“In Population Health and Its Integration into Advanced Nursing Practice” (2018), Bemker and Ralyea put together a textbook that is a must-have for all Advance Practice Nurses (APN) and graduate nursing programs whose aim is to successfully arm nurses within the advanced practice role to impact healthcare delivery positively. This book takes a deep dive into population health globally, looks within eight specific vulnerable populations relevant to urgent population health issues today, and presents detailed information applicable to advance practice nursing care throughout the book. The goals set for this textbook are unequivocally achieved; the APN will end up knowing what to do and when and where to do it. I mainly took keen note of chapter 10 of the text about obesity.

A brief statement introducing the selected practice problem

The United States continues to records the rising rate of obesity cases. It is an epidemic that calls for an alarm to everybody to do something about it. That is because obesity is a complex condition associated with reduced quality of life, increase mortality, and many comorbidities. Obesity knows no gender or age. It is a disease that languishes a person’s overall health from excess body fat. Therefore, people need to be informed about this condition right from childhood. At young ages, education should be the primary focus to show the nutrition requirements dependent on one’s BMI. in 2016, the prevalence of obesity for US adults was 40.1% (Hales et al., 2018). The prevalence of obesity for children and adolescents in the same year was 19.1%, and the number affected was about 13.8 million (Uzogara, 2017).

Social determinant risk factors for the selected practice problem.

All public health determinants are associated with obesity. First, social factors affecting obesity include the background of the individual, whether or not the people surrounding that the individual associate with engaging in behaviors that increase their risk of diabetes, and where an individual goes to school or work. Another social determinant is the biological factor, which includes medical conditions such as insulin resistance, which contribute to obesity development. Also, the person may be affected by the medication he/she is taking. Another determining risk factor is policymaking. Policymakers play a significant role in making vital decisions about the type of food supplied in community restaurants. They also affect food prices, availability, what programs should be taught in school in raising obesity awareness, availability of food information, and why healthy lifestyles matter for a person's healthy development (Pozza & Isidori, 2018). Genetics are also considered as determining risk factors for obesity because some individuals are genetically predisposed to obesity. This population finds it hard to cut extra pounds through traditional exercise and diet. Individual behavior is another determining risk factor for obesity. According to (), living a quality healthy life depends mainly on the behaviors we adapt to and how to interpret and plan to prevent or control gaining extra kilos. Also, health services can affect one’s amount of weight because education plays a crucial role in helping individuals make better healthy lifestyle choices such as healthcare options, accessibility to healthy meal options, safe exercises, and healthy diets (Uzogara, 2017). Lastly, race, gender, age, and income all are risk factors that influence obesity.

Related Healthy People 2020 Goal.

The primary goal of obesity, as specified by Healthy People 2020, is to improve the quality of life by reducing terminal illness risk through the consumption of balanced diets and living an active lifestyle that is purposed to achieve a healthy body weight (Pozza & Isidori, 2018). It means people should be educated about proper dieting and managing weight, watch on health behaviors and policies by being in an environment or health programs that support these behaviors like in settings such as healthcare facilities, worksites, schools, and communities.

An evidence-based intervention to address the Healthy People 2020 goal.

Different evidence-based studies have been conducted in the past that show obesity is prevalent among the marginalized communities, though more recently, they have revealed a stronger correlation between obesity and income. It implies the upbringing conditions of an individual may be present with both physical and social inequalities (Uzogara, 2017). Obesity remains one of the giant health nightmares for the community, the rate of obesity reported to drop from the past 3 years (Hales et al., 2018). Evidence-based practices help providers to create practical and promising obesity interventions. Since providers interact with patients daily, health practitioners are positioned at a level whereby they explore different opportunities to assess patients and identify those at risk while designing educational programs that aim to enlighten unaware patients about obesity (Pozza & Isidori, 2018). Another way EBP helps providers attain the Healthy People 2020 goal is by volunteering and connecting with health promotion programs. For instance, they hold community meetings and presentations to give brief scope on the issue. Also, they distribute flyers and posters at workplaces and schools.

A measurable objective to address the Healthy People 2020 goal.

A measurable objective to address the healthy People 2020 goal is to have a dietary plan, active lifestyle, and overall quality of life. This objective aims to improve Americans' health status by educating them on how to avoid some social determinants by maintaining healthy body weights and eating healthy diets that will reduce the risk of developing chronic disease (Bemker & Ralyea, 2018). Good health and weight management are stemmed from better nutrition plans, as evidenced by scientific literature.

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