Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers at Anti Essays

Health Policy Community Change

Abstract
Obesity is a complex and a multifactoral chronic disease state that has had a very adverse impact on the American population. It involves interactions between physiological, psychological, genetic, metabolic and environmental influences. The issue of obesity with its related health issues has continued to raise concerns for the Americans and it affects the adults, the adolescents and children. More and more children and adolescents are getting obese or overweight while many others are getting fatter. Therefore, both the stakeholders and practitioners have an important role to play in addressing the issue of obesity and overweight. It is evident that practitioners alone can not solve this problem absolutely and therefore there is need for all stakeholders to join hands in order to combat this epidemic completely. Obesity is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much though they are related.

Introduction
Obesity is a medical condition which is caused by the accumulation of excess body fats to an extent that may bring adverse effects to the health and thus reducing the life expectancy of that individual. The effects of obesity and overweight on the physiology of people vary depending on gender. Obese men usually accumulate fat around the abdomen while those who have overweight tend to become apple-shaped. On the other hand, obese women tend to develop adipose tissue more evenly around the hips and thighs while overweight women become pear-shaped. The way men accumulate fat around the abdomen is highly associated with a syndrome called the metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, increased blood pressure and increased levels of cholesterol and it increases the risk of getting Stroke, coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases. Weight loss can significantly reduce this syndrome.
Other...