Introduction
Obesity should be viewed as a lifespan problem because people are at risk of gaining weight throughout all periods of their life. As a result, high rates of obesity can be typical of any age group because the development of this problem largely depends on inappropriate eating habits and a lack of physical activity that can be observed at any age (Berger, 2016). However, older people need to pay more attention to preventing the development of obesity because their possibility to lose weight is usually negatively affected by changes in their body systems’ functioning, as well as the adverse effects of obesity on health becoming more intense with age.
Reflection on Obesity
To reduce the risk of obesity during all life periods, social and health workers should focus on the same types of interventions, including changes in eating patterns and increased physical activity, but there can be differences in specific approaches depending on an individuals’ age. Individuals should be educated by social workers and helped to understand that weight changes depend on a variety of factors; those who had no problems with weight as a child or a young adult can still develop obesity later on if they maintain unhealthy eating habits and reduce their physical activity.
Thus, in children and adolescents, obesity can be addressed with the help of developing a regime of eating and a diet that balances the nutritional value of meals, combined with regular physical activity. In young adults, interventions associated with dietary changes, increasing daily physical activity, and participating in fitness programs usually lead to positive results. Older people need to be educated further regarding the necessity of following voluntary weight loss programs to avoid muscle loss (Raynor & Champagne, 2016). In practice, older people require more counseling and monitoring to address their possible health problems.
References
Berger, K. S. (2016). Invitation to the life span (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Macmillan Learning.
Raynor, H. A., & Champagne, C. M. (2016). Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Interventions for the treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(1), 129-147.