improving the healthcare outcomes for children and adults living with obesity (population at risk) in Wayne County, Michiga

Obesity

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In current healthcare settings, community health nurses need to understand some critical cultural and genetic factors that influence the persistent disease and how a particular population responds to such illnesses. Genetics are linked to a patient’s background and may determine how a patient is prone to a specific disease such as obesity or cancer. In Michigan state, obesity remains a prevalent health issue among children and adults, in which the persistence of the problem connects to cultural and genetic factors; thus, community health nurses in Michigan must study and understand the necessary resources for treating obesity among children and the adult population.

In Michigan State, community resources can play a vital role in helping obese children and the adult population to resolve their control and treatment needs. Community resources such as Early Care and Education facilities, Salad Bars to Schools, Community Healthy Food Environments. Under Early Care and Education, a community can set up many facilities in which children can start earning healthy dietary at an early stage; thus, they grow with a strong foundation of healthy habits for life (Nagelkerk et al., 2018). Salad Bars to Schools is where a community can collaborate with the private sector to create awareness and engage parties in all counties of Michigan in promoting and sponsoring salad bars in schools. This community program helps children and adults in these schools enhance eating habits throughout their lives.

However, there exists a health care service gap in treating obesity among children and adults in Michigan state. In Michigan healthcare facilities, obesity data and information are not collected regularly despite high rates of obesity. This irregular data collection means the available data is several years old and cannot capture the current obesity condition that is prevalent among children and adults. My cultural beliefs greatly influence my approach as a community health nurse in caring for obese children and adults on obesity. Religious differences, language barriers, and a patient’s belief in alternative medication are cultural considerations likely to shape and influence my caring approach to obese children and adults. Nurses can recommend physical activity as an evidence-based approach to promote the health of the obese population since this approach contributes to weight loss. This approach is a comprehensive weight loss therapy applicable to all cultures.

Most obese children and adults in Michigan, their medical records reveal a genetic predisposition trend. The significant percentage of children with obesity have at least one member of their children who had obesity (Koh et al., 2018). These trends have increased the likelihood of having obesity based on their genetic makeup that links with their obesity-prone backgrounds. As a result, they have high chances of having obesity either in their early childhood or adulthood. Similarly, genetic variations have substantial effects on the chances of developing obesity among adults, especially those who come from backgrounds with no obesity record. The treatment of obesity in this population is, most of the time, ineffective because the cause of health issues is biologically-based rather than poor diets and lack of physical activity.

Conclusively, obesity among children and adults in Michigan state links to various modifiers. A community health nurse needs to study and know the effective approaches of caring for obese children and adults, especially in Michigan state, where there are different races, varying cultures, and people have different ethnic grounds. Similarly, a nurse’s perceptions of obesity influence the used approach. Bias in treating the obese population results from the norms and practices of such a particular care provider. So, community health nurses must consider the culture and genetic predispositions that determine the outcome of the treatment approach used.

References

Koh, K., Grady, S. C., Vojnovic, I., & Darden, J. T. (2018). Impacts of Federally Funded State Obesity Programs on Adult Obesity Prevalence in the United States, 1998-2010. Public Health Reports, 133(2), 169-176.

Nagelkerk, J., Benkert, R., Pawl, B., Myers, A., Baer, L. J., Rayford, A., ... & Murray, D. (2018). Test of an interprofessional collaborative practice model to improve obesity-related health outcomes in Michigan. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, 11, 43-50.