+1 862 207 3288 Obesity in Washington (DC).Background Information
Obesity in Washington (DC). Obesity is the excessive accumulation of fat in the body. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), in the United States of America (USA), the prevalence of obesity is 40%. CDC describes obesity as the Body Mass Index that exceeds 30. In the year 2015 to 2016, CDC estimated the prevalence of obesity at 44% among adults aged 60 years and above, 40% among middle-aged adults, 20 % among the youths and 13 % in children. Generally, the prevalence of obesity reduced with reduction in age. The prevalence of obesity changes with race. According to CDC, non-Hispanic blacks are most affected by obesity followed by, Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. Washington DC is ranked as the second last state where obesity prevalence is lowest. However, over the last seven years, the rate of obesity in Washington DC has increased by 10%. Obesity changes with social and economic status. The rate of the prevalence of obesity reduces with the level of education. Additionally, obesity is highest among the lowest and highest income earners across all age groups and races (Centers for Disease Control, & Prevention, 2017).
One of the preventive measures against obesity is physical activity. According to The National Institutes of Health (NIH), community campaigns increase the level of awareness of obesity, motivates community members to undertake physical activities. Awareness campaigns maybe tailored towards a specific group of individuals or differentiated community groups. Awareness campaigns increase cohesiveness and sense of collective responsibility across members of different races, social classes and races (National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute, 2015). The CDC has come up with empirically proven additional strategies to increase the effectiveness of physical activities. Such strategies include; school-based education on physical activities, building social networks for support, promoting access to physical activity facilities and supporting individuals for patient-centered behavioral changes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).
Research has indicated that healthy foods promote growth and reduce the risk of obesity. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends that only foods that are healthy should be sold and consumed in food markets and restrict the availability of less nutritious foods in food outlets and markets. The IOM also recommends that the government implements policies that set standards for the type of foods that are sold through the government (Institutes of Medicine, 2014).
Breastfeeding has been found to reduce the risk of the baby developing obesity. Institutional breastfeeding practices significantly affect the length of the breastfeeding period after birth. The CDC recommends maternity practices that support breastfeeding. Research has identified breastfeeding support, education, and training to increase the time of initiation and period of breastfeeding (Committee on Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention, 2013).
Obesity in Washington (DC). Objective of Proposal
The objective of the proposal is to reduce the rates of obesity in Washington DC, by at least 5% in a period of two years.
Specific Objectives
The specific on objectives of this report are;
To increase the number of people in Washington DC who participate in physical activities aimed at reducing obesity.
To reduce the availability and consumption of less nutritious foods in Washington DC.
To improve breastfeeding practices among breastfeeding mothers in Washington C.
Obesity in Washington (DC). Description of activities
Physical activities. Residents of Washington DC will be educated on the importance of physical exercise in the reduction of obesity and prevention of weight gain. Physical exercise education and activities will be intensified in schools. The type and duration of physical activities will be dependent on the BMI. Awareness programs will target the general public and specific group such as students and staff in various workplaces. Individuals will be assisted to create social networks through group formations to facilitate social support in undertaking physical exercise.
Nutrition. The public will be educated on the relationship between types of foods, weight gain and obesity. Awareness of nutrition will focus on schools to educate the school’s administration on types of nutritious and healthy foods and ways to restrict the availability of such foods within schools. This proposal serves to advise policymakers on importance and ways of restricting the supply of foods that are associated with weight gain thus causing obesity.
Breastfeeding. In order to promote maternity practices that support breastfeeding, this paper proposes initiation of breastfeeding within the recommended time after delivery. Additionally, the document recommends continued support for breastfeeding mothers after discharge from hospitals after delivery.
Obesity in Washington (DC). Project Participants
The participants in the implementation of the project include the healthcare workers to support breastfeeding practices, education on physical exercises to the patients at risk of obesity. The government will participate in developing and enforcing policies that restrict entry of less nutritious food into the market. School management will assist in limiting the availability of unhealthy foods in schools.
Obesity in Washington (DC). Project Evaluation
The success of the project proposal will be assessed based on the reduction in the number of people in Washington DC who have recorded improvement of severity of obesity. The proposal will also be assessed based on the number of people implementing physical activities as presented in this proposal. Further, the proposal will be evaluated according to the number of babies who have been breastfed according to the breastfeeding practice. Contact us for a quote for a similar paper.
Obesity in Washington (DC). References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC. (2014). School health guidelines to promote healthy eating and physical activity. MMWR. Recommendations and reports: Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Recommendations and reports, 60(RR-5), 1.
Centers for Disease Control, & Prevention. (2017). Epidemiology Program Office. MMWR.: Recommendations and Reports (Vol. 47). US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, Epidemiology Program Office.
Committee on Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention. (2013). Accelerating progress in obesity prevention: solving the weight of the nation. National Academies Press.
Institutes of Medicine (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. Jama, 311(8), 806-814.
National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute, North American Association for the Study of Obesity, Expert Panel on the Identification, … & Obesity in Adults (US). (2015). The practical guide: identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. The Institute.
