National health objectives
Although one of the national health objectives for Healthy People 2020 is to reduce the prevalence of obesity among adults to less than 15%, current data indicate that the situation is worsening rather than improving (CDC: Overweight and Obesity).
BELOW ARE SOME STRATEGIES THAT YOU AS PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONAL ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE VIEWS/RECOMMENDATIONS ON IN ORDER TO FIGHT THIS OBESITY ENDEMIC IN UNITED STATES.
- Increase public (Medicaid and Medicare) and private insurance coverage for counseling and wellness programs.
- Increase government investment in research to develop ‘medical products’ to treat obesity.
- Increase locally sourced foods such as urban farms.
PROVIDE – the pros and cons of each strategy listed above, also discuss how these strategies impact health equity and the public’s health overall. Provide an explanation as to why some options seem appropriate while others should be discarded (cite evidence to support your explanation).
Please try to answer the above question in this manner, here is one example of a strategy recommendation-
Tax snack-food and fast-food sales (consumer pays)
Pros: This strategy could potentially reduce the consumption of unhealthy foods, leading to a decrease in obesity. Additionally, the revenue generated by the tax could be used to fund public health initiatives.
Cons: This could be seen as an unfair burden on consumers, and there could be unintended consequences if people switch to cheaper, but still unhealthy foods. Unintended consequences could also include people simply buying unhealthy food in larger quantities in order to minimize the impact of the tax or buying food online from out of state to avoid the tax.
Effectiveness: This strategy could be effective, depending on the size of the tax.
Impact on health equity and the public’s health: This strategy could potentially have a positive impact on health equity and the public’s health, as it could lead to a decrease in the consumption of unhealthy foods.
