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OBESITY 3
Class Hours OJECTIVES: At the end of this class, you will be able to:
1.
State what “over
weight” and “obesity” are
2.
Detail some of
the things that are used to decide if the person is over weight or obese
3.
Describe some of
the health problems that can happen when a person weighs too much
4.
Detail some ways
that a person can control and lose weight
INTRODUCTION
Obesity is a very big problem in the
US. Some say that as many as
32.7% of U.S. adults (20 years of age and older) are overweight.
34.3 % are obese and 5.9 % are very, very obese.
Obesity among children has more than tripled in the past
30 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC.
The % among children from 6 to 11 years of age has risen from 6.5 % in 1980 to
19.6 % in 2008. It is also known that one in five American teens have high
levels of cholesterol, thus leading to heart problems as they grow older. High blood pressure, other heart problems, diabetes,
arthritis and a poor immune system can be the result
of being over weight. The Difference Between
Overweight and Obesity
Obesity and overweight are
somewhat similar but they are also different. Both of these terms mean that the
person weighs more than they should for a healthy body. This means that
the person does not have a normal weight for their height. A person is more
prone to health problems when they weigh too much. The range of weight for adults is
based on the body mass index or BMI. The BMI for the person is based on the
weight and height of the person. The BMI is an estimate of the amount of fat
that the person has in their body but it does not directly measure the body
fat. This can lead to some confusion, especially with people who are very
active in sports. Many of these people have a high BMI but little body fat.
Other ways of measuring body fat are skin fold thickness, waist size, waist-to-hip
ratios, and things like ultrasound, CT scans and MRIs. A BMI of more than 30 is obese. A
BMI of 25 to 25.9 is overweight. A BMI of less than 18.5 is under weight and a
BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered a healthy weight. This table shows different BMIs
for a person that is 5 feet 9 inches all.
BMI is just one sign that the
person may have health problems because they weigh too much. The 2 other signs
are:
The Resulting Health ProblemsThe following
health problems can occur when the person weighs too much:
Many heart problems can
result from a person being over weight. The most common one is high blood
pressure. This heart damage can lead to many problems and even death. The signs of heart disease are: ·
Chest pain ·
Shortness of breath ·
Feeling tired ·
Heart palpitations High blood pressure is a major problem. High blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney damage and other health problems. As many as 50 million Americans have high blood pressure. Blood pressure is considered high when:
A person can lower their high blood pressure by NOT using alcohol or cigarettes, by eating foods low in salt and cholesterol and by managing their stress. Exercise and a healthy weight are also important in keeping the blood pressure at a good level. A patient's doctor may order medications, such as a diuretic (water pill), a heart medicine and other things like diet and exercise. Some people may not have any signs of high blood pressure. Others do. Some of the signs of high blood pressure are:
Heart attacks are also found more in people that are over weight. The risk of heart disease and heart attacks increase with high levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol. People that are over weight have high levels of LDL. The signs of a heart attack are:
Heart attacks are treated with rest, oxygen, a number of different medicines like aspirin, which thins the blood, and pain medications to help the pain and to ease the amount of work that the heart has to do as a result of the pain. People who have had a heart attack are usually up in the chair after a couple of days. After, they will begin activity and cardiac rehabilitation. Many will also be instructed to change some things in their life. For example, they may be told to stop smoking, to lose some weight and to get some regular exercise. Heart failure is a very serious condition that is seen in people that have high blood pressure as a result of their weight. The oxygen and nutrients pumped by the heart is not enough to keep the body and its parts in proper condition. The heart can not keep up with the body’s demands. This cardiac disorder can be caused by a number of things, such as:
Some of the signs of heart failure are:
This heart disorder is treated by treating the cause of it, by taking away some of the things that make the disorder worse, like losing weight, stopping smoking and lowering the amount of salt, or sodium, in the diet. Take our “ Mini Med School: Heart Disease” course to learn more about heart disease. Diabetes is also a big concern. More children have the “adult
form” of diabetes than ever before. This happens because they are over their
normal weight. The same thing is happening with adults. This disease stops the body from changing the foods we eat into energy for
the body. Think about the human body as a car. Gas does not go into the engine
of the car for fuel until the car key is turned on. Gas will only be pumped
into the car's engine when you turn on the key in a car as you start it. When food is eaten, it turns into sugar (glucose). This sugar is the "gas" for the body. Insulin is the "key" that pumps the sugar into the cells for energy. When this key is not present, the body runs out of energy because the body's "gas" is not being pumped to the cells. Insulin does not change sugar into body fuel when a person has diabetes.
It is normal for the sugar to go from the blood to the cells for energy. When the sugar goes to the cells, the sugar does not stay in the blood. People without diabetes keep a low level of sugar in the blood because it moves from the blood into the cells, as it should. When a person has no insulin or not enough insulin, the sugar is not sent to the body cells from the blood. The sugar will then build up in the blood. The sugar level of the blood gets high for the diabetic patient. Too much sugar in the blood is called "high blood sugar". High blood sugar is a sign of diabetes. People with diabetes can develop blindness, poor vision, kidney failure, heart disease, strokes (CVA) poor circulation and other problems, such as foot infections, unless the diabetes is treated and kept under good control. Health care workers should help these patients to control their disease. We must help them to eat a proper diet, to exercise and to follow their doctor's order for medicine, blood sugar testing and other care, including foot care, skin care and personal hygiene. Some people with diabetes may have no signs at all. Others do. Some of the most common signs of diabetes are:
How Do People Develop Diabetes?
Nursing assistants and others who take care of people with diabetes should:
How do People Find Out that They Have Diabetes? The doctor usually diagnoses diabetes when the patient tells the doctor that they have the signs of this disease. Most tell the doctor that they are very thirsty or that they often have to go to the bathroom very often to urinate. When the doctor is told about these signs, lab blood tests are done. The doctor will then order lab tests to find out how much sugar, or glucose, is in the person’s blood. If the lab test shows that the sugar level is high, the person has diabetes. The normal blood sugar from these tests should be from 70 to 115. If the blood sugar level is more than 126, when the person has not eaten any meals or food, the patient is told that they have diabetes.
The best way for the patient to control their diabetes is to follow the five keys of success. Nursing assistants, home health aides, personal care aides and other health care workers must help the person with these keys to success. The five keys of success are:
Take the NursingAssistantEducation.com “Mini Med School: Diabetes” to learn more about diabetes.
ArthritisArthritis is an
inflammatory disease of the joints that limits movement and leads to pain. It is the number one chronic disorder in our
country. It also leads to disability. About 66 million people, that is, one out
of every 3 adults in our nation, are affected by arthritis. About 300,000
children in our country have it. It costs the United States more than $86
billion every year. (Arthritis Foundation, 2009)
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It is a degenerative joint disease. The ends of the bones break down and they become very rough. They are no longer smooth. Bones rub against rough bones as a result of this break down. This movement is no longer smooth. The person has pain and a loss of movement in the area. This form mostly affects large and weight-bearing joints like the hip, knee and back but it is also seen in the hands. There is no cure for this form but there are medicines that
can help stop the pain and to help the person to able to move about. Exercise
also helps. Some people may become so crippled that they only are able to stay
in bed. Osteoporosis
is a general, progressive breakdown of the bones. There
are three types of osteoporosis:
Type 1 is six times more common
in women than in men. This type appears between the ages of 51 and 75 years of
age. Many women have it after menopause. Bone fractures happen very often. The
cause of primary osteoporosis is not known. Type 2 is two times more common
in women than men and its onset is usually after 60 years of age. This type is
a part of the normal aging process because there are fewer bone building cells.
Neck fractures, fractures of the pelvis, the spine, the hip and the leg often
happen. Some people, like women, can have both type 1 and type 2 at the same
time. People
may have no signs at all in the early stage. The first symptom is usually a
dull, aching, constant pain in the bones, mostly in the back. The pain may also
go down the leg, and muscle spasm may be present. Later, the back pain may
become chronic and never ending. The lower neck and below is the most common
area for this disease. Bone fractures may also happen. Other
early signs and symptoms are:
Some
of the middle stage signs and symptoms include lessening joint motion as well as joint:
The
late signs and symptoms are:
Some
of the complications are:
Some of the things that
can be done to prevent it are:
Take our course,
“Mini Med School: Arthritiis”
to learn more about arthritis and the care of the patient. Poor Immune System Extra fat can turn your body's defense system (immune
system) against you. This system keeps us healthy as it fights of germs and
other illnesses. Many people with too much fat are no longer able to fight off
germs. They may get colds and flus and other things more than a thin, fit
person does. What Causes A
Person to Weigh Too Much
A number of things may lead to
being too heavy. Some of these things are: ·
Behaviors like eating too much and the lack of exercise ·
The environment ·
Genes or heredity and ·
Other things Eating Too Much and the Lack of
Exercise All foods have calories. You will
gain weight if you eat more calories than you burn. You will gain weight if you
do not exercise enough to burn them off. You will lose weight if you burn more
calories than you eat. Your weight will stay the same when you burn off the
same number of calories that you eat. You must balance the number of calories
that you eat when the number of calories that you burn in order to manage your
weight.
The
Environment
The environment
also affects our weight and health status. Many people make choices based on
what they see in their family, in their home area and in their place of work.
For example, people will make good decisions when they work in a place that has
a café with healthy foods and a gym so the workers can exercise. Likewise,
children will make poor choices when their school only serves high fat and high
calorie lunches.
Genes
Genes may play a role but probably
not as big a role as some think. Based on the fact that more and more people
are obese despite the fact that genes have NOT changed, leads us to know that
diet, exercise and the environment play a much bigger role. Also, genes plus
eating too much are both needed for a person to be over weight. Other Things Some health
problems and drugs can lead to weight gain. For example, steroids can lead to
weight gain and illnesses like Cushing’s disease can lead to weight gain.
How to Lose Weight and Prevent
Obesity
Simply said,
eating less with a healthy diet and doing more exercise are
the best ways to lose weight and to prevent oneself from being obese. Fad diets
and other “get thin quick” things do NOT work.
Diet The United
States and other groups have food pyramids. One is pictured below. It tells you
what foods you should be eating every day. It also tells you how much of each
food you must eat every day in order to have a healthy, balanced diet. For
example, you should eat 6 to 11 servings from the bread, cereal, rice and pasta
group and you should only have 2 to 3 servings of the milk, yogurt and cheese
group.
All of
these food pyramids tell you to: ·
Eat lots of fruit, vegetables and whole
grains ·
Cut down on sweets, snacks, fast foods,
prepared foods, empty calories and salt ·
Avoid saturated fats and trans fats ·
Cut down on foods that are high in
cholesterol ·
Select a number of foods from each major
food group on a daily basis. This gives you a balanced diet. You should
avoid sweets, snacks, fast foods, prepared foods, empty calories and salt.
Sweets do not give you good nutrition. Instead, they will cause you to gain
weight. Keep wholesome snacks and drinks on hand, like fresh and dried fruit,
yogurt, nuts and nut butters, cut-up vegetables, low-fat cheese, hummus, fruit
and vegetable juices and herbal teas. Fast foods
and prepared foods tend to be high in fat, high in salt content and high in
calories. They also are not as nutritious as home cooked foods. Things that
have no nutrition value but have calories are called empty calories. For
example, candy, tea and coffee are empty calories. Salt will
cause you to gain weight and also will affect your heart and blood pressure.
Table salt should not be used. A small amount of salt should be used for
cooking only. Other spices should also be used instead of salt. Salt is hidden
in many foods. It is found in all canned vegetables, frozen foods and other
prepared foods including most cold cuts that you use on a sandwich. Even fresh
fruit has salt, or sodium, so it is very important to avoid salt on the table
and when cooking. Many busy
people eat too much fast food. Working families find take out and fast foods
much easier than cooking a meal after a hard day at work. Here are some
suggestions to help you to avoid fast foods and take out foods as you drive
home from work: ·
Fast foods and take out foods are more
expensive than cooking the same or better foods at home. Stop eating these
foods and use the extra money for something else like a vacation. ·
Fast foods and take out foods have empty
calories and they have a high degree of fat and salt. Stop eating these foods
and you will be much thinner and you will have a healthier heart. ·
Form or join a family food exchange with
your neighbors and friends. Each group member could agree to making
one meal per week for all of the other members. If you have 5 members in the
group, you will have 4 meals per week that you did not cook. This saves you a
lot of time and it also gives you a variety of meals for the entire family. ·
Get organized. Plan your shopping list for
the week and prepare and freeze your meals for the week on one day. This gives
you the other 6 days of the week to have your meals ready to eat. Use the extra
time you have on these 6 days to help the children with their homework, to
exercise or to just relax. Exercise Another
way to control your weight is to exercise. You must exercise regularly. Regular
physical activity helps improve your health and fitness, and reduces your risk
for many chronic diseases like obesity. Fitting
regular exercise into your busy day may seem not to be possible but give it a
try. The new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines are
easier than you think. People of all ages must exercise. Even people with a
disease or in a wheelchair must exercise. The amount of exercise and the type
of exercise that you should get is based on the age of the person. Exercise
yourself and encourage your children and other members of your family to
exercise according to what the CDC says they should. Encourage
your children to exercise doing things that they like to do. For example, if
the child likes to ride a bicycle, encourage them to do so. lf
the child likes to do push ups, encourage it. Children and teenagers should do
three kinds of exercise. A child should do the following kinds and amounts of
exercise each day. ·
Aerobic exercise. The
child should do at least one hour of this kind of exercise each day. Running and
walking are two examples of this type of exercise. This type of exercise
accounts for most of the exercise that the child should get. ·
Muscle strength exercise. Push
ups, climbing rocks and other gymnastics are examples of this type of exercise.
·
Bone strength exercise. The
child should do this type of exercise 3 times a week as part of the 60 minutes
or more exercise per day. Running and jumping rope are examples that most
children enjoy doing. Adults
need the following kinds and amounts of exercise each day: ·
Aerobic exercise. 2 ½
hours of moderate aerobic activity every week. Brisk walking is an example. AND ·
Muscle strength exercise for all
muscles at least 2 times per week. OR ·
Aerobic exercise. 1 ¼ hours of brisk
aerobic activity every week. Running and jogging are examples. AND ·
Muscle strength exercise for all
muscles at least 2 times per week. All of these exercises can be spread
out over the week. You do not have to do it in one day. Break it up into
shorter times, like 10 minutes, several times a day when you have the time. If
you never have the time, you must make the time to do it. Skip an hour of TV
watching and use it to exercise. You will feel the benefits. You will sleep
better. You will feel more fit. You will be happier.
You will tone up your muscles and you will lose some body fat. In the long
term, your heart, lungs, muscles and balance will remain healthy and your bones
will become stronger. Give it a try. Go for a
10-minute brisk walk 3 times a day, 5 days a week. Do one walk in the morning,
one during your lunch hour at work and one after work. This will give you a
total of 150 minutes activity each week.
When you are able to do the above, increase your time for
even better health benefits.
These are some examples of
activities that require moderate effort: ·
Walking fast ·
Doing water aerobics ·
Riding a bike on level ground or with few
hills ·
Playing doubles tennis ·
Pushing a lawn mower These are some examples of
activities that require vigorous effort:
These are some examples of
activities that make your muscles stronger:
Summary
The
US has many children and adults that are obese and overweight. This course will
help your patients and YOU to maintain a healthy body weight for a healthy
life.
Copyright © 2010 Alene Burke References Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
(2010). “Overweight and Obesity.” http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/index.html Lifescience. (2010). “How to Eat Less: Don’t Put
Food on the Table.” http://www.livescience.com/health/eat-less-serve-food-on-counter-100427.html Lifescience. (2010). “Losing Weight Helps Immune
System.” http://www.livescience.com/health/obesity-weight-loss-immune-system-100422.html Radford,
Benjamin. (2010). “Michelle Obama on Obesity: Good Diet vs. Fad Diet.” http://www.livescience.com/health/michelle-obama-childhood-obesity.html TAKE THE TEST |
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