Health Initiative in Obesity in United Kingdom


 


Introduction


One of the global problems is obesity and at the rate at which statistics are escalating, families, communities and governments can no longer ignore the problem. It can be said that in order to solve the issue, the government should make the first move on initiating ways which involved in the efforts to treat and prevent obesity. Involvement is achieved by making people aware of the concept of obesity, its causes, how it can be treated, how it can be prevented, and the role that each person plays in addressing this problem.  


Maurer and Sobal (1999) states that while body weight is a salient personal issue to many individuals, weight is also increasingly seen as a broader health issue. Numerous analyses of weight as a public health problem claim that there are “epidemics” of obesity and eating disorders. With the growing concerns about obesity, different countries, specifically the United Kingdom are trying to initiate strategies to lessen or reduce the obesity cases, particularly among adults. Hence, this paper will discuss the initiative of the United Kingdom regarding the obesity among adults and the role of the national health government has done so far to prevent the fast growing dilemma in obesity in the country.


Obesity is the condition of having an excess of body fat because of the relationship of the genetic make-up and the lifestyle of a person. Obesity is being excessively overweight limiting the capabilities of the person to engage in different physical activity. This report will explore the prevalence of obesity in the United States and find out the reasons causing this problem.


 


(b)Discuss what is health?


According to the World Health Organization, health is described as the state of a complete emotional, physical, and social well-being of an individual and not merely the absence of infirmity or disease.  The WHO further refined health definition and they have seen health as a resource for daily life not the objective of living. Health is a positive context which emphasizes social and personal resources and also the physical ability.


The term health has been used to define a certain status or condition of an individual. It could either refer to one’s physical, mental, or social state. Physical health for instance, is a condition of an individual without any disabilities or diseases. A physically healthy person also has sufficient energy to perform daily tasks and activities without undue fatigue. Mentally, a person is healthy when he or she is not suffering from any mental ailments. People that are mentally healthy have the ability to cope daily challenges and can carry out social interactions without undue emotional, mental, or behavioural deficiencies. On the other hand, social health refers to the capacity of a person to interact effectively with other individuals within his or her social environment. Socially healthy individuals in other words, are capable of creating and enjoying harmonious and satisfying personal relationships.


Thus, the health status of an individual is synonymous to a person’s well-being, which refers to the state of being contented, successful, and healthy. This condition encompasses clear thinking, spirituality and emotional ability that enables a person to create, love, and change. In order to achieve a good well-being, the individual must undergo a life long process of becoming aware of alternatives and choices to make appropriate decisions toward a more balanced and fulfilling life.


Generally, health is a state of equilibrium between humans and the environment. This concept tries to imply that health is an expression of total conditions of human life, including physical, genetic, chemical, environmental, cultural, economic, psychosocial, mental, intellectual, and spiritual aspects.  Health in a way is an aspect that determines one’s way of living and relates to every thing that becomes part of human life systems. The definition of health has transcended from the present techno-centric boundaries from a more holistic approach, encompassing and relating to all developments and aspects of human life. Hence, health is considered as a resource that enables people to lead an individually, socially, and economically productive life. Rather than an object of living, health is considered as a resource essential to everyday living, emphasizing on social and personal resource as well as physical capabilities.


 


(c) Health Promotion Initiative in Adults with Obesity? What is Health Promotion?


            Obesity is a condition wherein an adult is overweight and it is associated with various illnesses relevant to increased mortality and also lowered the life expectancy of the individual. The context of obesity is now considered as a government wide priority. In order to fight the dangers of obesity among adults, the government of the United Kingdom has been able to initiate a health promotion programme which concerns obesity. Accordingly, health promotion initiative is a programme which consists of lifestyle habits development in which individuals or communities can use to enhance and maintain their state of well-being (White, 1979).


Researches indicates that health promotion programs can help to improve health, reduce disease risks, manage chronic illnesses, control obesity and improve the well-being and self-sufficiency of individuals, families, organizations, and communities (Jonas, 2003).  In England, one of the health promotion programme initiated by the government is the “Healthy Weight, Health Lives” approach in January 2008 (HWHL, 2008).


This programme supports the establishment of having a healthy society from early years of the individual, to schools and food, from physical activity to sport planning, health service and even transport activity. This initiative aims on bringing together individuals, employers, and communities to promote health and healthy foods, provide support health at work, and build physical activity in adult lives and to give incentives more broadly to promote optimal health. Furthermore, this programme also aims on providing effective treatment and support when individuals become obese or overweight.


As mentioned, the health promotion programme (Healthy Weight, Health Lives) was established to adhere to the needs of the UK community to have a programme that will focus on helping adults in controlling their body weight and reducing the risk of obesity.


 


 (d)How does health promotion initiatives view health?


            Health promotion initiatives view health as a must for every individual from early years.  Health promotion aims on promoting the importance of having a healthy well-being and it includes the prevention of disease through supplying clean water, proper waste disposal, and legislation for clean air, health education programs, and medical care for the whole community through doctors, nurses, and hospitals.


The government approach of health promotion initiatives is to create an environment where people are encouraged and supported to adopt healthy lifestyles. This may be done by providing clear information to enable people to make their own decisions about choices that impact on their health, offering tailored support, personalised services and equal access, and by partnership working across communities, specifically the adult health in UK. .


 


(e)  What is Obesity in Adults?


            In UK, it has been noted that the obesity rates of adults have almost increased four times in the last years. It is said that 22% of UK population are obese and almost three fourths are overweight (BBC, 2008). To most people, obesity is referred to the condition of being very overweight. Health professionals have defined this as an excess amount of weight of individuals which include water, bone, muscle, and fat.


Specifically, obesity is referred to the excess amount of body fats. Obesity can be measured in various ways. Adult individuals maybe obese because of the food they eat and their lifestyle.  In a study, it has been considered that obesity is more common in adults who are employed in manual professions like in most women. 25% of women working in unskilled manual profession have a body mass index of more than 30 kg/m2 than those women who are employed in a professional role (DPHPC, 2008).


            It can be said that the change in the perception of obesity as a health concern and not a physical appearance factor is also needed. In connection, increased research on the behavioral and biological causes of the problems is also needed. More information will make more people believe that obesity as a health concern is more important than obesity as a social stigma.


 


 (f) Use the Beattie model to critically analyse the potential for sustainable change.


            The health promotion programmes to reduce and eliminates the problems of obesity and its underlying consequences in the UK. In order to critically analyse whether such program is sustainable for change there are some models which can be used and this include the Beattie’s model on health promotion (1991). Beattie’s model considers four aspects in which the health promotion programme should be involved. These include health persuasion, personal counselling, community development, and legislative actions. In terms of the first paradigm (health persuasion), it can be said that the health promotion programme of UK to fight for obesity can be considered to have the potential of changing the behaviour of people with the kind of food they eat. Herein people will be aware of the importance of proper diet and maintaining normal weight. On one hand, in terms of personal counselling, it can be said that the “Healthy Weight, Health Lives” also provide personal counselling to ensure every obese people have someone to talk to regarding their condition and how they can improve their health status.


            This programme has also the potential for sustaining the changes in terms of the development of a community. According to Beattie (1991), the improvement health can be influenced at a community level and through the government’s initiative, it can be said that the promotion programme has a potential for sustainable change.  In line with the legislative actions, the government of UK has been able to issue bills that protect the public from unhealthy foods, by requiring food industries to ensure that what they provide adhere to the standards provided by the government.


           


 (g) Which inequalities and determinants of health the initiative appears to address?


Being able to realise the prevalence of adult obesity in UK, the government of UK provide a health promotion program. It can be said that the inequalities and determinants of health that the health promotion of UK addresses includes the increase rate of mortality due to obesity, the lowered life expectancy as an effect of obesity and the possible associated chronic illnesses with obesity.


Through the data available regarding the increasing rate of adults obesity not in United Kingdom but also in the world, the government of the UK has been able to assess that the need of the UK community for health promotion programme that will focus on assisting older adults to have a good health, healthy lifestyle. The health promotion programmes of UK regarding obesity issue also addresses the promotion, protection, and improvement of the health of the community and reduce health inequalities, the use of cooperation among local authorities and other health organisations.


In addition, the health promotion programme also addresses having systematic and managed disease prevention and health promotion programs that meet the requirements of national service frameworks and national plans. And they are also able to address the determinants of protecting the public by having planned responses in place to deal with significant incidents or other emergency situations which could affect the provision of normal health services (Department of Health, 2008)


 


(h)What is the level of prevention?


            It can be said that with the health promotion programme “Healthy Weight, Health Lives” initiated by the government of UK to solve the issue of obesity among adults, the level of prevention is considered high. Furthermore, since the government of UK are being alarmed with the negative effect of obesity to the entire community, their initiative for preventing obesity among adults are very high.


One of the ways to prevent the problem is the assurance that more food options are available community especially healthy foods. These food options include those which are low in fat and calories as well as vegetables, fruits and whole grains.


There is also a need to create community facilities that people can use for physical activities. In connection to this, work sites should also provide for the time to engage in physical activities. Moreover, since the increase in physical activities is needed, there should be a decrease in time spent watching television and other inactive behaviors.


The change in the perception of obesity as a health concern and not a physical appearance factor is also needed. In connection, increased research on the behavioral and biological causes of the problems is also needed. More information will make more people believe that obesity as a health concern is more important than obesity as a social stigma.


Lastly, the report also mentioned that the education on the prevention and treatment of obesity for health care providers and adults should be implemented. Although, obesity is indeed a growing problem, it can be solved if all UK individuals are to be made aware of the increasing dangers of eating. This could be further done with the cooperation of fast food chains and the government.  All in all, it can be noted that through the use of Beattie’s health promotion model, the health promotion programme of the UK is analysed to have a potential for sustainable change.


 (i) What are the Ethics considerations?


            The main goal “Healthy Weight, Health Lives” is to adhere to the needs of the community for promoting the dangers of obesity and the importance of having a healthy h well-being. In this regard, the government of the United Kingdom conducted this health promotion initiative to help adult in reducing obesity and its risks. In this regard, the ethical issue considered by this program is regarding suicidal tendency.  It is said that because of some emotional and physical burden, adults have a strong suicidal tendency. 


Realizing that the inability of the adults to control their being obese or overweight is one of the factors of this problem, hence, “Healthy Weight, Health Lives” has been conducted. This is to promote a healthy lifestyle and quality living for adult population in United Kingdom.


 


(j) Conclusion


Obesity is a serious problem faced by People in UK. More than half of the UK population is overweight or obese. Obesity is caused by a combination of genetic characteristics and lifestyle with food intake and frequency of physical activity as its components. The genetic characteristic of low metabolic rate cannot be altered at the level of technological advancements existing today. Efforts at treating and preventing obesity depend upon the alteration of the unhealthy lifestyle of individuals.


People should learn the combination of food appropriate for their genetic characteristics and physical needs. There are many physical activities that people can do from walking the last block to the office to jogging or working out at the gym. It can be said that even if the government has been able to initiate means and ways to reduce obesity problems among adults if the people involved do not follow what the health organisations are telling them it is very impossible to reduce obesity cases in the country.


 


Reference


Beattie, A. (1991) Knowledge and Control in Health Promotion: a Test Case for Social Policy and Social Theory; in Gabe J, Calnan M. and Bury M. (editors) (1991) The Sociology of the Health Service. Routledge


 


DPHPC 2008.  UK obesity statistics, viewed June 20, 2008<www.dphpc.ox.ac.uk/>


 


Department of Health 2008, The Department of Health, England, viewed, June 20, 2008 <http://www.dh.gov.uk/>.


 


Healthy Weight, Health Lives: A Cross Government Strategy for England January  2008.


 


Maurer, D. and Sobal, J 1999. The Miseducation of American Teachers:  Fatness and Thinness as Social Problems. Aldine De Gruyter. New York, 1999.


 


National Health Service in England, The National Health Service in England,      viewed June 20 2008, <http://www.nhs.uk/england/>.


 


Roemer, MI 1991, National Health Systems of the World, University Press, New   York.


 


van’t Sonja Hof, and Nicolson, M. “The Rise and Fall of a Fact:  The Increase in Anorexia Nervosa”. Sociology of Health and Illness 18(5):581-608, 1996.


 


Wadden, Thomas, A. “Treatment of Obesity: An Overview.” Clinical Diabetes 22 Mar. 2003.


 



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