Running Head: ADULT OBESITY

Adult Obesity
Student
Professor
Institution
Course
Date

ADULT OBESITY

Introduction
Adult obesity is a public health problem that has raised major concern for the health of
populations in the United States and other nations across the world. Considerable works have
emerged to exhibit that adult obesity is the key cause of cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes,
various cancers and many other health complications, which can result to further effects in the
population health (Rippe and Angelopoulos, 2012). A comprehensive study shows a relationship
between adult obesity and certain adverse health consequences in aging population. In view of
the promptly increasing numbers of adults with obesity in most developed states with aging
population, this has significant health consequences in respect to health promotion and treatment
objectives (Payne et. al., 2013). Clearly, adult obesity place a large public health burden on
society and therefore, there is need for an effective prevention approach. By comprehensively
analyzing and reviewing adult obesity as a public health problem, this precise paper is meant to
present a timely, manageable, and realistic approach that can be used to prevent this problem.
Indeed, adult obesity is a key influence on the growth and course of cardiovascular
complications and affects social and physical functioning as well as quality of life. The
significance of appropriate approaches to prevent adult obesity and associated health
complications has increased in the past few years because the number of adults who are obese
has reached epidemic levels. The rate of adult obesity has more than doubled over the past two
decades. The proportion of people categorized as obese has increased from 18 percent of men in
2008 to 21.76 percent in 2014 and from 20 percent of women in 2008 to 25.13 percent in 2014.
According to the World Health Organization, the value of obese people will continue to increase
in future if necessary measures are not carried out. In fact, it has predicted that there will be more
than 700 million obese people worldwide in the end of 2015 (Horton, 2015). Most of the affected

ADULT OBESITY

people are women because they are approximately 25 percent women who are obese compared
to 22 percent obese men. Research has shown that most of the adults have difficult in
maintaining their weight rather than reduction, when capability to modify lifestyle may be
limited and quality of life may presume greater significance (Payne et. al., 2013). Basically, to
reduce the cases of obesity and overweight throughout the life development, population-centered
approaches that advance physical and social environmental backgrounds for healthful physical
activity and dietary are essential.
The development of adult obesity is multifactorial, comprising complex relations among
the genetic settings, hormones and diverse environmental and social aspects, such as unhealthy
eating practices and inactive lifestyle. Based on this viewpoint, nutrition alteration and dietary
changes as a result of wealth and development has been regarded as the key cause of the adult
obesity problem. These changes include intake of higher energy density diet with a lot of sugars
and fat as well as reduced intake of dietary fiber, vegetables and complex carbohydrates.
Obviously, these changes are associated by lifestyle transitions that reflect reduced physical
activity during leisure time and at work (Rippe and Angelopoulos, 2012). A number of studies
exhibit that reduced physical activity is one of the significant risk aspect of adult obesity. It is
also important to note that work-associated activity has deteriorated over the past years in
developed nations while leisure time along with television watching and other physically
sedentary activities has amplified. The interaction influences among environmental aspects,
individual behavior and the genetic tendency on gaining weight has received study interests in
latest decades. According to Horton (2015), the likely mechanisms by which genetic tendency
may operate comprise poor appetite regulation, low resting metabolic rate, reduced rate of lipid
oxidation and low fat-free physique. Generally, the evidence outlined in this part of the essay

ADULT OBESITY

exhibits that there is adequate evidence to justify well-targeted action to prevent and eradicate
adult obesity. Obesity prevention in adults can possibly have a key impact in reducing sicknesses
and mortality that result from the lasting effects of extra body fatness.
Given the huge expenses, both personal and public, of obesity and how hard it is to lose
weight once an adult becomes obese, prevention is crucial (Rippe and Angelopoulos, 2012).
Based on the analysis and investigation of this particular problem, treating adult obesity through
lifestyle change interventions can be the best approach. Bearing in mind that slowing the growth
of adult obesity will take multifaceted, large scale efforts, within individuals, nations and
societies across the world, to increase physical activity and advance peoples food varieties. This
is a remarkable approach because unhealthy eating practices and inactive lifestyle have been
regarded as the key causes of the adult obesity problem. In a precise way, this approach is
multifaceted and focuses on factors contributing to obesity in adults as well as involve diverse
levels of stakeholders and other significant parties. As the occurrence of obesity and significance
of related co-morbidities increases, the effectiveness of this particular approach has been
extremely considered. However, it may be hard to demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy
within a short timescale given the complex relationship of diverse biological, social and
environmental factors. Even though this might lead in trivial transitions at personal level, the
public health effects at population level have the prospective to be important. It is advisable to
consider all stages while employing this approach so that it can be effective to the society and
general population.
Treating adult obesity through lifestyle change interventions is multi-component and
concentrate on both diet and physical activity, instead of attempting to change either diet or
physical activity separately. In this case, it is divided into two components, dietary program and

ADULT OBESITY

physical activity program. The dietary program is aimed to improve eating habits among adults
and reduce energy intake so that obese can alter their eating habits. In order to achieve the
expected objectives, health professionals and trained staff will be involved to provide the
necessary advice and guidance of adapting health dietary habits. An office or tents, screening
machine and toolkits in a health care center may be required for facilitating this process as well
as a transportation means, which the staff can use while visiting the obese adults. The toolkit
comprise the necessary tools for the clinician and brochures containing guidelines, causes and
prevention measures of adult obesity. However, the physical activity program focus on activities
that fit easily into adults lives such as cycling, dancing, jogging and walking. This program aim
to improve peoples certainty in their ability to change. Subsequent support comprising suitable
written materials should be provided to the patient either through phone, internet or mail. In fact,
the program advices obese adults to be active for 60 to 90 minutes daily in order not to gain wait
again. The guidelines of this approach recommend that health professionals screen all obese
adults and provide rigorous counselling and behavioral involvements to promote sustained
weight loss. Similar to programs that aid adults quit smoking, limited-cost interventions require
to be available for health professionals to refer people to for support in attaining weight, nutrition
and physical activity goals.
Fundamentally, the key stakeholders in implementing this approach include clinicians,
patients, nursing board and health professionals. Clinicians will play a major role in examining
obese adults in healthcare centers and ensuring that they follow the guidelines. On the other
hand, patients will be the key component in this approach because it is majorly focused to
improve their condition by receiving, following and seeking treatment. These patients include
adults between 25 years old and 75 years old. Health professionals are needed to provide a range

ADULT OBESITY

of weight management options to adults who want to lose or maintain their weight, or are at
possibility of weight gain, and aid them decide what best matches their conditions. However, the
nursing board will play the role of commissioning this particular approach and ensuring that it is
in accordance to the nursing regulations. While engaging with the key stakeholders in this
approach, it was hard to convince the health professionals and nursing board why they need to
consider this prevention strategy, though they were pleased at the end of the engagement.
Additionally, there was a difficulty of motivating patients to take the amount of effort required
for prevention of adult obesity, and the need to differentiate other interventions with the proposed
approach.
Conclusion
A major emphasis on obesity prevention is required in the population at large to inhibit
the growth of obesity in those adults who are still in the ordinary weight range and in future
generations. Basically, this is important because health risks and health care expenses related
with adult obesity are considerable. As an efficient prevention approach, treating adult obesity
through lifestyle change interventions can be of great importance to the society. This proposed
approach is multi-component and concentrate on both diet and physical activity, instead of
attempting to change either diet or physical activity separately. It is an exceptional approach
because unhealthy eating practices and inactive lifestyle have been regarded as the key causes of
the adult obesity problem. Even though there will be barriers of inadequate capital and resistance
from key stakeholders while implementing this approach, its success depend ultimately on
individual lifestyle modifications, and further research on motivations for behavior adjustment in
order to advance it.

ADULT OBESITY

References
Horton, A. (2015). Adult Obesity in the US: Obesity Problems Affecting the African American
Community. J WomenS Health Care, 04(05). http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/21670420.1000261
Payne, W., Hahn, D., & Mauer, E. (2013). Understanding your health. New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill.
Rippe M. J., & Angelopoulos T. J. (2012). Obesity: Prevention and Treatment. CRC Press. Print.