Obesity

Obesity is a critical public health issue that has been escalating globally, contributing to chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and hypertension. According to Panuganti et al. (2023), obesity refers to excessive body fat that increases health risks, mainly determined using body mass index, which is equal to thirty or above. The prevalence of obesity in the American population is still on the rise; the adult obesity rate was at 41.9% in 2020 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024b).

Sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets, and the availability of inadequate, harmful, and unaffordable foods are some of the causes of this trend. Obesity can be managed by making better choices and minor changes to diet, which can help improve health and lessen the impact of chronic illnesses.

The Significance of Obesity

Obesity poses a substantial health risk by increasing the likelihood of developing severe medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Within Healthy People 2030, the call for action for obesity reduction has been deemed a priority intervention for the targeted reduction among population groups with restricted access to genuine healthcare services and otherwise healthy foods. According to Yadav and Jawahar (2023), primary social determinants of health, including income, education, and leisure-time physical environment, influence obesity levels. These factors provide health inequalities, which increases the difficulty for specific groups to have control over their weight and seek the proper resources to assist with weight loss.

Furthermore, unhealthy dietary patterns, high consumption of processed foods, and inadequate physical activity significantly contribute to weight gain and associated health complications. Several people can consume nutrient-poor foods because they are easily accessible, cheap to purchase, and promoted through advertisements. Furthermore, modern ways of working and the need to sit for many hours contribute to the obesity issue as well. The ability to identify and prevent obesity makes public health important and encourages people to live better lives.

Strategies for Behavior Change

Effective obesity management requires sustainable lifestyle modifications, particularly in nutrition and physical activity. Avoiding the consumption of processed foods and foods with high sugar content and such practices as the intake of balanced portions of fruits, lean protein foods, whole grains, and vegetables is a proven way of managing weight (Institute of Medicine (US) Subcommittee on Military Weight Management, 2020). Taking small portions of food portions and avoiding undue consumption of foods high in calories go a long way in preventing the accumulation of unnecessary subsequent weight—also, proper water intake and avoiding excessive sugar intake benefit metabolic processes and well-being.

Physical activity plays an equally important role in obesity prevention and management. The CDC guidelines also recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-level exercises per week, which can be highly helpful in weight control and maintaining a healthy weight (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024a). Exercises like walking, cycling, swimming, and strength exercises help keep the cardiovascular system, increase metabolism, and strengthen muscles. Exercising can be achieved through moderate activities throughout the day, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking when on a break, or participating in an enjoyable physical activity.

Overcoming Challenges to Lifestyle Change

Modifying behaviors associated with obesity can be challenging due to various personal, social, and environmental factors. According to Collazo-Castiñeira et al. (2025), a lack of sufficient time, financial resources, and motivation dramatically contributes to a person’s failure to adopt healthy behaviors. Most people nowadays have tight working schedules and little or no time for tending to their meals or engaging in regular exercises. Furthermore, getting expensive healthy food is another barrier, especially for low-income families and individuals.

Overcoming these challenges requires strategic planning and a commitment to making small, sustainable changes. Preparing meals in more significant portions during the weekend may guarantee that healthy meals are available during the week instead of having to opt for junk food. Scheduling workouts and including them in a lifestyle helps with compliance and checks on a person’s health status. Furthermore, having additional support from family members or enrolling in communities that seek fitness can motivate tracking progress.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024a, April 19). What You Can Do to Meet Physical Activity Recommendations. Physical Activity Basics. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024b, May 14). Adult Obesity Facts. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult-obesity-facts/index.html

Collazo-Castiñeira, P., Rodríguez-Rey, R., Delfino, G. I., Cruz-Jentoft, A. J., Topinková, E., Weijs, P. J. M., Schoufour, J. D., & Sánchez-Izquierdo, M. (2025). A focus group study explores motivation, goals, facilitators, and barriers to adopting health behaviours at retirement age. BMC Public Health, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21377-4

Institute of Medicine (US) Subcommittee on Military Weight Management. (2020). Weight-Loss and Maintenance Strategies. Nih.gov; National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK221839/

Panuganti, K. K., Kshirsagar, R. K., & Nguyen, M. (2023, August 8). Obesity. Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459357/

Yadav, H. M., & Jawahar, A. (2023, May 1). Environmental Factors and Obesity. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK580543/

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PH 635 DB 1

Review Healthy People 2030 to explore different public health topics. Choose one topic that you are most interested in (obesity, environmental health, nutrition, mental health, etc.) that could be used to change your personal behavior (i.e. physical activity, dieting, therapy, recycling.)

Obesity

• Provide a brief explanation of why this topic is of interest to you, a description of the problem based on findings from Healthy People 2030 or other reputable sites, and how you might go about changing behavior associated with this issue