Reflection on Learning

Obesity is an incessant problem in the country. The statistics provided by different surveys show that the problem is continuously increasing. Most scholars have attributed this condition to a number of factors. The high levels of obesity have been linked to media, sedentary lifestyles, and overweight, which is a condition when an individual has an excessive accumulation of fat. To a large extent, obesity is a predisposing factor of other conditions such as high blood pressure, heart diseases, and diabetes (The State of Obesity, 2019). Obesity has been highly linked to people spending too much time on social media networks. This will include computers, watching television, and unhealthy food advertisements. There is also an increased lack of activity as people turn their attention to working online and from home. In essence, diabetes is not only a national issue but also affects other nations in the world.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that around 75% of Americans are obese or overweight. Obesity is responsible for 100,000–400,000 deaths in the United States every year. Besides killing hundreds of thousands of Americans annually, obesity also puts a substantial economic burden on the U.S. health sector. The U.S. spends $117 billion each year to prevent, diagnose, and treat weight-related problems. Additional revenue is lost to absenteeism and premature death. The entire healthcare industry is heavily affected by diabetes. Nurses and nursing care are overwhelmed by a huge number of patients requiring specialized care. Obesity leads to other medical conditions. As nurses try to help all patients, the huge number of patients overwhelms them, thus reducing care quality. Therefore, obesity reduces healthcare quality in the country (The State of Obesity, 2019). Further, healthcare organizations have overstretched resources. With more patients, healthcare institutions require more resources to cater to patient needs by buying medicines, medical equipment, and increasing practitioners. The increase in obesity prevalence has resulted in it being named as a major cause of 78% of people-killing diseases.

Stakeholders

Given that obesity is a serious threat to public health, several stakeholders are involved in its resolution. Obesity is treated and managed through concerted efforts from different sectors, one of the most important government stakeholders. As obesity continues to ravage society, the government should increase its allocation of resources towards its management. Further, the government should support programs that seek to decrease obesity prevalence. Because of obesity’s huge impact on human life and the economy, the government and other stakeholders have started awareness campaigns to advocate for healthier lifestyles (Dang & Dearholt, 2018). However, despite this and other efforts, statistics show that the number of obese people has been rising steadily since 2013. Dietary changes and exercise only seem to work for certain people. A vast majority are still struggling with weight issues, prompting some health experts to come up with a medical weight loss program that is more effective than traditional weight loss programs.

After the government, other key stakeholders are the nurses. Obesity is a condition that results in other diseases. As such, most obese people are in contact with a nurse or healthcare giver. It is nurses' duty to educate people about obesity, its causes, associated health risks, and prevention. After all, a larger number of obese patients overburdens the healthcare system, thus overworking nurses and making them give low-quality care. Further, the public is an active stakeholder in this health problem (White, Dudley-Brown, & Terhaar, 2016). As previously stated, obesity affects around 75% of Americans. With such huge numbers, obesity is a public health issue that affects everyone. The public should, therefore, be actively involved in programs to reduce the prevalence of obesity.

Other stakeholders include food & beverage production industries and consumer groups. The production industries and restaurants have played a huge part in this crisis. By the production of high sugar products, these stakeholders increase the prevalence and incidence of obesity. Therefore, they should be considerate in their manufacturing by reducing the amount of sugar in products and advocating for healthier foods/drinks.

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical practice guidelines are imperative in finding solutions to pertinent practice problems. In the case of obesity, policymakers and regulators have come up with CPGs meant to reduce the number of carbonated drinks and junk food. However, all these practice guidelines only focus on eating less and practicing more. Nurses and other healthcare practitioners have incessantly advised people to live healthier lives; the tactic is not working. As such, the most appropriate CPG should be based on evidence principles of management and treatment of chronic diseases. As such, healthcare givers should look into a patient's lived experiences instead of focusing on advising them to eat less and exercise more (Dang & Dearholt, 2018). This CPG moves away from a simplistic approach towards obesity management and prevention. To this end, the CPG seeks to address obesity from its root causes, which is beyond existing guidelines. The proposed CPG should give people living with obesity easier ingress to interventions informed by evidence.

References Dang, D., & Dearholt, S. (2018). Johns Hopkins nursing evidence-based practice: Model and guidelines. Indianapolis, IN Sigma Theta Tau International. The State of Obesity. (2019, September 12). Childhood Obesity Trends. Retrieved from The State of Obesity: https://www.stateofobesity.org/childhood-obesity-trends/ White, K., Dudley-Brown, S., & Terhaar, M. (2016). Translation of evidence into nursing and health care. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.