treatment

Topic of the Project: Reducing Obesity in the Black Population of Philadelphia

A. Introduction

i. Problem Statement: Apart from tobacco use, obesity is one of the leading causes of disabilities and death in Philadelphia (Marks & Lavizzo-Mourey, 2012). It has been battling obesity for the longest time possible, especially among Blacks or Hispanics.

ii. The population of focus: Fifty communities within Philadelphia

iii. Thesis Statement: Most of the Blacks in Philadelphia are suffering from obesity. This paper seeks to establish the most applicable ways to reduce obesity in the Black population of Philadelphia.

B. Background of the Project

i. Factual Information

· Philadelphia has a population of over 1.5 million people. Out of this population, approximately 68% of adults and 41% of the youths are obese (Robbins et al., 2012).

· Additionally, the most affected race with obesity is the Blacks. For instance, approximately 70% of the youths in North Philadelphia, primarily the Blacks or Hispanics, are obese (Robbins et al., 2012).

ii. Causes of Obesity in Philadelphia

· Low consumption of fruits and vegetables- approximately 30% of the adults and 25% of the youths get only one or fewer servings of the fruits or vegetables per day (Robbins et al., 2012)

· Minimum physical exercise- nearly 25% of the youths do not engage in sustained physical activity (Robbins et al., 2012)

iii. Ways of reducing the prevalence of obesity in Philadelphia

· Commencement of campaign for healthier school- 160 schools came up with health improvement plans to improve food and physical activities within the schools (Quick et al., 2020).

· Implementing healthy beverage standards- eight worksites with over 65,000 employees, drafted healthy beverage standards for catering, vending, and meetings (Quick et al., 2020).

· Opening of ten new farmers' markets to provide healthy foods to the needy within these communities

C. Conclusion

i. Summary: Healthy living is the key to overcoming obesity and cases of overweight in society. Therefore, the state of Philadelphia should work on ways to provide healthier living habits to its residents.

References

Marks, J. S., & Lavizzo-Mourey, R. (2012). Philadelphia freedom. Preventing chronic disease, 9.

Quick, H., Terloyeva, D., Wu, Y., Moore, K., & Roux, A. V. D. (2020). Trends in tract-level prevalence of obesity in philadelphia by race-ethnicity, space, and time. Epidemiology, 31(1), 15-21.

Robbins, J. M., Mallya, G., Polansky, M., & Schwarz, D. F. (2012). Peer Reviewed: Prevalence, Disparities, and Trends in Obesity and Severe Obesity Among Students in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, School District, 2006–2010. Preventing chronic disease, 9.