Adult obesity is one of the most relevant health issues in the United States due to its prevalence among the population and significant health risks. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of people with obesity has drastically increased over the last twenty years from 30.5% to 41.9% (“Adult obesity facts,” 2022). CDC reports that the three most affected groups are non-Hispanic Black adults (49.9%), Hispanic adults (45.6%), and non-Hispanic White adults (41.4%) (“Adult obesity facts,” 2022). Lastly, other differentiating factors, such as education and socioeconomic status, significantly impact the health problem severity (Ogden et al., 2017). Ultimately, obesity in adults is a relevant health problem that endangers millions of American citizens.
Risks and Protective Factors
In the context of health issues, risks and protective factors refer to associated characteristics that either increase or reduce the chances of adult obesity. They generally include gender, education, socioeconomic status, eating behavior, beverage consumption, access to healthcare services, and social barriers (Lemamsha et al., 2018). In the United States, the primary risks are poor eating patterns due to the vast availability of foods with high sugar, fats, and sodium and the lack of physical activity among people (“Causes of obesity,” 2022). Moreover, social determinants of health, particularly socioeconomic status, are imminent threats since a lack of money inevitably leads to unhealthy food choices. On the other hand, healthy sleep, adequate nutrition habits, consistent physical training, and participation in community health programs are protective factors that effectively prevent adult obesity.
Related Consequences
Aside from the health risks, adult obesity causes a significant economic burden on the societal and individual levels. According to Tremmel et al. (2017), obesity reduced the global GDP by approximately 3%, or US $2.0 trillion, due to additional medical expenses and increased disability levels. In other words, obesity leads to an associated health behavior change among adults, resulting in loss of productivity and other health issues (Tremmel et al., 2017). These problems accumulate and create a significant economic burden globally, with a particularly noticeable impact in the countries such as the United States, where adult obesity is vastly prevalent.
Healthy People 2030 Goals
Healthy People 2030 is a set of standards and objectives that aim to reduce the number and severity of health problems in the country. Concerning the examined problem, Healthy People 2030 (NWS-03) plans to reduce the proportion of adults with obesity from 38.6% (the baseline) to 36% (“Reduce the proportion,” n.d.). This objective is slightly more realistic than the 2020 standard that aimed to decrease obesity levels from 33.9% in 2005-08 to 30.5% in 2020 (“Weight status,” n.d.). Evidently, the 2020 objective or NWS-9 did not achieve the desired health outcomes because the adult obesity levels only increased during the examined period.
Prevention Interventions
The tertiary intervention includes health behavior change to mitigate the problem by losing weight via increased physical activity. According to Barnhart (2020), most experts perceive proper nutrition and exercise as the most effective response to adult obesity. Additionally, it might be practical to create S.M.A.R.T. goals to help people gradually integrate healthy diet and physical activity habits into their lifestyles. Secondary prevention generally concerns the early identification of the health problems and preliminary response. In the context of adult obesity, raising public awareness concerning the health risks and economic burden is essential to mitigate the problem (Barnhart, 2020). Lastly, the primary prevention intervention should occur before the problem emerges. In this case, it could refer to federal policies and community efforts to change the public eating patterns and replace the perception of obesity. If people realize the severity of the health problem, they would be more motivated to participate in various physical activities and control their nutrition.
References
Adult obesity facts. (2022). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
Barnhart, C. (2020). Obesity prevention and management across the lifespan. Open Access Library Journal, 7(10), 1-28. Web.
Causes of obesity. (2022). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
Lemamsha, H., Papadopoulos, C., & Randhawa, G. (2018). Understanding the risk and protective factors associated with obesity amongst Libyan adults – A qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 1-12. Web.
Ogden, C., Fakhouri, T., Carroll, M., Hales, C., Fryar, C., Li, X., & Freedman, D. (2017). Prevalence of obesity among adults, by household income and education – United States, 2011-2014. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 66(50), 1369-1373. Web.
Reduce the proportion of adults with obesity – NWS-03 (n.d.). Healthy People 2030. Web.
Tremmel, M., Gerdtham, U., Nilsson, P., & Saha, S. (2017). Economic burden of obesity: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(4), 435. Web.
Weight status: NWS-9 (n.d.). Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Web.
