Obesity is a complex clinical problem whose prevalence is on the rise globally. The disorder involves excess body fat compared to what is burnt out during daily exercise. It is a lifestyle condition that is controlled through diet and physical exercises. The changes in lifestyle in the world have led to a significant change in health status. In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when movements were restricted, people exercised less, and the prevalence increased exponentially. Further, changes in economic models where some people are expected to work for long hours without time for exercise increased the problem. It is prudent to note that obesity is categorized into three different categories, low risk, medium risk, and high risk. The level of risk is determined based on the body mass index. Body mass index is a value obtained by dividing the body mass by a square of a person’s height. A healthy person has a BMI index between eighteen and twenty-five. Any BMI below a person is considered underweight, while a person over twenty-five is overweight. This paper will identify and describe obesity as a global concern.
Obesity is a major topic of interest that is gaining global momentum. Most countries have experienced a doubling and another tripling of obesity cases. The numerous changes in the world today, such as a sedentary lifestyle, urbanization, and the increased sale and consumption of junk food, are among the main causes of obesity. Currently, obesity is one of the major causes of morbidity, disability, and premature death (Rosa-Gonçalves et al., 2019). Further, it is a major cause of other opportunistic conditions such as higher blood pressure and cardiovascular conditions. The disease burden related to obesity is higher compared to any known disease, and understanding it is the first step towards ensuring that an appropriate antidote is developed. Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for other chronic health conditions such as stroke, heart attack, and cancer, which are some of the leading causes of death globally. The current statistics state that 39% of the world’s population is overweight, while 13% are obese (Brown, 2020). The global trend shows that obesity poses one of the greatest clinical threats.
Obesity Background
Obesity prevalence has been on the rise in the past decade. However, the origin of the disease can be traced back to over 25,000 years during the Stone Age (Rosa-Gonçalves et al., 2019). People who were overweight were considered cursed and left to die due to the challenges associated with the disease. In the 17th century, however, traditions changed, and being overweight was considered a sign of prosperity. In 1948, the first case was discovered after clinical research, and the world health organization named it one of the most dangerous lifestyle diseases. However, much emphasis was not made until the early 21st century, when numerous cases started being discovered worldwide (Brown, 2020). In the USA, numerous policies are set aside to curb the spread of the condition and require medical personnel and the entire population to heed the preventive measures. One in every three men and one in every four women are considered overweight in the country. Nationally, there is a 41.0% prevalence, making obesity one of the greatest problems (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2022). Nauru is an island in northern Australia where 95% of the population is obese (Rosa-Gonçalves et al., 2019). The risk is spreading faster in the USA, and more people are endangered.
Obesity Risk Factors
Lifestyle changes are considered the largest risk factor for obesity. However, other risk factors are associated with the disease and must be understood. Unhealthy eating behaviors make a person take in more calories leading to being overweight. Genetic factors are sometimes causing obesity, and a person may be affected when the parents are victims of the disease. Urbanization, which reduces the availability of healthy foods and increases the prevalence of junk foods, is likely to increase disease prevalence (Semlitsch et al., 2019). Lack of physical exercise increases the rate of obesity and makes people prone to attack. Employed professors who are always glued to work and lack time for practice are likely to be at a higher risk. Lack of enough sleep and too much television watching can be described as risk factors that make the disease spread more.
Barriers to Addressing the Health Concerns
The process of eliminating a health condition is prefaced by diagnosis and treatment. Socioeconomic factors such as poverty and unemployment make people economically unable to deal with health concerns. The high cost of treatment and a healthy diet poses a barrier to obesity. For physical activities, gyms require registration fees which may be expensive for some people. Lack of knowledge and increased junk food marketing put people at risk and become a barrier to eliminating the healthcare concern. Lifestyle changes pose a major barrier to the fight against obesity. As of 2023, there are over 201,865 businesses that prepare, advertise and sell fast foods to the population (Rosa-Gonçalves et al., 2019). The businesses are allowed by law to advertise unhealthy foods and the population is at risk of the disease. However, eliminating the risk factor of junk food is impossible since the junk food business is supported by law, and people are free to buy junk food. Fighting the disease is not going to be an easy task as the risk factors are highly rooted.
Significance
Coronary artery disease, cancers, diabetes, hypertension, and disability are related to obesity. The healthcare condition, therefore, has a significant impact on the healthcare domain. The main reason the disease is investigated is that it directly affects how people live at work and at home. Knowledge of the disease is likely to save people. The disease needs to be addressed worldwide because the impacts of the disease are increasing by the day, and strong people are deprived of their strength (Semlitsch et al., 2019). Since the disease is a global risk factor for non-communicable diseases, addressing it as a global issue is likely to lower the number of diseases and improve the quality of life. The psychological problem associated with the disease jeopardizes people’s quality of life and needs to be addressed for better health outcomes and quality of life.
Obesity has an economic and social impact on America and the world. The US spends over $173 billion every year to treat the disease (Rosa-Gonçalves et al., 2019). If the disease is controlled, it can save the country numerous resources and allow development. There are numerous challenges, such as healthcare policies, that require funding. Were it not for obesity, the US would have used the money on other budgets such as education, infrastructure, and public relations. Companies are losing their best staff due to obesity, and their productivity is decreasing. As the obesity rates increase globally, many people are likely to depend on healthy ones for survival.
Consequently, the dependency ratio will go high, and the quality of life will be jeopardized. Decreasing life expectancy is important to note that the disease requires global attention. 21% of all American medical expenses are channeled toward obesity (Semlitsch et al., 2019). In the corporate domain, firms that employ more than one thousand people lose over $285,000 on costs associated with the disease (Rosa-Gonçalves et al., 2019). Solving the health challenge will likely improve household revenues and quality of life.
Obesity prevalence has been increasing potentially in the last decade and has affected people holistically. Individual expenses and institutional costs pile up about the obesity increase. Over seventy-five million people in the USA Are working towards reducing their weight. Consequently, the entire world is moving towards obesity-related action. Since over $100 billion is spent on obesity-related matters, the world must have a detailed understanding of the disease (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2022). 33% of all the deaths in the USA are related to obesity, and when people are aware of the disease, the rate is likely to be reduced, ad people are likely to lead a better life (Brown, 2020). Health conditions affect people of all ages and must be stopped at all costs. Failure to stop the spread of the disease is likely to deprive companies of their best workers and broken families and lead to poor quality of life.
Reducing obesity will likely help the US save a huge amount of money and rechannel it to other areas. Over $400 billion of the global economy is channeled to obesity-related screening, education, and treatment (Brown, 2020). Treating the disease would enrich healthcare services by employing additional staff who would, in turn, improve the patient-to-nurse ratio and increase the quality of care. The resources could further be used to ensure that people’s per capita income is increased and the dependency ratio reduced. Consequently, people worldwide would have increased their quality of life. Therefore, correcting the problem is the antidote to ensuring people in the US and the world lead a healthy life free from obesity. The PICO technique is the clinical solution to ensure that research relating to a health condition is successful and that a correct antidote has been developed to cure the health condition.
The PICO Question
A well-built question is a prerequisite for successful research. In evidence-based practice, the population must be well-defined and understood for an intervention to be put in place. PICO is a commonly used acronym in evidence-based practice as it helps ensure that the research is conducted in the most effective way possible. The acronym stands for the Population/Patients that are highly affected by the disease, the intervention used to curb it, the comparison with other conditions, and the outcome (Semlitsch et al., 2019). The strategy is used when an unbiased result is desired in the long run. Using the strategy on obesity research is likely to offer an effective antidote to the challenge.
P: Population is an important aspect of research when dealing with a healthcare condition. The healthcare condition is experienced by people of all ages, including children, adolescents, and adults. It is imperative to note that the condition affects people of all ages, races, and walks of life. Population analysis is key to determining the best measures to overcome health conditions. In most countries in the world, obesity is more prevalent in men compared to women. The intervention and research must be more focused on the more prone population. However, due to the fluctuating nature, the situation must be considered for everyone.
I: Intervention is an adequate solution that will be implemented to ensure that the people are safe from the healthcare condition. Lifestyle disease can be best prevented by changes in the lifestyle that causes the prevalence of the disease. Analyzing the risk factors and creating awareness will likely make people protect themselves from the healthcare condition. Educating the patients and offering services that help people improve their physical exercise to help people lead a quality lifestyle. For example, starting community training programs where people learn about the best lifestyle to overcome their health condition.
C: Comparison is paralleling two interventions and determining which is more effective in overcoming the healthcare issues affecting the people. The effectiveness of each intervention is tested to determine which is more appropriate for the healthcare condition. In obesity prevention, awareness may be compared with screening, and the best antidote may be understood based on the evidence provided. If awareness helps most people, it is considered the antidote to solving the challenge.
O: Outcome is the end product of an intervention and determines whether it is effective. Obesity awareness for people across all ages is likely to lower the levels of obesity in the region because being aware of the risk factors helps lower them. On the other hand, when people are aware of the genetic factors and the impacts of the disease, people are likely to be more careful and safe from the disease. The most significant outcome is to save the huge amounts of money spent by the government on preventing obesity.
Conclusion
Obesity is an emerging global challenge and requires a holistic approach to ensure people’s quality of life is not affected. It is caused by taking too many calories and burning a few into energy. Excessive fat in the body results in the condition. The disease has existed for the past two hundred and fifty decades, and different traditions offered unique definitions. The first case in the contemporary world was discovered in the 20th century, and the prevalence has increased since then. In the past decade, countries worldwide have registered numerous cases of obesity, and the quality of life has been jeopardized. Numerous risk factors for obesity must be understood for the intervention to be effective. Lifestyle changes leading to less physical exercise and taking an unbalanced diet are more likely to cause obesity. Further, genetics is one of the risk factors leading to obesity, and people must be aware of their genetic condition. The PICO question is the prerequisite to ensure that the research on obesity yields the best intervention for the healthcare challenge. America wastes over $193 billion annually in obesity treatment, and overcoming the challenge will likely improve the quality of life in the discourse.
References
Brown, D. (2020). A review of the PubMed PICO tool: using evidence-based practice in health education. Health Promotion Practice, 21(4), 496–498. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839919893361
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2022). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Rosa-Gonçalves, P., & Majerowicz, D. (2019). Pharmacotherapy of obesity: limits and perspectives. American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs, 19(4), 349-364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40256-019-00328-6
Semlitsch, T., Stigler, F. L., Jeitler, K., Horvath, K., & Siebenhofer, A. (2019). Management of overweight and obesity in primary care—A systematic overview of international evidence‐based guidelines. Obesity Reviews, 20(9), 1218-1230. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12889
