Introduction
The development of American society and the level of science has led to several changes in the social behavior of society. How people live, work and spend their leisure time has changed globally. Modern man, pushed by the cult of careerism and ideas of productivity, spends more and more of his time at the computer or in an office chair. Also, the shortage of time and the availability of junk food leads people to eat fast or convenience foods more often. These factors have a substantial effect on the figure and consequently on a person’s health since the caloric and unhealthy food consumed by people remains in the body in the form of fats. A person a day begins to consume more calories than they spend, which leads to obesity.
Obesity is not a particularly dangerous disease but leads to several more serious illnesses with a high mortality rate. Therefore, combating this disease is of fundamental importance in prolonging human life. Since computer use and sedentary lifestyles are necessary for many professions, there is a need to work on preventing obesity problems, improving public health and easing the burden on the health care system, which is also essential for fighting other diseases.
Background
Health Behavior
Obesity is a current problem in the United States, especially in Hillsborough County, Florida. About 57% of the state’s population is sedentary and has not exercised once in the past year to improve their physical condition (Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County, 2020b, p. 11). The percentage of the state’s population that is not obese is projected to drop from 34% to 30% by 2030 (Florida Department of Health, 2022). It shows a negative dynamic in the process of solving this problem. The most effective and easiest ways to prevent obesity are to eat right and live an active lifestyle. Therefore, at least one of these practices must be implemented to solve the problem.
Population
This paper will focus on the 18- to 29-year-old population, as this group is easier to get interested in physical activity, which can then affect their older friends and relatives. It is worth noting that about 16% of adults and 21% of children in this state suffer from poverty, which negatively affects their ability to eat a healthy diet (Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County, 2020b, p. 11). The races most affected by food insecurity are Black and Hispanic (Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County, 2020a). It is also important that the percentage of women who are obese is slightly higher than that of men, which may be related to the higher unemployment rate of women. Therefore, the implementation of practices that are more sensitive to the financial situation of citizens.
Location
The implementation will take place in Tampa, which is in Hillsborough County. The selected county has a higher rate of obesity than the rest of the state (Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County, 2020b), and Tampa is the largest city in the county. The city is home to about 400,000 people, just under half of whom are black and Hispanic, more likely to suffer from food insecurity.
Community Health Intervention
Intervention
Exercise intervention and health promotion (Fletcher, 2018).
Overview
The comprehensive program involves awareness-raising of the importance and necessity of morning exercise in the context of health benefits and the possibility of saving money for further treatment of dangerous diseases. The program also includes a flash mob, which consists of a general exercise in which people will repeat different exercises. Thus, the program contains two elements of the intervention: conducting a group workout and providing helpful information about the benefits of exercise in combating several diseases.
The selected community has a relatively broad stratum of people below the poverty line. It is an essential factor for this county. Therefore, holding free meetings aimed at educating and promoting a healthy lifestyle through building the simple morning warm-up habit is more relevant than offering dietary improvements, which usually involves increasing the cost of foodstuffs. Thus, for a society in which about one-third of the population is challenged by food insecurity, presenting the economic benefits of doing morning workouts is highly relevant.
Several critical parameters of this society must be considered to adjust a plan to spread the exercise practice. Since obesity is more prevalent among women in the county, selecting a set of equally practical exercises for men and women is essential that they do not require additional gymnastic equipment. The set of exercises should be narrative, accessible and easy to understand. Secondly, more emphasis should be placed on the economic benefits of maintaining health in educational activities. This part can include calculations related to treatment, the purchase of medications and other costs associated with the problem of obesity.
Intervention Effectiveness
Performing routine exercise in the morning significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, positively affects hormones, and reduces the risk of developing diabetes(Lavie, 2018). Another study looking at the correlation between starting to exercise and losing excess weight illustrates that regular exercise improves cardiorespiratory fitness, health, and wellness, and a lower risk for developing several chronic medical illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, regardless of a person’s race or age. Finally, regular exercise will reduce the effects of obesity, even if it does not affect the process of shedding excess weight (Petridou, 2019). Thus, much of the available literature on the subject proves the direct effect of exercise in combating obesity or its consequences.
Level of Prevention
20.56% of deaths in the county are due to cardiovascular disease, 3.14% of deaths are due to diabetes, and 0.15% are due to atherosclerosis (Bureau of Community Health Assessment, 2020). Thus, the practice aims to reduce the proportion of deaths from these diseases because they are consequences of obesity (Gregg, 2017). Also, the practice aims to reduce the risk of developing various diseases in those who are already obese, as physical activity reduces the risk of the consequences of obesity.
Healthy People 2020-30 Goals
This practice meets one of the goals of Healthy people 2030, which is to improve health, fitness, and quality of life through regular physical activity. It also meets the goal of consistently improving cardiovascular health and reducing heart disease and stroke deaths, leading to fewer deaths from heart disease (Carbone, 2022). Thus, the practice meets at least two significant goals of the Healthy People 2030 strategy by changing people’s lifestyles, which should make the population less susceptible to several diseases
Implementation
Implementation Plan
Events should occur in university buildings and places where young people congregate, including pedestrian streets, parks, and shopping malls. The choice of locations is due to the large concentration of young people in these places and the availability of space for a mass flash mob. To implement the plan, necessary to agree with the administration of several prominent universities in the city and the management of large shopping centers. In this plan, I can play the role of an instructor who will present information about the benefits of exercise and a flash mob host who will show the necessary exercises during the flash mob. The intervention should be carried out in the morning, as people will have more energy to participate.
Objectives
First, the number of inactive people who have never exercised in the past year will drop from 57% (Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County, 2020b) to 45% by 2025 in this county. Second, the percentage of people who are not overweight, contrary to projections (Florida Department of Health, 2022), will not drop below 34%. These are minimum goals, given the current negative dynamics in the region.
Evaluation Plan
The assessment of the achievement of the goals will be done in the same way as the current data were obtained – by conducting surveys and recording the causes of death. The effectiveness of the practice can be monitored by conducting surveys which will show whether the level of awareness of citizens about the consequences and methods of prevention the obesity has changed. Besides, it is crucial to create a correlation between the increase in the number of residents leading an active lifestyle and the decrease in the incidence of obesity.
Limitations and Recommendations
Because the value of exercise seems trivial, it isn’t easy to get young people interested in engaging in any activity on this topic. It is necessary to consider other ways to engage young people in the activity. An excellent example is a Nike advertising campaign installing speed gauges and inviting citizens to run. The company gave out discounts and bonuses depending on the result shown. Other projects also involve monetary rewards for walking or running on unique paths producing electricity. These projects have not been considered because of their financial cost and difficulty of implementation, but with proper financial support, these projects are worthy of consideration. Also, as an essential lesson in this assignment, I can point out the importance of social and demographic factors in medicine.
Conclusion
In Hillsborough County, Florida, only one-third of the population is not overweight. Given this fact and the worsening trend of the situation, it is evident it is necessary to carry out activities to solve this problem. Among all the ways to prevent obesity, the most accessible way for low-income families was chosen, which is to do morning exercises, which significantly reduce the risks of obesity and reduce the risks of its consequences.
Addressing obesity could impact the state’s cause-of-death statistics since obesity often causes heart problems and diabetes. Informative lectures on the benefits of morning exercise for the body and how much money it can save a family a year are suggested as practices to address this problem. To improve the effect, proposed to hold flash mobs among young people, designed to teach people the right exercises and give experience in applying the new knowledge. The project can be successful if the mortality rate from heart disease decreases and the number of people leading active lifestyles increases.
References
Bureau of Community Health Assessment. (2020). Leading causes of death profile. Florida Department of Health.
Carbone, S., Lavie, C. J., Elagizi, A., Arena, R., & Ventura, H. O. (2022). The impact of obesity on heart failure. Cardiology clinics, 40(2), 209-218.
Fletcher, G. F., Landolfo, C., Niebauer, J., Ozemek, C., Arena, R., & Lavie, C. J. (2018). Promoting physical activity and exercise: JACC health promotion series. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 72(14), 1622-1639.
Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County. (2020a). Community health improvement plan 2020–2025 (No. 1). Florida Department of Health.
Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County. (2020b). Local public health system assessment (No. 2). Florida Department of Health.
Florida department of health. (2022). Florida Health.
Gregg, E. W., & Shaw, J. E. (2017). Global health effects of overweight and obesity. N Engl J Med, 377, 80-81.
Lavie, C. J., Laddu, D., Arena, R., Ortega, F. B., Alpert, M. A., & Kushner, R. F. (2018). Healthy weight and obesity prevention: JACC health promotion series. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 72(13), 1506-1531.
Petridou, A., Siopi, A., & Mougios, V. (2019). Exercise in the management of obesity. Metabolism, 92, 163-169.