Essay Sample: Obesity Trends in the United States

Obesity Trends in the United States and Relationship between Occupational Performance and the Humanistic theory of Change

Obesity refers to a situation where one has excess body fat, and it is common among adults who above the age of 35 years with a BMI of above 30. Obesity is a medical condition that has been in existence for a long while, and some people have ended up with complicated lives when looked from that perspective (Balentine, 2018). For instance, obesity leads to diabetes, gallstones, heart diseases and also high blood pressure. Also, obesity is a significant risk factor when considering cancer. The United States is the most vulnerable when it comes to obesity, and medical practitioners have proved that it is a condition that is difficult to treat having in mind that it gets connected to many events of relapse. This is because those who lose weight end up regaining within five years.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

According to the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, it is evident that there are specific areas of occupation that are difficult when looked from the perspective of obese individuals. One of the regions is Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). These get activated that get connected to fundamental aspects of taking care of one's self. The self-care activities that are in this category included mobility, eating, toileting, transferring and also grooming. Many people who are obese are not able to automatically or habitually perform such ADL related activities. They usually are helped by people who are close to them, and that is the reason why the United States is in the frontline when it comes to the prevalence of the condition.

The other area of occupation that has difficulties concerning clients who are obese is Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). These are activities that are complex when it comes to taking care of one's self and that of others. Some obese clients dislike being pushed around even though they cannot handle such tasks by themselves (Haracz, 2013). Therefore, most of them have to undergo therapy so that they can be able to engage in activities that promote the loss of excess weight and be in a position to perform independently.

One of the roles of occupational therapy when providing interventions for clients with obesity is that it helps in creating awareness about the implications of the condition. It is a way of educating the clients on adverse impacts of obesity and also training them on how they can be able to refrain from behaviours that contribute to their condition. The second role of occupational therapy, in this case, is that it makes obese clients be able to adapt to the equipment that gets used when it comes to the loss of excess weight (Brewster, 2010). The clients get trained in how to maintain their weight and also be able to deal with events that are not bearable in that aspect.

This concludes the fact that professional performance and obesity in the United States get directly connected to each other. Being obese reduces the ability of an individual to take part in social activities and also those that affect them from a personal perspective. Therefore, it is essential to undergo the occupational therapy procedures to learn how to transform or change regarding lifestyle. By lifestyle, it means that the patients are supposed to be dangerous when it comes to the kind of foods that they eat and also embrace physical activities as these are some of the practical measures that get used when it comes to losing excess weight in the body.

References

Balentine, J. R. (2018). "Obesity." MedicineNet.com

Brewster, K. Z. (2010). "The Role of Occupational Therapy in Obesity Management." University of Toronto Medical Journal.

Haracz, K. (2013). "Occupational therapy and obesity: An integrative literature review." Wiley Online Library.