By the year 2030, 50 percent of the United States population is expected to be obese (Trotter 2016). Obesity is determined using a BMI scale, or body mass index; this tool is a formula that calculates a number to represent an individual’s height to weight ratio. If a person has a BMI of 30 or above they are considered to be obese, while a person with a BMI of over 40, is considered morbidly obese (Berrios L.A. 2016). America is known for having an obese and overweight population; many stereotypes in other countries are centered around the flawed concept of “lazy Americans”, despite the fact that experts believe obesity is much more complex than inactivity and poor diet. Additional opposition to this rhetoric shows that obesity is not confined
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Obesity continues to be on America’s radar, with First Lady Michelle Obama initiating the “Let’s Move” campaign to combat childhood obesity, as well as the Obesity Action Coalition, which aims to improve access for treatment and prevention of obesity, as well as to provide advocacy and support for those who have been stigmatized as a result of their condition (OAC 2016). Locally, in New Jersey, one in four adults is overweight, this has lead several hospitals in New Jersey to invest millions of dollars in equipment, in order to better accommodate the rising amount of patients who are obese or overweight (AACN, 2012). According to Kansas Nurse by the year 2030 the cost of obesity for health care will rise $48 to $66 billion from $147 billion in 2008 (Trotter 2016). Not only are patients dying of preventable diseases related to obesity, hospitals in New Jersey, and the entire country are literally paying the …show more content…
Health care professionals by nature focus on facts: concrete hemoglobin values, strict intake and output, measurable outcomes. Managing obesity however, is much more complex than calories consumed and burned. Oftentimes, people become overweight and obese as a result of inadequate access to affordable, healthy food; in fact, 14.5% of households have limited access to healthy food, and are in regions known as “food deserts” where the most accessible and affordable food is fast food (Trotter G. 2016). It is a difficult pattern to break. Even if members of these disenfranchised populations possess sufficient knowledge on what is and is not healthy, they are not able to save enough money to purchase healthier groceries, let alone gain access to travel to these
Obesity continues to be on America’s radar, with First Lady Michelle Obama initiating the “Let’s Move” campaign to combat childhood obesity, as well as the Obesity Action Coalition, which aims to improve access for treatment and prevention of obesity, as well as to provide advocacy and support for those who have been stigmatized as a result of their condition (OAC 2016). Locally, in New Jersey, one in four adults is overweight, this has lead several hospitals in New Jersey to invest millions of dollars in equipment, in order to better accommodate the rising amount of patients who are obese or overweight (AACN, 2012). According to Kansas Nurse by the year 2030 the cost of obesity for health care will rise $48 to $66 billion from $147 billion in 2008 (Trotter 2016). Not only are patients dying of preventable diseases related to obesity, hospitals in New Jersey, and the entire country are literally paying the …show more content…
Health care professionals by nature focus on facts: concrete hemoglobin values, strict intake and output, measurable outcomes. Managing obesity however, is much more complex than calories consumed and burned. Oftentimes, people become overweight and obese as a result of inadequate access to affordable, healthy food; in fact, 14.5% of households have limited access to healthy food, and are in regions known as “food deserts” where the most accessible and affordable food is fast food (Trotter G. 2016). It is a difficult pattern to break. Even if members of these disenfranchised populations possess sufficient knowledge on what is and is not healthy, they are not able to save enough money to purchase healthier groceries, let alone gain access to travel to these