Obesity has become a problem that has affected many people in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), the obesity prevalence in 2017-2018 was 42.4%, an increase of 11.9% from 1999-2000. The problem with obesity is that it is a risk factor for many chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke, which are some of the leading causes of premature death among Americans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). The obesity problem has also presented a problem in terms of medical costs; in 2008 the “…cost of obesity in the United States was $147 billion…”; that is to say, if every dollar equaled one second, that would be an equivalent of about 4,661 years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). In that same year, those people who were obese had a medical cost of $1,429 more than those who were at normal weight (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020).
Hispanic adults are the ethnicity group that is most affected by obesity, just after non-Hispanic Black adults, with a prevalence of 33.8% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Obesity in U.S. adults decreased by level of education meaning that those who are less exposed to education overall are more likely to be obese; this can mean they may have low health literacy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Due to the latter, Hispanics may not know what to do to be healthy if no one explains this to them in a way that they are able to understand. Obesity is the result of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors like high intake of sugary drinks and fatty and processed foods; low intake of nutrient dense foods; and sedentary lifestyle which could all lead to chronic health problems. Along with affecting the adult’s health, parents’ obesity may be having an effect on their children’s own health, many times including obesity. “Among six to 11-year-olds, one in four Hispanic kids is obese, nearly twice the rate of non-Hispanic white kids” (Kueter, 2019). Therefore, it is important to encourage lifestyle modification among Hispanic adults to be able to also have an impact on children.
The program will be called “Healthy Adults Equals Healthy Families”. This program’s purpose is to have an impact on Hispanic families in the Coachella Valley in California, by targeting the adult Hispanic population and teaching them the basics of lifestyle modification to be able to reduce the risk of becoming obese or for those that already have obesity be able to control or prevent other chronic health problems (e.g., stroke, heart disease, diabetes). The ultimate goal is that by having an impact on the adult, there will be an overall impact on their families as well. The program will show them the importance of changing their eating behaviors by teaching them how to read nutrition labels and therefore be able to choose healthy food options at the grocery store. The program will also encourage them to modify their favorite cultural recipes without having much effect on the flavor. Having cooking lessons and food demos will encourage them further into making these behavior changes and at the same time make it engaging for them. Encouraging them to implement physical activity in their daily lives will also be a goal of the program.
The implementation of this program will increase the nutrition education that Hispanic communities will have which will allow them to make changes in their lifestyle that will decrease their risk of developing or having a progression of health problems. “Obesity-related medical expenditures, absenteeism, and reduced productivity while at work among full-time U.S. employees is estimated to cost over $73 billion annually” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). Therefore, this program will benefit the community, individual, and employers overall. There will be lower medical costs involved with the individuals as well as their family’s health which will be a reflection of their improved quality of life. Other benefits include increased well-being, reduction in health risks, establishing good health as the norm, enhance worker performance/productivity, and reduced absenteeism due to health problems.
This will be a successful health promotion program due to the consideration and importance it will have on family and culture. For Hispanics, family/friends and culture is an important aspect of their lives which is important for any program to consider when trying to have an impact on this community.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, January 28). Multi-Component Worksite Obesity Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/policy/hst/hi5/worksite/index.html.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, June 29). Adult Obesity Facts. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, September 21). Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html.
Kueter, C. P. (2019, February 5). Why Are So Many Hispanic Kids Obese? https://www.nursing.virginia.edu/news/hispanic-obesity-all-in-the-family/.