3), 765-783.

Novak, N. L., & Brownell, K. D. (2012). Role of Policy and Government in the Obesity Epidemic. Retrieved May 04, 2016, from http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/126/19/2345.full

Wang, Y. C., McPherson, K., Marsh, T., Gortmaker, S. L., & Brown, M. (2011). Health and economic burden of the projected obesity trends in the USA and the UK. The Lancet, 378(9793), 815-825.

Zdziarski, L. A., Wasser, J. G., & Vincent, H. K. (2015). Chronic pain management in the obese patient: A focused review of key challenges and potential exercise solutions. Journal of pain research, 8, 63.

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