Introduction
Obesity is a progressive and life-threatening condition characterized by the buildup of surplus fat. It has a genetic association and involves significant costs. In severe cases, obesity becomes long-term and poses challenges in managing through diet and exercise alone.
The increasing number of overweight or obese individuals in Santa Ana, California is a cause for concern due to the associated health risks. These risks include hypertension, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, stroke, osteoarthritis, and breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Moreover, being overweight or obese also has negative implications for employment opportunities, overall health and longevity. It also causes economic burdens due to associated costs. In addition to this, obesity and overweight have adverse effects on academic performance and emotional well-being in children and youths which can lead to diabetes and other complications later in life. The rising trend of obes
...ity affects people from all social classes in California with varying severity depending on location and population demographics. One contributing factor to obesity is excessive consumption of high-calorie diets.
The text highlights the prevalence of unhealthy eating habits and inadequate physical activity in Latino communities, leading to obesity. Environmental factors play a significant role in influencing individuals' choices regarding their diet and exercise. These communities have an abundance of fast food restaurants, small grocery stores, and convenience stores that offer limited options for fresh produce and nutritious snacks. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of safe and well-equipped areas for children to engage in physical activities. These factors contribute to the increasing rates of obesity among Santa Ana's Latino communities, making it challenging to adopt healthier eating habits.
The presence of a large number of people living in neighborhoods that
promote unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyles has greatly contributed to social and economic inequalities (Tamparo 2016). These areas have limited income and lack access to affordable, nutritious food options. They also lack well-stocked supermarkets and convenient healthy meal choices. Instead, these neighborhoods are filled with an abundance of alcoholic beverages, small stores selling high-calorie snacks without essential nutrients, and easily accessible but unhealthy foods. Only 52% of people in low-income areas have a shopping mall within a half-mile walking distance (Danielsen, 2015). For residents without private vehicles, public transportation may be their only feasible option, especially if these neighborhoods are located far away.
Interventions
Various entities, including the government, foundations, and the community, have important roles in implementing interventions to reduce obesity-related mortality and morbidity. These interventions primarily involve policy changes, system improvements, and environmental modifications. However, the current clinical practices are insufficient in tackling the obesity crisis specifically in California. Therefore, it is vital to prioritize primary prevention by integrating interventions that can effectively reach a large population while demonstrating individual effectiveness and requiring low implementation costs. The obesity policy agenda places emphasis on cost-effective nutrient interventions.
The mentioned interventions have the potential to offset their own cost by reducing healthcare expenses related to obesity. For instance, removing tax subsidies on sweetened beverages and limiting unhealthy food advertisements aimed at children, along with improving the standards for food and drink options in schools (excluding regular school feeding programs), aim to prevent at-risk individuals from consuming unhealthy foods. Another intervention involves displaying calorie information on restaurant menus and implementing stricter nutrition standards in schools. In essence, these measures seek to make unhealthy food less accessible and empower
individuals to make informed choices about their nutritional intake. If these interventions are implemented, they could prevent over two-thirds of current obesity cases and decrease obesity-related healthcare costs, leading to increased societal savings by 2025 (Johnson, 2013; Damms-Machado, 2015).
Suggestions
The issue of obesity among the population of Santa Ana in California necessitates a broader understanding beyond biologically determined causes (Wolfram & Schilllin, 2015). This encompasses elements such as culture, resources, values, and the immediate environment that significantly impact physical activity and eating habits. Instead of assigning blame to lack of self-discipline and resorting to weight loss diets, surgeries, and pills, the most effective approach to addressing this obesity epidemic is to collaborate with the entire community in raising awareness (Tamparo, 2016). This awareness should concentrate on promoting social and environmental conditions that facilitate healthy eating and physical activity while also preventing overweight problems from emerging initially. It is crucial for the community to actively participate in a comprehensive effort aimed at enhancing their dietary choices, exercise behaviors, and living surroundings (Kent, 2016).
Immediate collective action is crucial in combating the obesity epidemic in Santa Ana, California. The focus should be on educating children and their families, implementing stronger school nutrition policies, and creating healthier physical environments. Additionally, it is vital to establish safe communities with ample recreational facilities and affordable healthy food options while also putting an end to the marketing of unhealthy foods to children. To effectively address this issue, efforts must intensify and aim at finding solutions through improved opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity.
California needs to develop and enforce restrictive policies that prioritize the health and well-being of
its citizens. These policies should include guidelines that prohibit the marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks to young children, ensure safe places for play and walking, as well as increase physical activity in educational institutions.
Conclusion
Local and state policies should be implemented to improve health through healthy nutrition in schools (Tamparo, 2016). Models for promoting and improving nutrition and physical activity environments should also be established. Institutions such as churches, media, youth groups, and clubs can play a role in raising public awareness about the societal factors contributing to obesity and how they can be positively influenced. Overweight and obesity are significant concerns that require gradual improvement of nutrition and physical activity environments for better health (Danielsen, 2015).
References
- Tamparo, C. D. (2016). Diseases of the human body. FA Davis.
- Danielsen, K. K. (2015).
According to Kent (2016), inpatient intensive lifestyle intervention is a viable treatment for severe obesity. This intervention goes beyond just reducing weight and includes experiences with physical activity.
Reference: Kent, R. B. (2016). Latin America: regions and people.
Guilford Publications.
- Wolfram, W., & Schilling, N. (2015). American English: dialects and variation(Vol. 25). JohnWiley & Sons.
- Damms-Machado, A., Mitra, S., Schollenberger, A.
E., Kramer, K. M., Meile, T., Konigsrainer, A., ... & Bischoff, S. C. (2015).
Effects of surgical and dietary weight loss therapy for obesity on gut microbiota composition and nutrient absorption. BioMed research international, 2015.
- Dao, M. C., Everard, A., Aron-Wisnewsky, J., Sokolovska, N., Prifti, E., Verger, E. O., ... & Dumas, M.
E. (2016).
Akkermansia muciniphila and improved metabolic health during a dietary intervention in obesity: relationship with gut microbiome richness and ecology. Gut, 65(3), 426-436.
In a clinical trial, T., Holven, K. B., Sandbu, R., et al. (2013) examined the dietary changes in obese patients undergoing gastric bypass or lifestyle intervention.
British Journal of Nutrition, 110(01), 127-134
