Introduction
According to Theis and White (2021), health issues are the problems that influence an individual’s mental and physical well-being or a specific population. Health issues are very critical to the growth and development of a state since they negatively affect the productivity and performance of individuals and organisations. There are various health issues common to the health of individuals in the U.S. and the U.K., including respiratory and viral infections, substance abuse, allergies obesity, among others. This presentation focuses on obesity as the primary health issue affecting individuals in the U.S. and the U.K., causing high mortality rates. The presentation compares and analyses the prevalence and incidence rates, discusses factors contributing to the prevalence and incidence rates, and recommends an effective prevention strategy.
The Prevalence of Obesity in the U.K. and the U.S.
Obesity is a disease caused by the accumulation of excess fats in the body, thus becoming a risk factor for many diseases, such as diabetes and heart-related diseases (Zhou et al., 2021). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that four out of 10 individuals in the USA suffered from obese related complications in 2020 (Zhou et al., 2021; Blüher and Stumvoll, 2020). This implies that the prevalence of obesity in the USA is about 30% of the total population. On the other hand, 3 out of 10 individuals in the U.K. have obese related complications. In 2021, England recorded 26% of the total population being obese. There was a higher proportion of males than females diagnosed as either obese or overweight (Zhou et al., 2021). Factors such as pregnancy in women and breastfeeding and the prevalence indicated that the less deprived areas had a smaller number of patients than the most deprived areas, recording about 34% of the total deaths recorded in 2021. Figure 1 compares obese-related cases in the U.S. and England.
Figure 1: Prevalence of obesity
Factors Contributing to the Increase in Obesity in the U.K. and USA
Obesity is primarily caused by ingesting imbalanced energy concerning expenditure, leading to overnutrition among sedentary individuals (Stratakis et al., 2021). According to the social determinants of health (SDOH) theory, various factors related to work, learning, living, and playing conditions contribute to obesity among individuals. For instance, a study by Wicherski et al, (2021) found that excessive intake of food and drinks rich in sugar increases the prevalence of obese-related cases. A survey by Zhou et al. (2021) found that most individuals living in the U.K. and U.K. urban areas consume processed and packed foods rich in sugar.
Secondly, physical inactivity significantly contributes to the increase in the prevalence of obesity in the U.K. and the U.S. (Stratakis et al., 2021; Henning, 2021). The COVID-19 outbreak brought new workplace transformations, and individuals must work from home. This reduced the amount of physical activity, particularly while commuting to work, making most individuals inactive. The lock-down strategies to mitigate the virus’s spread also made people remain indoors with limited physical activities. This significantly contributed to the increase in the number of obesity-related cases in the U.K. and the U.S. in the last few years.
The last factor that increases the prevalence of obesity-related cases, as identified by the SDOH theory, is psychological and social factors. Wicherski et al, (2021) acknowledged that the customs and habits of an individual’s social network can significantly influence their diet. Those with high income or with economic stability tend to consume high amounts of food rich in nutrients, while those with low income consume limited food with limited nutrients. Additionally, a study by Wang et al. (2021) found that genetics and certain medications also contribute to the high prevalence of obesity-related cases in the U.S. and the U.K. For example, genetics plays a significant role in ensuring the efficiency in the conversion of food into energy in the body of an individual as well as how appetite is regulated in the body, including the excretion of calories (Wang et al., 2021). Some inherent genes determine the amount of fat stored in a body and areas where more fat is distributed. A study by Bouchard (2021) found that the FOT gene found on chromosome 16 carries an obesity phenotype at a higher risk. This is the reason why obesity is sometimes considered a family disease.
Effective Prevention Strategies
Various strategies can be used to prevent the increase in the prevalence of obesity-related cases. The first strategy to deal with excessive food intake is to limit the intake of unhealthy foods and beverages rich in sugar. Individuals can also avoid the intake of processed foods and red meat, among others and increase the use of natural foods with required amounts.
The second strategy is increasing physical activity. Since the spread of COVID-19 has decreased and individuals have resumed their normal activities, people should increase physical activities, which will increase the excretion of excess fats and sugars, thus reducing the prevalence of obesity.
The last strategy is to conduct further research on how the genetic factors that increase the prevalence of obesity-related cases in families can be managed effectively.
Conclusion
In summary, this presentation focused on analysing the prevalence and the incidence of obesity as a health issue affecting the U.S. and the U.K. population. The analysis has found that the prevalence of obesity-related cases is higher in the U.S. than in the U.K. The paper has discussed that factors that contribute to the higher prevalence and high food intake, physical activity, genetics and social health determinant factors have been found to the significant factors. The paper has presented effective strategies to decrease the prevalence of the disease. However, due to the increase in deaths-related cases, further research should be conducted to critically analyses obesity as a health issue globally and establish effective strategies to mitigate the health issue.
Reference list
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