NUTRITIONAL AND BODY WEIGHT STATUS 5

Nutrition and Body Weight Status

Tania Gonzalez Diaz

Grand Canyon University

NRS-490

November 26,2017

Nutritional and Body Weight Status

1. Introduction

There isn’t an appropriate age for a person to maintain a healthy body weight. From children, adolescents/young adults, adults and the older population; everyone should be concerned with the type of food they consume, as well as observe their body weight (Xiaofan, Liqiang, Yang, Shasha, Guozhe, Hongmei, Xinghu, Xingang, Zhaoqing and Yingxian, 2012). The increase in nutritional and health conditions has increased to an alarming rate in the United States with an increasing prevalence of obesity (Edelstein, 2011). Health risks related to nutritional and body weight status include but are not limited to the following; obesity, overweight, weight-loss, malnutrition and underweight. The following discussion seeks to address bad eating habits of the working population that has led to the increase in obesity cases in the U.S.

2. Problem Statement

Adult obesity is a constant public health challenge that has continued to impair healthy living leading to increased medical expenses for the U.S. citizens (Edelstein, & Sharlin, 2009). The project seeks to propose on healthy habits that will reduce the incidence of obesity in the adult population.

3. Context

The consumption of healthy and nutritious diets can be a challenge especially considering the working lifestyle of most people. The setting relates mostly to the working population, who seldom have time to pay much attention to their health needs due to their jobs.

4. Description

Typically, a person wakes up to a quick breakfast. Due to limited time during the day, results to eating fast foods, or any quick meal such as snacks or fries. These foods contain high amounts of unhealthy fats and salts. In the evening, people are really tired, and it might become a hassle to look for whole some meals. At the end of the day, there is an accumulated intake of a lot of junk that does not augur well with a healthy-body needs. Due to nutritional deficits and challenges is costs people a lot of money to treat a problem which is easily preventable if addressed early.

5. Impact of the problem

The deficit in balanced diets has led to health and body weight conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes, Stroke, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, certain types of cancer and death. Treating this problem has become serious and expensive where by in 2008 it cost an estimated $147 billion for obesity medical expenses in the U.S. Compared to people with normal weight, the medical cost for people with obesity cost $ 1,429 more (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017).

6. Significance of the problem

The increase in Obesity and Overweight case in the United States are alarming. A steady increase in people population has led to the increase in demand for food. Consequently, there has been an increase in food production and processing which does not consider some fundamental nutritional requirement of the human body. Addressing this challenge calls for people to be more selective in the kinds of foods they choose to buy and consume.

7. Proposed solution

No matter how much the issue of nutrition and body weight is related to a person’s genetic background, culture, environment, behavior and socio-economic factors, nutrition should be a personal initiative (WHO, 1999). People should be responsible for their nutrition and healthy body weights. This will reduce the amount of justification for poor health conditions and will enhance health care delivery for people suffering from nutrition related conditions. According to the Healthy people 2020, a focus on the health benefits of eating a healthful diet and maintaining a healthy body weight is the primary objective for nutrition and body weight status.

The solution for this challenge can be achieved by observing a balanced dietary intake through; consumption of nutrients-rich meals such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low-fat products (Brown, & Isaacs, 2011); and the lessening the intake of products with saturated fats and cholesterol, and added salts and sugars (Fatemeh, Mohd & Maryam, 2014). The working population should ensure that they consume fruits and vegetables, and any organic foods in every part of their meal to maintain a nutritional balance. This will reduce their chances of suffering from any nutrition related health conditions.

Ideally, integration of the nutrition education program with nursing practice, through provision of nutritional counseling as part of nursing care may help alleviate weight and nutrition related illnesses and allow the patients to take charge of their dietary habits.

References

Brown, J. & Isaacs, J. (2011). Nutrition through the life cycle. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, CENGAGE Learning.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2017). Adult Obesity Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

Edelstein, S. & Sharlin, J. (2009). Life cycle nutrition: an evidence-based approach. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Edelstein, S. (2011). Nutrition in public health: a handbook for developing programs and services. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Fatemeh Zarei, Mohd Nasir Mohd Taib & Maryam Zarei, (2014). Nutrition and Weight Management Knowledge, Dietary Intake and Body Weight Status in Iranian Postgraduate Students in Universiti Putra Malaysia. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition

Healthy People 2020, (2017). Nutrition and Weight Status. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Retrieved From: https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/nutrition-and-weight-status

Xiaofan Guo, Liqiang Zheng, Yang Li, Shasha Yu, Guozhe Sun, Hongmei Yang, Xinghu Zhou, Xingang Zhang, Zhaoqing Sun and Yingxian Sun, (2012). Differences in lifestyle behaviors, dietary habits, and familial factors among normal-weight, overweight, and obese Chinese children and adolescents. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical

World Health Organization (WHO), (1999). Obesity: Preventing and managing the global epidemic. Geneva: WHO.