1

Student’s Name

Course

Institution

Date
 2

Obesity in Ohio

Bodyweight gain has been a national concern where there has been an increased rate

of the American population having the condition of being clinically obese. Bodyweight gain

which most often called obesity is on the rise in the state of Ohio. Following the latest health

report of the United States of 2019, 30.9% of all women in Ohio aged between 18 and 44

years were obese and 32.4% of the total youth population was obese. This gives a rough

image of how this health issue is of magnitude when it comes to healthcare provision. This

obesity links the individuals to other forms health complications such as diabetes,

cardiovascular diseases, et al. According to National Statistics Report (2017), an estimated

population of 30.3 million people of all ages which is 9.4% of the U.S. population had

diabetes in 2015 and 95% of all these individuals were found to be obese with a

characteristic physical inactivity.

Obesity being a health hazard in Ohio is also a national concern. Reports indicate that

a rough percentage of 87.5% of all adults were clinically obese in 2017. (NBS, 2017). As

seen through various studies conducted by different groups of people, obesity is attributed to

environmental, socio-cultural, religious and economic factors as well as genetic

conformation of a person which makes one to be prevalent for obesity. Also access to

medical care is also another underlying factor that leads to increased weight gain within the

state’s population. For example, study shows that people living in the bottom quarter of the

social-economic status of society tend to be more prone to becoming obese. This can be

because these individuals possibly face food insecurity and hence most the time tend to go
 3

for cheap fast foods which are unhealthy to their bodies and end up increasing their body fats

hence increasing their body weight.

According to Purslow (2008), socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the important

determinants of weight gain, chronic disease acquisition and other related health issues. As

property values indicate the amount of wealth and resources one has, it also gives an

inference of a person's ability to access medical and physical facilities which correlate with

the body mass index (BMI) of that individual. Geo-location of a person's property and

household resources affects BMI of such individuals.

For example, individuals whose homes are near social amenities such as parks,

walkable neighborhoods, trails, and physical exercise amenities have lower BMI which

positively correlates to the acquisition of obesity. Such individuals have their property and

home prices which are a bit higher than most of the population elsewhere in the county.

For the population of people living within the state of Ohio, studies show that the

populations whose earnings are high tend to have a higher BMI as compared to those earning

slightly less income. This is attributed to lifestyle factors such as increased spent watching

television among household young adults and children, lack of physical exercises, dietary

malpractices, et al. Also, built environment such as limited access to groceries that sell

healthy foods also play a major role in raising the BMI of this group of individuals (Lovasi

et al, 2009).
 4

Religion also has a part to play in the obesity acquisition by the members in the

society. Though there is no solid research evidence that links BMI with faith and religion,

religious faith implies determining the way people live and how they adapt their lifestyles

from the doctrines they subject themselves into. For example, most of the American

churchgoers look at the ministers both for civic leadership and also for support in choosing

the kind of lifestyle they should live in.

Access to medical services has also been another factor that helps in the acceleration

of cases of obesity in the state of Ohio in general. As there are people in Ohio who are not

legible for Medicaid and other medical aid programs within the state, the cost of medical

care scares away most people. Due to this, people tend to develop other complications that

render then immobile and physically inactive. This causes them to have a higher BMI which

result to obesity. If these people could have easy access to medical access, they could be on a

better stand with regard to bodyweight gain and related complications and conditions.

In another instance, many religions hold on to the fact and the doctrine that prohibit

the use of alcoholic drinks and tobacco terming it as being immoral but to the contrary fail to

term overeating as being immoral. Therefore, religion to some extent contributes to the BMI

increase of its members. On the other hand, religion helps in reducing depression, stress and

desperation by providing spiritual consolation which in turn helps lower BMI and the

possible risk of obesity.

 5

The presence of an obese member in a household results in an increased risk of

obesity by the other members of that household (Galea, et al, 2011). This can be drawn back

to the fact that children's dietary factors and physical exercises are greatly affected and

influenced by their elder member. If the obese family member happens to be a parent, most

definitely the younger members of that family will tend to have an increased rate of

becoming obese.

Having discussed the health issue and the factors that increase its epidemic across the

state the big question that comes to our mind is what are we doing to curb this menace?

What is the state doing about this health issue? Do the public know about this health

problem? The answers to these questions have to be answered and some of them have

already been answered. In the state of Ohio there has been a relentless campaign on the

sensitization of the public about health hazards associated with obesity. For example, there

are commercial advertisements on both the digital and the print media that advise on healthy

eating and acquisition of a healthy lifestyle.

Since most of the obese cases are reported to be caused by physical inactivity of the

individual (getting less than ten minutes a week of moderate to vigorous activity), there has

been social functions that help communicating to the general public on the importance of

engaging in physical exercises and to keep fit as there is an alarming physical inactivity in

the state’s population (22.9% according to Americas Health Rankings report 2019). The state

has also provided social amenities such as outdoor gyms to further help in reducing the

problem of obesity among its people.

 6

Public health nurses have also not been left behind in helping solve this problem. For

example, they are actively involved in post-treatment care where they do follow up on those

patients with obesity related complications such as diabetes and cardiovascular problems to

help in the management of obesity. Such activities include offering professional advice on

dietary choices and lifestyle changes and also in the creation of awareness to these patients

on the need to reduce their weight.

Through state funding, the state of Ohio has seen an increase in the number of people

accessing health care services. Through programs and policies such as Medicaid and CHIP,

many people are able to access medical services in the recent past. This has seen a

significant drop in the number of people diagnosed with weight gain related illnesses. Also,

through professional health advisors at medical centers, there has been an improvement in

the overall health of the state population proving that with proper funding and injection of

the right energy, medical services and advice are core factors in improving the general health

of all human beings.

Inclusion of other sectors of economy such as use of technology in the medical

facilities can be very vital in reducing the pangs of obesity. For example, use of electronic

health services (EHR) and balanced scorecard helps in improving health services and in

proper documentation of the treatments given to the patients for later reference and

assessment. Through this, the healthcare providers will be able to conduct statistics and

research that will better suite these patients for a better clinical experience and a problem-

solving step towards obesity and other health issues

 7

References

America’s Health Rankings Report 2019.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2017). National Diabetes Statistics Report 2017.

Atlanta, GA:Center for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Dept of Health and Human

Services; 2017.

Galea S, Tracy M, Hoggatt KJ, Dimaggio C, Karpati A. (2011). Estimated Deaths

Attributable to Social Factors in the United States. Am J. Public Health. [PMC free

aticle] [PubMed] [Google Scholar].

Khaw KT, Bingham SA, Sandhu MS. (2008). Socioeconomic position and risk of short term

weight gain; a prospective study of 14694 middle-aged men and women. BMC Public

Health. Web. Free article. [PubMed] [Google Scholar].

Lovasi GS, Hutson MA, Guerra M, Neckerman KM. (2009). Built Environments and

Obesity in Disadvantaged Populations. Epidemiol Rev. [PubMed] [Google Scholar].

Marmot M. (2005). Social Determinants of Health Inequalities. 2005;365(9464): 1099-104.

Lancet.

McLaren L. (2007). Socioeconomic Status and Obesity. Epidemiol Rev 2007;29;29-

48;10.1093/epirev/mxm001. [PubMed] [CrossRef].

Purslow LR, Young EH, Wareham NJ, Forouhi N, Brunner EJ, Luben RN, Welch AA