People with Obesity & Their Issues

I spend some of my free time participating in community outreach projects with other local residents. I am aware that being open to taking part in community initiatives involves living in accordance with Christian beliefs, which are my faith, but it is also a way for me to find fulfillment personally. I see it as a means of promoting positive thinking among the community. I volunteered to take part in a fitness program that the community health center was providing to help folks who were obese learn how to live a healthy life. During the practice, I managed to observe different behaviors exhibited by the group. First, many people living with obesity turned up for the program. In fact, the numbers were more than what the facility expected. Most of them were already in their fitness gears, and ready to take instructions from health officers. On the other hand, some of them were not convinced that the program would assist them in avoiding complications that are by associated with the condition. As such, they reluctantly gathered in groups waiting to be instructed accordingly. However, their faces were bright with smiles indicating that they were ready to participate in the program. I have been involved in other outreach programs, but for the first time, I observed commitment in this category of people. They anticipated that what they would learn in the program would be part of solutions to their predicament.

How the Experience Affected Me

The program involved two phases. The first phase was a physical exercise program, and the second phase was the balanced diet. My observation was that older people living with the condition preferred diet programs, while the young were ready to adopt both diet and physical exercise. The notable views during the exercise are the inability of people with this condition to efficiently undertake a physical fitness exercise. They are not flexible and they get tired very first. However, most of them indicated that they could conduct fitness activities if they are given enough time. From what I observed, most of them would not sustain the exercise without an instructor

The experience changed my perspective about people living with this condition. Initially, I thought that obesity has no remedy outside the standard drug treatments. But, I realized that with the right fitness practice, exercise as well as well developed balanced diet, they can reduce weight and evade some of the diseases that are associated with this condition. The outreach experience made me believe that there is a gap in the handling of this condition. Programs such as this should be a policy in the health care system to check the activities of patients with obesity, and to involve other members of the society who are at risk of developing this situation. I felt sorry for when some of them admitted that their conditions could not be affected positively by the fitness and diet programs that we conducted. In fact, children with obesity are required to have at least one hour every day of moderate activity to vigorous physical activity.

The Needs of the Group

Obesity is a health condition that is caused by increase in weight. Individuals with more body fat considered unhealthy according to health standards suffer this condition (Jung, Luck-Sikorski, Wiemers, & Riedel-Heller, 2015). As such, it is a health problem that comes with special living conditions to reduce its effects and exposure to other diseases such as high blood pressure, which is associated with this condition. Physical exercise should be mandatory for this group; this is likely to assist them to remove excess fats, and to stay healthy and fit. Moreover, it helps in opening their tissues for effective blood flow, hence reducing their chances of acquiring other deadly diseases. People with obesity needs to adopt healthy diet, which involves eating and drinking less and making good food choices as well. The most recommended foods for them include vegetables and fruits, grains, lean meat, milk. They are also expected to drink plenty of water, and to consume low-calorie diet (Setchell, Watson, Gard, & Jones, 2016). Both adults and children should have enough sleep and reduce TV time to less than 2 hrs every day.

How I Can Help Make a Difference with the Experience

I learned that people with obesity do not live according to the set standards. Most of them give up on physical exercise and diet when they don’t realize changes in their body, and accept to face consequences of the disease. I believe that health facilities should follow up with these people to ensure that they follow the standard of living that is required of them. Secondly, I would encourage them to form groups, where they conduct exercise together and evaluate their diet adoption programs. It is difficult to follow the diet programs efficiently, and to perform the daily fitness exercise. As such, being together will give them the necessary morale to conduct the activities. I would use knowledge acquired in the outreach program to assist other members of the society, who never got a chance to attend the outreach.

References

Jung, F. E., Luck-Sikorski, C., Wiemers, N., & Riedel-Heller, S. G. (2015). Dietitians and Nutritionists: Stigma in the Context of Obesity. A Systematic Review. Plos ONE, 10(10), 1-16.

Setchell, J., Watson, B. M., Gard, M., & Jones, L. (2016). Physical Therapists’ Ways of Talking About Overweight and Obesity: Clinical Implications. Physical Therapy, 96(6), 865-875.