Review of the Literature and References sections of the project

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Review of the Literature

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Review of the Literature

A review of nursing and health related literature will be conducted to explore obesity and diet using the following keywords both singularly and in multiple combinations: Obesity, obese, overweight, obesity facts, obesity prevention, body-weight and weight. Databases searched, limited to the years 2010 and 2021 will include AMED, Alt Health Watch, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, and EBSCO. The search is limited to the years 2010 to 2021 ensure that current evidence-based literature is reviewed and summarized for the purpose of this project. A summary of the review of the literature is presented

Past studies are very effective in coming in handy in making it possible to better understand how a particular array of subjects can be used together with the sole purpose of better understanding an set of outcomes. This is why the use of various strains of literature is usually advisable since it does ensure that a study is well informed and can used past attained information to make better judgements.

Thus, for this particular study on obesity and dieting, it is essential to take a close review at various articles and journals that have been peer reviewed before taking the time to conduct the set study. thus, this review will include a collection of ten key studies that all focus on the topics of obesity and dieting. The studies will also take a dive at both genders, include racial diversity in order to stretch the scope of the study and also evaluate cases of obesity in adults, children and a step further, in toddlers. The information from these secondary sources will come in handy in the research study and also be very helpful in assisting future studies.

Obesity among Children

First and foremost, it is essential to note and also keep in mind that obesity and poor dieting is a pandemic/crisis that is very rampant especially across the western hemisphere and also happens to be a rather costly bubble that is bound to plunge the healthcare industry into debt and financial difficulties. According to an article by Budd & Peterson, (2015), obesity is clearly an obvious medical dilemma that is negatively impacting various nations especially the USA but little is being done by medical professionals or even the government to try and curb these rising concerns. After using an array of secondary sources of data reference points, the author was able to prove that the number of cases of obesity across the USA are on a gradual rise when compared to other nations and little to nothing is being done about it in spite the cost of medical care already being significantly high (Davila, Vess, & Johnson, 2017).

This is especially devastating considering that this is a condition that has somewhat been normalized when it is affecting children across various societies. According to a study published under the Journal of Treatment & Prevention (Cena et al. 2017), many people across the world have ended up normalizing the act of eating disorders and the results of obesity from an early age. This study was able to prove this by conducting a study on a sample group f individual ranging from 16 to 60 years of age and used personal reflection questions to identify if a participant had past difficulties with eating disorders. The study proved that it is about time to raise professional awareness of and on the early signs of eating disorders in children especially those who are prone to be raised in a family that has a history of obesity.

One thing that tends to be overlooked is the fact that children tend to learn from what they see happening in their surroundings, thus, even if a child is prone to eating healthy when they are in their respective homes, they are also prone to be influenced by what they see in schools, or other surroundings (Drewnowski, 2004). This is why Hee Soon, K. I. M., Jiyoung, P. A. R. K., Yumi, M. A., & Mihae, I. M. (2019) opted to conduct a study on this subject. This research study aimed at answering the question “What are the barriers at home and school to healthy eating?” It also aimed at answering this through the perspectives of parents and children who had or were suffering from obesity (Hee Soon e al. 2019). Based on this study, it is clear that no action is clearly being taken by many parents as well as learning institutions to mitigate the issues on obesity. From the study, it was identified that across all scopes of the study (home and school) people suffering from obesity were prone to temptations and recurring patterns that did not allow them to become healthier. At home, many parents pointed out that they were finding it easier to feed their families ready made and fast foods since they were easier and faster to prepare. On the other hand, in schools, the diets where not consistent, various children also have the option of eating meals they bring form home that might not be as healthy where as other parents were concerned with the nutritional value of the meals being offered in schools. Thus, these are barriers that are very difficult to overcome and are only contributing to the rising number of obesity cases in USA.

Self-Control and Dieting

On the subject of obesity, it is very common for people to over look the fact that obesity is also something that is highly influenced and impacted by the form of diet that one restricts themselves to. Many at times, arguments are made to defend the condition on obesity as being genetic. In spite of such arguments, many of these victims only end up subjecting themselves to diets that only result in them becoming even worse making it difficult to manage their condition. It is paramount to understand that obesity and the form of diet and nutrients in the diet that an individual consumes tend to impact how their body reacts even if the are genetically bound to suffer from obesity. Thus, with a proper balance in the nutrients that patient’s consumer, they can easily manage their conditions (Budd & Peterson, 2015).

Thus, to better comprehend why this is such a common and rampant incident, Adam Dewnoski PhD went on to conduct a study aiming to evaluate obesity and the food environment. From this study, the author was able to prove that the highest number of obesity cases across the United States happened to reoccur in regions where the poverty levels were high. This did explain why a large number of people suffering from obesity end up opting for fast and ready-made meals because they tend to be affordable since healthier options are costly (Vold, Lynch, & Martin, 2019). Thus, high costs for healthier meals are a major barrier in for healthier lifestyle to be adopted which pin points socioeconomic variables as being elements that impact obesity in societies (Oberle, et al., 2019).

Using the information attained from the study by Wolfenden, et al., (2019) it becomes clearer why medical bills are costs that many people tend to avoid since the economic standards of a large number of people suffering from obesity have poor diets due to minimal economic/financial resources at their disposal. This is an argument that can be seconded by a study by Tsai, et al., 2016). that proved that if healthier meal options are taken, many people are bound to benefit from health gains were as the costs in medical savings are also expected to rise. This can also result in a more health conscious nation which can also impact the form of fast foods that people are consuming.

Since socioeconomic factors offer an array of variables that result in obesity such as poverty, racial demographics is also another variable that many people tend to avoid looking into. However, this sis a challenge that researchers, Sira, Natalia, and Roman Pawlak address end in their study. The study was able to prove that a large number of African American college students were suffering from obesity as a large number of them were also prone to suffering from obesity. This was an interesting study since it also proved that male students were the ones at higher risk of being obese (Sira & Pawlak, 2010).

This study was very helpful since it was able to merge the findings that were attained from the studies of (Cena et al. 2017 and Roche, et al., 2018) where they were able to find out that eating disorders have the ability of impacting an individual even when they are older and the fact that learning institutions tend to offer meals that are not as nutrient and healthy as needed for growing individuals and the fact that stress and pressure form education can easily result in many students letting loose and loosing self-control over what they consume resulting in stress-eating disorders.

References

Budd, G. M., & Peterson, J. A. (2015). The Obesity Epidemic, Part 2.  The American journal of nursing,  115(1), 38-46.

Cena, H., Stanford, F. C., Ochner, L., Fonte, M. L., Biino, G., De Giuseppe, R., ... & Misra, M. (2017). Association of a history of childhood-onset obesity and dieting with eating disorders.  Eating disorders,  25(3), 216-229.

Davila, N., Vess, J., & Johnson, E. E. (2017). Identification and management of obese patients in a pediatric orthopaedic clinic.  Orthopaedic Nursing,  36(3), 194-200.

Hee Soon, K. I. M., Jiyoung, P. A. R. K., Yumi, M. A., & Mihae, I. M. (2019). What are the barriers at home and school to healthy eating? Overweight/obese child and parent perspectives.  The Journal of Nursing Research,  27(5), e48.

Oberle, M. M., Romero Willson, S., Gross, A. C., Kelly, A. S., & Fox, C. K. (2019). Relationships among child eating behaviors and household food insecurity in youth with obesity.  Childhood Obesity,  15(5), 298-305.

Roche, J., Gillet, V., Perret, F., & Mougin, F. (2018). Obstructive sleep apnea and sleep architecture in adolescents with severe obesity: effects of a 9-month lifestyle modification program based on regular exercise and a balanced diet.  Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine,  14(6), 967-976.

Sira, N., & Pawlak, R. (2010). Prevalence of overweight and obesity, and dieting attitudes among Caucasian and African American college students in Eastern North Carolina: a cross-sectional survey.  Nutrition research and practice,  4(1), 36-42.

Tsai, S. A., Lv, N., Xiao, L., & Ma, J. (2016). Gender differences in weight-related attitudes and behaviors among overweight and obese adults in the United States.  American journal of men's health,  10(5), 389-398.

Vold, L., Lynch, M., & Martin, W. (2019). A review of housing and food intersections: implications for nurses and nursing research.  Canadian Journal of Nursing Research,  51(4), 221-232.

Wolfenden, L., Ezzati, M., Larijani, B., & Dietz, W. (2019). The challenge for global health systems in preventing and managing obesity.  Obesity Reviews,  20, 185-193.