Socio-Ecological Perspectives on Health
Health Issue and Population
Obesity is a major health issue facing the society in the United States. Estimated one-third of the United States population is suffering from unhealthy weight as a consequence of poor nutrition (Ogden, 2014). Estimated 34.9% or 78.6 million adults and 17% or 12.7 million children aged 2-19 years are obese. A study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that 67.6 million Americans were obese and an extra 65.2 million overweight in 2012 (Ogden, 2014). The average rate of obesity has doubled for adults and tripled for children in the last three decades (Ogden, 2014).
Sociological Perspective
Obesity lowers the quality of life in the society, increases medical costs, and affects the national workforce leading to economic disintegration. The secondary problems such as heart diseases, hypertension, cancer, joint problems, and diabetes are expensive to treat and easily cripple the life of the person (Coreil, 2009). Obesity also cuts the workforce as obese people become slow and less efficient due to their weight and subsequent health challenges. Overall, obesity directly affects the society by negatively influencing the workforce and contributing to poverty by reduced productivity and increased medical costs. Obese people spent $147 billion on medical care in 2008 that led to a loss of estimated $10 billion due to absenteeism (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015).
Social Categories
The poor and families from low economic strata are more likely to suffer from obesity. The wealthy have the access to a quality lifestyle including medical care to inform their decisions and physical fitness as their time is less constrained. Poor individuals living in an impoverished state have less access to quality and fresh food as well as healthcare. They also spend most of their time working to feed families hence having less time for personal health; they also eat cheap fast food to cut expenses (James, 2011). Counties with poverty levels above 35% had 145% greater obesity levels compared to the wealthy communities.
In conclusion, obesity is a major challenge affecting the United States with one-third of the population being obese and the other one-third being overweight. Obesity is a social challenge linked to poor nutrition choices and low nutrition content in food. Poverty directly increases the prevalence of obesity. The cost of obesity is estimated at $147billion for medical care related to the secondary condition such as diabetes and heart diseases. Obesity affects the economy and the life of its victims as they become less active and spend time and resources seeking treatment of secondary illnesses. This article was written by Jon Jones. More my works you can see here https://primeessay.org/