NURSING7124 Management Of Chronic Illness

Obesity is defined by having a BMI (body mass index) of 30 or even more. Obesity leads to so more than just a simple weight gain. Having a high ratio of body fats compared to muscles puts strain on the bones as well as other internal body organs. Stresses to other body organs put the person affected into the risk of acquiring other conditions. These include; type two diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, gall bladder disease, fatty-liver disease and at times breathing related complications. The presence of obesity increases inflammation on the body and causes cancer.

Cited evidence

According to Emmons et al. (2018), obesity is a medical condition in which the body has excess fats that it risks having negative health effects on the body. According to the article, obesity is not just a cosmetic consideration, but a chronic medical condition. It can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, gallstones and the most chronic illness, is that obesity is a risk factor to cancer (Emmons et al., 2018).

Practices and intervention

The perfect intervention of obesity is to weight loss. If you are obese, the only perfect medical help is getting intervention methods that assist you lose weight. A physician, a dietician or a weight expert can be the perfect choice towards intervention and treatment of obesity. The expert that will be chosen from the three mentioned will make lifestyle changes to the obese. This is done by prescribing the best food choices and a proper developed eating plan. Scheduled exercise program and increased daily activities help built strength, endurance and metabolism while lowering the BMI. If the condition persist, the next intervention method has to be medical. Medical involves prescription of drugs and surgery if the other methods do not work.

According to Unick et al. (2015), if the exercise intervention method does not work, it is advisable to prescribe weight loss medications in addition to the healthy living. These drugs prevent the absorption of fat into the body. They can have unpleasant side effects, but will provide remedy for obesity. The commonly used drug is Xenical. This medication prevents the absorption of fats into the body. However, it leads to frequent bowel movements. The last intervention method is bariatric surgery (Unick et al., 2015). A surgery carried out for purpose of the weight loss.

Interventions effectiveness

The perfect intervention for obesity is life style and behavior change, and not the other medical methods. According to De Bourdeaudhuij et al. (2015), obesity is a chronic disease that needs a lifelong intervention process. The treatment process of obesity should, therefore, allow the patient to be treated continuously. Even if a modest weight loss of only 5% is recorded, it would be a step towards reaching a healthier mass weight.

The significance of this method is stressed by Beheshte et al. (2017) that emphasized that lifestyle and behavior changes lead to weight loss. Weight loss brings significant health gains including; lower blood pressure, reduced cholesterol, decreased chances of stroke and decreased mortality rate. All these are proof that the best intention method is change in lifestyle and dietary behavior.

Organization/ agency addressing this issue:

There are more than 35 public health organizations that have participated in the intervention method of obesity. The Stop Obesity Alliance and the Obesity Society are such examples. They organize events that allow people affected with obesity to turn and be provided with free training on how to manage the condition through behavior and dietary change (Hutchesson et al., 2015).

Effective Intervention

Although the group has not reached all the obese patients, its intervention process has helped the ones it has reached. Since nearly half of the people affected claim they have not been advised by any physicians on what to do or what to take, the group provides qualified physicians to observe and help in the intervention process of the patients (Beheshti, Jalalpour & Glass, 2017).

Controversies 

The campaign of providing patients with qualified physicians has received controversies over whether those physicians understand diabetes. Another health organization has suggested that a proper training be conducted to the physicians first so that they understand the disease before letting them out to patients.

Recommendation

The agency should be commended for their good work in trying to reach the patients. The patients affected are the most important people risking their lives and not the physicians. The physicians, however, should learn ways of dealing with this condition so that they do not prescribe lifestyle changes that will not be of benefit to the patient (Eldredge et al., 2016). The agency should also be commended for trying to reach out as many patients as possible. The condition is chronic in the country and efforts to reach out should be highly appreciated.

References

Beheshti, R., Jalalpour, M., & Glass, T. A. (2017). Comparing methods of targeting obesity interventions in populations: An agent-based simulation. SSM-population health, 3, 211-218.

De Bourdeaudhuij, I., Verbestel, V., De Henauw, S., Maes, L., Huybrechts, I., Mårild, S., … & Konstabel, K. (2015). Behavioural effects of a community?oriented setting?based intervention for prevention of childhood obesity in eight European countries. Main results from the IDEFICS study. Obesity reviews, 16, 30-40.

Eldredge, L. K. B., Markham, C. M., Ruiter, R. A., Kok, G., & Parcel, G. S. (2016). Planning health promotion programs: an intervention mapping approach. John Wiley & Sons.

Emmons, K. M., Doubeni, C. A., Fernandez, M. E., Miglioretti, D. L., & Samet, J. M. (2018). National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop: Methods for Evaluating Natural Experiments in Obesity. Annals of internal medicine.

Hutchesson, M. J., Rollo, M. E., Krukowski, R., Ells, L., Harvey, J., Morgan, P. J., … & Collins, C. E. (2015). eH ealth interventions for the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: a systematic review with meta?analysis. Obesity reviews, 16(5), 376-392.

Unick, J. L., Neiberg, R. H., Hogan, P. E., Cheskin, L. J., Dutton, G. R., Jeffery, R., … & Look AHEAD Research Group. (2015). Weight change in the first 2 months of a lifestyle intervention predicts weight changes 8 years later. Obesity, 23(7), 1353-1356.