Evaluate us health system

Healthcare System
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The threat of obesity as a health problem has been the subject of debate in recent years owing to the continuous increase in obesity cases across the US and globally. The WHO defines obesity as “an excessive or abnormal accumulation of fat that endangers one’s health.” (WHO, 2018). In this regard, an obese person is one with “a BMI of 30 or more” while anyone with a BMI of less than 30 but above 25 is regarded as overweight (WHO, 2018). On the other hand, obesity among children can be defined as “a BMI at or above the 95th percentile” of a certain population in which the reference is made (Ogden and Flegal, 2010).
Obesity is a serious issue that needs the intervention of the US healthcare system. The condition increases an individual’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, various cancers, and may lead to mortality. Coupled with this is the fact that obesity has been on the rise in the US in recent years owing to unrestricted access to various foods and poor lifestyles. According to Flegal et al. (1998), the prevalence of obesity from 1960 to 1994, adjusted for age moved over 10 points from 13% to 23%. This rise continued in the next ten years, where obesity prevalence rates moved to 32% from the previous 13% (Fleming, 2014). The prevalence rate for the years 2015-2016 were 18.55 among children and 39.855 among adults (Hales et al., 2017). Despite the threat and magnitude of the problem, the US health care system has remained ineffective in solving it.

The major problem is that despite the realization that it is a serious issue, the belief that it is under an individual’s personal control has persisted. This situation has led to the thriving of a victim-blaming culture. Body shaming is now quite widespread in the communities, with some people being called fat and lazy among other terms.
What should be done then? The healthcare system has much to play in the eradication of this problem. First, health care facilities, nurses, doctors, and other parties should ensure clarity concerning the condition, causes, and alleviation exists. This can be done by ensuring accurate and reliable information is provided to patients and other people in the community. They can also inspire colleagues, patients, and the community members to make changes in their lifestyle.
Hospitals and health facilities should also be at the forefront in promoting healthy environments for staff, visitors, and patients. They can do this by banning sugary drinks, fast foods, among other unhealthy products. They should then provide the right meals in their facilities. This action would motivate patients and others to live a healthy life.
References
Hales CM, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. (2017). Prevalence of obesity among adults and youth: United States, 2015–2016. NCHS data brief, no 288. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2017.
Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., Kuczmarski, R. J., & Johnson, C. L. (1998). Overweight and obesity in the United States: prevalence and trends, 1960–1994. International journal of obesity, 22(1), 39.
Fleming, Ng, Robinson, M., Thomson, B., Graetz, N., Margono, C., … & Abraham, J. P. (2014). Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The lancet, 384(9945), 766-781.
Ogden, C. L., & Flegal, K. M. (2010). Changes in terminology for childhood overweight and obesity. Age, 12(12).
WHO. (2018). Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/topics/obesity/en/