M4 Health Policy and Education Paper

For this Module 4 Health Policy and Education Paper, you’ll take an in-depth look at a specific health problem within a population of your choosing.
Identify a health problem affecting a population in general (e.g., quality drinking water, smoking, morbidity rates).
Briefly discuss the problem and its historical evolution to its current state. The problem can be general. The population can be loosely identified in broad terms. The focus is on identifying problems and how policy, healthcare professionals, and issues influence the problem within a population.
Analyze the major factors and issues affecting the problem.
Explore health policy that affects the problem.
Describe the role of health education on the problem.
Describe the role of health professionals on the problem.
Conclude by describing methods to engage the population to initiate change. This could be by one modality (i.e., behavioral change, education, or policy) or multiple modalities (i.e., policy, eliminating disparities, prevention).
This 6-7 page paper should follow APA guidelines and should include at least 3 references.

ANSWER

Module 4 Health Policy and Education Paper

Obesity among African Americans

African American women are the most affected group with obesity and overweight problems. According to the US department of health and human services, African American women have higher rates of being overweight or obese compared to other groups. 4 out of 5 African women are overweight or obese. People who are overweight or obese have higher chances of suffering from high blood pressure and high levels of blood fats, diabetes, and LDL cholesterol, all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Obesity in the African American community has been a growing concern in the past few decades. The growing rates of obesity in the community can be attributed to factors such as inequities facing the community. The African American community has received the short end of the stick in terms of affordable housing income and access to quality education. These factors have contributed to the rise of obesity in the community as it has become hard for them to afford healthy diets or lead healthy lives.

According to Gower & Fowler (2020), data from recent research by the CDC shows that obesity is widespread in the African American community compared to Caucasian or European Americans. However, the prevalence of obesity among African Americans is 55% among women compared to 37% among men. According to the study, African Americans lose less weight compared to European Americans in weight loss trials. According to the study, the disparity between European Americans and African Americans is not apparent, but there is evidence that African Americans participate in less physical activity. The study also shows that long-term weight loss maintenance is lower among African Americans compared to European Americans. This is due to the selective partitioning of energy to storage at the expense of ATP production, especially in African American women.

Apart from their physiology, other factors contribute to the high rates of obesity among African Americans. According to research by Sutherland (2021), environmental factors also contribute to the high prevalence of obesity among African Americans. According to the study, African Americans live in low-income neighborhoods where they do not have access to quality education. Education plays a significant role in the health of their white counterparts as they understand the importance of eating healthy and regular exercise.

The African American community has also been exposed to high levels of stress since slavery, leading to unhealthy coping habits. Most of them tend to turn to comfort foods to deal with their issues instead of dealing with whatever is bothering them. The environment in which they live has negatively impacted their ability to lead healthy lives, with many not being able to afford healthy diets and others not having the time to spare for exercise as they have to work two jobs to ensure they have the money to feed themselves. The stress of working two or three jobs can also take a toll on a person’s emotional health, which can lead to them turning to comfort foods that are unhealthy for them.

Health Policies on Obesity

Obesity is a complex public health problem. The obesity rates in the US have tripled in the past three decades. Obesity has both direct and indirect costs. The direct costs include medical costs associated with obesity (Cawley & Wen, 2018). The indirect costs include disability, premature mortality, and social costs such as bullying. Obesity is a complex, multifaceted problem; thus, there is no one simple solution. The government has proposed different interventions to prevent obesity. Some of the policies that have been recommended or pursued in the US are efforts to reduce tobacco use. Some of the policies that have been put in place to reduce smoking rates include taxation and smoke-free air laws. Local governments have adopted other policies in the US to prevent the widespread rates of obesity in the country. Some of the policies that have been attempted in the country include enacting excuse taxes on sugary drinks. Some of the policies have, however, failed.

Other policies that have been enacted to reduce the high rates of obesity include the focus on school-based physical education and physical activities. Physical activity is one way of ensuring that young people maintain high metabolic rates, which prevents obesity. It also ensures that they do not lead sedentary lifestyles, especially in the age of technology, where they would rather spend their time playing video games than playing outside (Cawley & Wen, 2018). Other policies that have been put in place include school lunches where that eliminate sugary drinks. These are good for the health of the students, and they also facilitate healthy eating. They also ensure that the children from low-income homes have at least one healthy meal a day, and this reduces their chances of being obese. Obesity is a multifaceted problem, and thus, it is important to implement different policies to solve the problem in different ways.

The Role of Health Education

Health education plays a significant role in the reduction of obesity rates in the African American population. Health education is one among the many policies that have been implemented to reduce the rate of obesity in the US (Haghani et al., 2017). The introduction of nutrition and health education in the syllabus helps students in low-income homes to understand the importance of having a healthy diet. It also helps them understand the effects of eating unhealthy fatty foods and sugary beverages. The education they get can be applied at home, and they can teach the community the importance of incorporating healthy meals into their diets. Health education also helps people understand the effect of being obese or leading an unhealthy lifestyle. This could be a motivating factor to quitting smoking, adopting a healthier lifestyle, and exercise.

Health education also helps in defining obesity and overweight. Some people are leading unhealthy lifestyles and are unaware that they are overweight or obese. Health education helps such people understand their state of health. It also helps them understand the predisposing factors of the kind of life they are living. Communities such as the African American community are faced with a myriad of social and economic issues. There are chances that some of the obese people in the community do not know that their physiology also contributes to their obesity. Understanding this could help them deal with the problem with the help of a healthcare provider. The knowledge gap in the African American community is one of the factors that has contributed to the high rates of obesity (Haghani et al., 2017). Health education will help eradicate obesity as they will have the knowledge n how to deal with the problem and eradicate it.

The Role of Healthcare Professionals

Obesity is a complex problem facing America. One of the causes of the obesity epidemic is the lack of knowledge. Healthcare practitioners, therefore, have a role in educating their patients on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Healthcare professionals should be involved in educating their overweight patients o the dangers of their weight (Walsh et al., 2019). They should also not leave their patients hanging. After they tell them they are obese or overweight, they should follow up by giving them guidelines on how to deal with the weight. For example, they should educate the patient on daily routines and what they should do to cut their weight. They can give them a list of unhealthy food and beverages they should avoid. Healthcare providers have insight into the lifestyle of their patients, such as those with excessive alcohol consumption and those who smoke. They should enroll such patients in healthcare programs that could help them lose their habits and weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Healthcare professionals can offer public lectures. This can be done in the community. The community lectures could involve teaching the community the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Some families do not have the knowledge of the importance of leading an active lifestyle and avoiding sugary drinks (Haghani et al., 2017). The public lectures could also involve teaching them the types of healthy foods they can incorporate into their diets to ensure they are healthy. They can also teach them the effects of using alcohol and tobacco on their health. Schools and hospitals in the communities can partner in teaching them the importance of physical activity. They could also be taught health and nutrition by healthcare professionals, which will help raise a generation of young people who are conscious of their physical health and the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Partnering with schools to teach young people the importance of leading a healthy life could lead to reduced rates of obesity.

Methods to Engage the Population

Obesity is a lifestyle disease that can be prevented by changing one’s behavior. One of the ways to help the community change their behavior is by educating them on the harmful effects of the lifestyle they are leading. Healthcare practitioners can impact the health of the community by educating people on the importance of checking what they eat and how it affects their health. They can also be educated on the importance of abandoning unhealthy habits such as smoking tobacco and excessive alcohol intake. Behavioral change can help reduce the rates of obesity if people are made aware of the things they should eat and what they should do to maintain healthy body weight.

Education plays a major role in reducing the number of people with obesity in the country. Health education plays a major role in schools. If children are taught the importance of eating healthy food and participating in physical activities, they will not be tempted to sneak sugary drinks to school. Policies that ensure that students have healthy breakfast and lunch meals in school are also a part of reducing the number of obese children and adolescents in the US (Walsh et al., 2019). Such policies ensure that children from low-income homes also have a healthy diet incorporated into their meals.

In conclusion, obesity is a complex and multifaceted problem that requires different approaches. The community, healthcare professionals, and the government have a role in ensuring that the rates of abortion in the community have been significantly reduced. Low-income communities and minorities are the most affected by obesity, and thus, much needs to be done to eradicate the problem.

Module 4 Health Policy and Education Paper: References

Cawley, J., & Wen, K. (2018). Policies to prevent obesity and promote healthier diets: a critical selective review. Clinical Chemistry, 64(1), 163-172.

Gower, B. A., & Fowler, L. A. (2020). Obesity in African‐Americans: The role of physiology. Journal of Internal Medicine, 288(3), 295–304.

Haghani, S., Shahnazi, H., & Hassanzadeh, A. (2017). Effects of tailored health education program on overweight elementary school students’ obesity-related lifestyle: a school-based interventional study. Oman Medical Journal, 32(2), 140.

Sutherland, M. E. (2021). Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among African American Children and Adolescents: Risk Factors, Health Outcomes, and Prevention/Intervention Strategies. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 8(5), 1281–1292.

Walsh, K., Grech, C., & Hill, K. (2019). Health advise and education given to overweight patients by primary care doctors and nurses: A scoping literature review. Preventive Medicine Reports, 14, 100812.

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