Obesity and Health Disparity in the United States Essay

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The Population Experiencing the Health Disparity

In the US, obesity is among the health problems affecting many people. The prevalence of obesity in America is on the rise. Whereas obesity rates have increased for everyone, some populations have much higher rates. In particular, obesity is high among the adult population compared to other groups. For example, although Prince William County is ranked among the healthiest in Virginia, 30% of its adult population is obese (County Health Rankings, 2022). This indicates that about two-thirds of adults in this county are either obese or overweight. In addition, compared to children aged between 18 and below. As a result, obesity is one of the health issues affecting people in the county of Prince William, Virginia.

The Nature of Disparity and Its Impact On an Adult Population

A health disparity is a health difference caused by social, economic, or environmental unfairness. Age is one of the reasons for the disparity in obesity in the US. According to Sung & Etemadifar (2019), an individual’s metabolism is likely to slow as they age. Additionally, slow metabolism is caused by a combination of factors, including inactivity, the loss of muscle mass, and the natural aging of the body’s constituent parts. With low metabolism, the adult population accumulates more calories, leading to obesity (Sung & Etemadifar, 2019). Therefore, a lower metabolic rate makes it easier for adults to gain weight because they do not burn calories as fast as children.

Social Determinants of Health

Physical inactivity, access to unhealthy foods, and lack of education are some of the social determinants of health affecting obesity among the adult population. People who do not get the recommended amount of physical activity are said to lack exercise. In the US, most of the adult population is physically inactive (Thornton et al., 2016). Adults can afford fast foods being sold in most restaurants and outlets. In addition, this increases the likelihood of adults becoming obese. Limited knowledge of the causes of obesity is among the reasons for its prevalence among the adult population. Thus, social determinants of health of obesity are lack of physical activity, ability to access unhealthy foods, and lack of awareness.

A Plan to Address the Disparity

There are several steps that will be undertaken to solve obesity among adults. Firstly, understand the population’s strengths, needs, and gaps. For example, one of the needs of the adult population is a lack of awareness about the effects of obesity. Secondly, leverage policies and programs will be used to address the disparity. For instance, educating adults on the health impacts of obesity will ensure that individuals recognize the benefits of being physically active on their overall health. Thirdly, creating a team responsible for adult education on obesity will help mitigate the disparity. As a result, the plan will ensure that effective programs are introduced.

Requirements

RequirementsExplanation
ResourcesThere will be a need for human resources such as community leaders, social workers, planners, and others. For example, leaders will help in the creation of policies.
Financial needsAdequate funding will be required to run the activities, especially educating adults. Educators will be hired and paid for providing community education.
RisksSome risks are the resistance of adults, inadequate findings, and poor communication.
BenefitsSome of the benefits of undertaking the program is reducing the number of obese adults in Prince William.
TimeThe duration of the program is one year.

Stakeholders

StakeholdersFunctions
Community leadersThey will mobilize and guide others, facilitating problem-solving and decision-making processes.
Social workersThey will advocate for developing effective policies and programs aimed at reducing the prevalence of obesity.
Donors/financiersThey will also help mobilize the funds required for the program.
EducatorsThey will help teach adults the benefits of active involvement in physical activities and eating healthy foods.
AdultsActive participation of adults in the county will determine the success of the program.

The Ideal Team for Implementing the Plan

There is a need for an ideal team to help execute the plan and achieve the anticipated objective. One of the team members for the implementation is community healthcare workers and social workers (Thornton et al., 2016). They will help determine the root cause of the disparity and create awareness of the health effects of obesity on adults. The team will also consist of community leaders to assist with the mobilization of individuals to participate in the process. Additionally, the team will comprise financiers and educators. Therefore, the group will play an integral role in effectively adopting the plan.

Leadership Theories

Participative leadership, transformational leadership, communication skills and emotional intelligence are some attributes that can be used to engage stakeholders. Transformational leadership help cause a change in individuals and social systems (Prochazka et al., 2018). Participative is where all the stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process. It will ensure that individuals feel included, engaged, and inspired to contribute. Communication skills will help develop a better understanding through effectively conveying information (Prochazka et al., 2018). In addition, emotional intelligence is an attribute that will help foster a good relationship with team members. Thus, the outlined attributes will assist in effectively managing a team.

Monitoring of The Change

The change will be monitored using change management models such as Kotter’s eight-step model. It provides a clear description and guidance on the whole change process and is easy to implement (Rajan & Ganesan, 2017). Moreover, the model will ensure that the change is effectively implemented to achieve the anticipated objective. Therefore, the steps in the framework will be used to provide direction on what needs to be done to implement the change.

Designated End Game

The end game for this program is to reduce the number of adults who are obese in Prince William. The main purpose is to educate the population on the importance of physical exercise and eating healthy food (Thornton et al., 2016). A social determinant of health assessment will be conducted to determine the efficacy of change. The analysis will also help determine whether the change has achieved its purpose. In addition, the program’s outcome is to ensure that the number of obese adults is reduced. Therefore, the assessment will be conducted to determine whether the change is effective.

Leadership Strategies and Theories

Strategies for population health management help the organization achieve sustainable development and make sure that initiatives to improve healthcare delivery are carried out. The county’s health depends on leaders and groups from different fields working together to improve healthcare delivery based on evidence (Prochazka et al., 2018). Transformational leaders see where change is needed and motivate others to commit to implementing a new vision. This leads to extraordinary results. A leader’s main job is leading and getting other people to do things. As a result, behavioral theory looks at how an individual’s thoughts and feelings affect their behavior and way of life.

References

County Health Rankings. (2022). County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Web.

Prochazka, J., Vaculik, M., Smutny, P., & Jezek, S. (2018). Leader traits, transformational leadership and leader effectiveness. Journal of East European Management Studies, 23(3), 474-501. Web.

Rajan, R., & Ganesan, R. (2017). A critical analysis of John P. Kotter’s change management framework. Asian Journal of Research in Business Economics and Management, 7(7), 181-203.

Sung, B., & Etemadifar, A. (2019). Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives, 10(3), 137. Web.

Thornton, R. L., Glover, C. M., Cené, C. W., Glik, D. C., Henderson, J. A., & Williams, D. R. (2016). Health Affairs, 35(8), 1416-1423. Web.

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