Respond to the following essay on state of adult obesity in Texas
Texas County has a 33% of adults who reported a BMI of 30 or more. The top performer in this category has 26% with the state of Missouri recording 31% in the category. I feel like this is an area that needs improvement especially considering the dire health outcomes of obesity which include prevalence of acute and chronic conditions like hypertension (Brennan et al., 2014). Texas county and by extension the entire state of Missouri need to address the problems of adult obesity as the numbers do not make for good reading. Clearly, improvements need to be made to at least get to the level of the leading state at 26%.
Health resources available
With statistics showing that one in every three adults in the state of Missouri are obese, the state of through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has partnered with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for The Missouri Disability and Health Collaborative (Dietz, 2015). This is meant to get the necessary funds to support people who are intellectually challenged ad help them access an array of evidenced based physical activity. This collaborative move seeks to ensure individuals with intellectual disabilities can access Missouri’s public health facilities in terms of adapting evidenced based physical activity and nutrition to improve their health (Dietz, 2015).
Health policy
Preventing obesity at childhood is the best possible way if reducing the rates of obesity in the long term (Brennan et al., 2014). Good Early childhood education (ECE) can encourage good dieting and physical activities for children and cultivate a healthy culture. In that regard, I would suggest the state of Missouri to continue encouraging healthy eating habits for children at a young age. While there is a state policy which requires licensed ECE programs to allow breastfeeding on site up to at least a year, it should be extended to even unlicensed ECE programs. This is to ensure that the rate of obesity is lowered in the state.
References
Brennan, V. M., Kumanyika, S. K., & Zambrana, R. E. (Eds.). (2014). Obesity interventions in underserved communities: evidence and directions. JHU Press.
Dietz, W. H. (2015). The response of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the obesity epidemic. Annual review of public health, 36, 575-596.